Disney’s first Black princess Anika Noni Rose is featured on the cover of the January 2010 issue of Essence Magazine and in the issue, the actress talks about her role as Princess Tiana in the new movie “The Princess and the Frog” among other things, including scoring the role, making history and what’s next for her career. Check out the Q&A straight from Essence.com below…
ESSENCE.com: What was your initial thought when you heard there was going to be a Black animated princess?
ANIKA NONI ROSE: Oh my God, I was thrilled. [Working with] Disney has been my dream, so I just focused on getting the part and when I did, I called home screaming! [laughs] There’s no reason why a girl from Connecticut would end up being the first Black Disney princess.ESSENCE.com: Well, there’s no reason why not, either! Weren’t Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Tyra Banks being considered, too?
ROSE: I read that they were, but I don’t know any details. Ultimately, that didn’t matter to me because I was competing against me. As an actor, if you spend so much time thinking about how many other people are coming into a room, you’ll psyche yourself out before you even get there.ESSENCE.com: How did you feel when you saw Tiana on the big screen for the first time?
ROSE: When I saw Tiana, with my expression on her face, in color, standing in the moonlight, surrounded by sparkles–I was truly undone! I’ve been crying for a year– seriously.
Visit Essence.com for the rest and make sure you catch the movie in theaters nationwide this Friday!
