Mary J. Blige Is Ready To Rock
Mary J. Blige has been a music icon for the last two decades and is considered, by many, one of the best ever. Over the last 20 years it seems like we have seen Mary do it all. She has shared the stage with Elton John in Madison Square Garden, performed at the Superbowl halftime show with Aerosmith, and that’s before you mention 9 Grammys and 29 nominations. Mary has proven to be more than just an R&B singer – and is ready to prove herself again on a different stage, the big screen. Co-starring with Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Juliane Hough (just to name a few) in the theatrical rendition of the Broadway smash Rock of Ages. I recently had the great experience of sitting down with the Mary J Blige to discuss her role, contribution to the film’s soundtrack, and future endeavors.
Mary is a fan of Rock music and has been for quite some time. When asked about this love affair with rock Mary stated, “well I sort of grew up listening to it, as well as R&B and Hip-Hop. I got exposed to the heavy metals through MTV - Van Halen, Led Zepplin, and Journey”. Mary also went on to say that she grew up listening to Rock because radio stations were not heavily playing R&B and Hip-Hop like they are today. So it’s no wonder why she leaves such an imprint on the Rock of Ages soundtrack. Mary provides a huge contribution appearing on six tracks. She adds flavor to classic rock hits including Any Way You Want It and Here I Go Again like only Mary can deliver. The entire soundtrack is truly unique and features 20 remakes of Rock’s most memorable classics.
Mary J is ready to own her new path, becoming the best actress she can be. She explained she has a new dedication, focus, and spends time studying the craft. In Rock of Ages Mary plays Justice Charlier, owner of a gentleman’s club. Part of her preparation included (you guessed it) visits to strip clubs! When asked about her strip club adventures Mary laughed, “You know it was fun. It was actually fun because the women there are so sweet and nice…. and they knew exactly who I was so I got bombarded and stampeded. They didn’t want to dance, they just wanted to talk”. Fans will see a “looser more fun side” and she points out “the costumes alone say, Mary’s having fun”. It was clear Mary J had a blast shooting this movie but she doesn’t see her acting stopping on the big screen. When asked about the possibility of Broadway she replied “of course!” This is exciting news because after over 20 years, the world still can’t get enough Mary. Bring on the drama!
Rock of Ages in theatres June 15th but the soundtrack is available now!
Nick Porter
@RappedGifts
RappedGifts.com
