Blue Ivy, the 12-year-old daughter of Jay-Z and Beyoncé, made her debut as the voice of lioness cub Kiara in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, with director Barry Jenkins adamant that her casting It’s about talent, not family ties. In an interview with People magazine, Jenkins, best known for directing the Oscar-winning TV series “Moonlight,” responded to the question […]
Blue Ivy, the 12-year-old daughter of Jay-Z and Beyoncé, made her acting debut as the voice of lioness cub Kiara in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, and director Barry Jenkins is adamant about her casting. Depends on talent, not family connections.
Jenkins, best known for directing the Oscar-winning TV series “Moonlight,” addressed speculation about favoritism in an interview with People magazine.
“Her parents had no involvement in her booking this movie,” Jenkins made clear. Instead, he said it was Blue Ivy’s 2020 audiobook narration that first caught his attention.
“You know, she read this book, this audiobook, ‘Hair Love’ with my friend Matthew Cherry,” he said. “I really like her voice.”
Jenkins describes Blue Ivy’s sound as a combination of “beautiful innocence” and “the knowledge of a highly evolved child.” He praised her ability to bring out the emotional complexity required of the character.
“Kids in the audience will see themselves in her character, Kiara. She just brings all the complexity that it requires.
He also praised her preparation and professionalism.
“She was great to work with. She came very prepared.
Jenkins emphasizes that her performance is entirely independent of her status as the child of a powerful couple in the music industry.
The young talent joined her superstar parents on the red carpet at the film’s premiere on Monday.
The family’s public appearance comes amid controversy surrounding Jay-Z, who faces charges stemming from a 2000 incident in which he was accused of having sex with music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Sean “Diddy” Combs engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor.
Jay-Z, 55, has strongly denied the claims, calling them “outrageous” and “stupid.”
