Original Casting for Monster's Ball

[The Third Dukes]

Latifah Was Slated for 'Monster's Ball'

Wed Oct 27, 1:49 PM ET

Had things worked out differently, it might have been Queen Latifah in "Monster's Ball" instead of Halle Berry.

The rapper-singer-actress says she was slated to play the lead in the movie that netted Berry the Oscar for best actress in 2002. Berry was the first black to ever win an Oscar in that category.

"I actually had that role before Halle. But they couldn't set it up. It would have been me, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro," Latifah told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Instead, the low-budget drama starred Berry, Heath Ledger and Billy Bob Thornton.

Would Latifah have taken it all off for the role, as did Berry, for the movie's explicit sex scene?

"You wouldn't take that role without knowing what was there already," Latifah cautiously answered. "It was the type of script that was written to be an Oscar winner, and that's the only reason you would take it, because you know it would require so much of you as an actor, that if you don't get a freakin' Oscar for this, you ain't gonna ever get one."

Latifah was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar in 2003 for her role in "Chicago." She stars in the comedy "Taxi" with Jimmy Fallon and recently released "The Dana Owens Album."

[Numbahs]

I think I'd buy her in the role more than Berry.....still, that being said, I wouldn't have liked to see the DeNiro/Latifah humpfest.

[Your Mom]

I agree that she might have been a little better for the part, but the resulting love scene would have totally nullified that.

[Herr Matzat]

Billy Bob is what made the movie annyway

[kaya]

I must be the only one who finds Latifah attractive

[Boulder]

I must be the only one who finds Latifah attractive

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To be 100% honest and blunt, she's pretty, but too overweight for me to want to see her in a sex scene.

[ImageGuy]

The only reason any of you are saying Latifah would've been a little better is because Halle Berry is way too fucking hot to be believable as anything but some kind of secret agent, fertility god, or supermodel, and Latifah is a fat oaf.

[Evil Chase K]

Halle Berry is nasty. Not hot. But still more desirable than Queen Latifah. But I can't stand either on screen.

[SeanDMan]

Did you guys read the report that Halle Berry's stuntwoman in Catwoman was actually a stuntman?

[Pepsi]

It at least would have been more realistic.

[jrhodes]

Did you guys read the report that Halle Berry's stuntwoman in Catwoman was actually a stuntman?

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[ROC]

Did you guys read the report that Halle Berry's stuntwoman in Catwoman was actually a stuntman?

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It was the same in Tomb Raider II for Jolie.

Stuntmen < Stuntwomen obviously.

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