Aretha Franklin made it known that she wants Halle Berry to play her in a biopic, and new information from a family member could seal the deal for the Queen of Soul.
According to a press release, someone in Franklin’s family suggests that she and Berry are related. Apparently Franklin’s grandmother and Berry’s grandmother were first cousins. The ESSENCE Music Festival alumna is said to be “investigating the authenticity” of those claims.
Franklin has repeatedly expressed her adoration of the actress, even going as far as handpicking Berry for the lead role. “I would’ve liked Halle Berry to portray the older Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic of my life based on my memoir, Aretha: From These Roots,” she told Wendy Williams shortly after the Oscar winner said she would have considered the role — except she can’t sing.
“If I could carry a tune, I’d consider it,” Berry told Ryan Seacrest. “Someone should tell Aretha that I can’t do her justice.”
In response Franklin said she’d never expected the Oscar winner to sing. “She’s an actress, not a singer. Many actors have portrayed vocalists by lip-synching to the artists’ original recordings.”
Could today’s news sway Berry to take the role after all?