The excitement around this year’s Oscars has much to do with the 13 nominations garnered by front-runner “Chicago.” Up for everything from Best Picture, to two Best Supporting Actress nominations, to Best Sound, this rampant adaptation of the Broadway smash has everyone expecting a resurgence of the Hollywood musical genre.
- Todd Weiser
- Courtesy of IMDB
As one of the film’s supporting players, R&B sensation and emergent pop-superstar Mya sat down with The Michigan Daily to talk about “Chicago,” her experience, her future plans and the current awards buzz.
While quite limited in her film experience, Mya still found the transition from the music stage to the musical world to be relatively smooth, even with the rigorous schedule. “Rehearsals were pretty lengthy every day, about six hours or more. The most rehearsal that I spent was with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. I enjoyed it to the fullest,” Mya said. “My part was very, very brief, but we had rehearsals for about two months in Toronto. I enjoyed myself, and everyone was just a joy to work with.”
Having only a small role in the film didn’t put a damper on Mya’s experience. Should the movie musical return to prominence following the critical acclaim of “Chicago,” Mya has some suggestions for her next appearance. “Well, if I was given the opportunity to do something for the big screen along the musical side of entertainment, I was really a fan of ‘Jelly’s Last Jam’ because of the amount of tap dancing it had in it. I saw that probably about three times. (Tap dancing) is probably my number-one forte, so I’d like to do something involving tap.”
After experiencing camera performance vs. stage dancing, Mya had quite a different look at the seemingly similar final products. “On stage you can pretty much improvise. There’s more interaction with an audience. I would almost call it very spiritual on a live stage.” But she also had a soft side for film. “With the movie screen you have the ability to touch so many more people, but it’s just a longer process, I would have to say, in terms of performance,” she said.
Unaware of the extent to which “Chicago” would been honored with Oscar nominations, the rising star had a bit to say about the buzz surrounding it. “You know eight Golden Globe nominations and five Screen Actors Guild nominations. I definitely think the buzz that has been created will lead to an Oscar nomination and award.”
Of course, even with all the film’s hype this member of the “Lady Marmalade” quartet hasn’t sidelined her singing career. When asked about a new album, Mya replied, “I’m actually in the studio wrapping it up, and it should be out early summer.” And, as always, her fans can expect to see more star collaborations, more appearances and, hopefully, more big screen roles in the near future.