Lil Kim hasn’t been shy about her disdain for The Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious over the years. But during a recent sit-down interview with Hollywood Unlocked, she reiterated what made the film so cringeworthy for her.
First and foremost, she was unhappy with Naturi Naughton’s portrayal of her.
“I’m going to touch on this briefly ’cause I think everybody already knows my answer to this, but I hated everything about that movie. I hated it. Wasn’t involved in it. I actually had to get my lawyers involved in which I ended up getting a check from it — that was the only reason why, whatever. But it was greenlit and shot without my permission. Everybody knows this already. We talked about it. [apple_news_ad type=”any”]
“How do you even pick somebody [Naughton] — because I’m sorry. That wasn’t … I was not OK with that … I would have never picked her. Never, ever, ever. She has nothing in common with me. Nothing. We have nothing in common. No, seriously … And I don’t like the way she’s been disrespectful about it because I wasn’t even basically blaming her. But she did a whole documentary coming at me. I’m like, ‘What the heck is this?'”
Kim continued, “I’m like, ‘OK boo. You don’t want this smoke.’ Cause at the end of the day, I really could really go there. But I been letting her … Because her thing is, she just wanted me to be OK with it, but if I’m not OK with you playing me in the role, either you’re going to do it — ’cause I can’t tell you not to take a role and get your money, right? — but don’t say ‘Oh, I love her’ this, that and the third when you were like, ‘I don’t care what she think. I’m going to still do this movie.’
“So basically, you’re doing it without my stamp of approval. So you’re doing it for a check or you’re doing it to come up. That’s fine. But don’t make it seem like I’m hating on you because I don’t want you to do it … All of that talk she did on the documentary, I felt it was very disrespectful.”
Naughton appeared on an episode of TV One’s Uncensored in April and discussed Kim’s criticisms of the film.
“I would never take on a role of real person that is alive and well and not try to speak with them and reach out,” she said. “Let’s clear the record. At the time, there was a manger who was managing Kim. I called, I left multiple voicemails … I was at the production office in Brooklyn, Kim comes off the elevator, I happen to be there for rehearsal. Huge, beautiful fur. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the queen is here.’ She walks right by me with her crew. She goes into the director’s office. They close the door.
“All I hear is, ‘What the fuck?!’ They’re arguing. They’re yelling and I’m like, ‘I hope this is not about me.’ But it was. I guess there was some miscommunication about the casting process. But again, I’m just an actress. I was just hired to do a part. So I was hoping and praying. I reached out via phone. I was there, that time in person.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-N3y-CieAA
Naughton added she thought maybe Kim took issue with her dark complexion.
“Maybe my look had something to do with it,” she continued. “Again, it started to replay the memories of 3LW saying I’m not good enough or because I guess she thought I was darker than the character should have been. I just wanted to have her blessing. I really did.
“To this day, I have nothing but love and respect for Lil Kim. she really is what spawned the careers of Nicki Minajs and Cardi B. They just took from that book and did it now. No disrespect to any of these artists. But please give her her just due. So for me, I have nothing but love and respect. And I hope that she knows I was honored to play her. And I hope one day she can see that and really know that.”
Revisit the Uncensored episode above.
Melissa Ford lost all of the journalistic credibility I gave her the benefit of the doubt of having prior to watching this clip. Talk about pandering to your guest smh.. “everyone felt she wasn’t right for the role” give me a break Melissa
Naturi Naughton is a bald headed scally wag LOL but nah for real she a terrible actor though. I always wanted Ghost to kill her on power.
Lil Kim is UGLY AS FUCK. I’m not the most handsome man ever (although low key I think I am) but, that bitch is SUPER UGLY like a Jay Z diss to Nas. Shorty should have never start fucking with that plastic surgery plus she wear too much makeup. Just ugly bruh. I mean, YUCK!
id slap the shit out of them titties, but her face… i dont even know if id piss on that
i love Kim
gotta ride with the Queen Bee
If you wanna keep it a buck, she was the best part of that movie. I can see Kim having a problem with the complexion comment, but she showed her respect in that doc. Her problems need to be with the people who was responsible for that script, Faith, and Big’s mom. Doesn’t matter who played her, she was still gonna do the same shit
Damn Lil Kim, you should tell me why if you hate that person or otherwise it is a blind hatred. You are just b!tchin about this and that and you don’t give a solid reason for that. Make me understand.
I’m not gonna listen to the interview, but sounds like Kim is just salty they made her look like the unwanted sidepiece she probably was. I thought Naturi was one of the better actresses in the movie and that she played Kim’s part pretty well (better looking too). She woulda had issues no matter who took the part.
She wants Teyana taylor to do s biopic. ??? She need one of them old chicks that had 100 plastic surgeries too many. Kim 4got she ugly asf and had all that work to look more ugly.
But she was beautiful before the surgery
No she wasn’t. She was cheap looking then too.
She was!
Who the fuck is Lil Kim to think movie producers and executives give a shit who she thinks should play her in a movie not about her? She had nothing to do with the movie whatsoever. Naturi is an actress gettin to the bag, what she cares about how anybody feels? Lil Kim is definitely a little nuts with this one. The movie wasnt even all that for real for real. Move on.
someone out there can crack this damn case as to who shot who.
I’ve been a fan of Naturi Naughton–she is not a very good actress- and sucks on Power! They should of had Saana Lathan or Rosario Dawson play her part instead—just saying_Phil
Saana or Rosario couldn’t play her part, they look too old.. But good actresses.. And Naturi is a great actress to me!!
Smh all I got from this is Kim dont want no parts of melanin. That’s a special brainwashing right there.
Lil Kim was not convicted of the same crime as Martha Stewart. I don’t know that Kim has the coins to commit MS’s crime of insider trading. Also I would respect Kim more if she wasn’t all bleached out–a sure sign of self loathing. I thought Naturi was a good Lil Kim. The real Lil Kim is not a casting director and was not attached to that movie and didn’t have the grace to be cool. Naturi will eclipse Lil Kim when it’s over.