{"id":63293,"date":"2012-05-16T10:56:07","date_gmt":"2012-05-16T10:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2012\/05\/16\/jordin-sparks-talks-sparkle-set-visit-report\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T10:57:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T10:57:34","slug":"jordin-sparks-talks-sparkle-set-visit-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/jordin-sparks-talks-sparkle-set-visit-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordin Sparks talks Sparkle \u2013 Set Visit Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jordin Sparks talks Sparkle<\/a> \u2013 Set Visit Report<\/strong>By Elle Castro<\/p>\n

May 16, 2012<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There’s no way we can go without properly acknowledging that singer\/fledgling actress Jordin Sparks<\/strong> has grown tremendously in her career since winning season six of television favorite, American Idol, in 2007. Sparks will reach another career high this summer when she hits the big screen in the remake of the 1976 classic film “Sparkle<\/strong>.” The movie tells the story of three singing sisters trying to successfully make it in the music business.<\/p>\n

Blackfilm.com<\/strong> caught up with Sparks, who plays the lead character Sparkle, last November during a set visit in Detroit. The anxious singer dished on her involvement with the project, how she prepared for the role, and how she felt to have worked closely with her idol and cast mate, the late Whitney Houston.<\/p>\n

How has is been filming in Detroit? What is your opinion of the first take of Sparkle now that you\u2019re shooting the remake?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>Jordin Sparks: <\/strong>Actually, it\u2019s been really cool coming to shoot here. I\u2019ve performed in Auburn Hills, at The Palace\u2026 so I haven\u2019t really been in downtown Detroit but I\u2019ve been able to be here and I can really see what the city was. I can feel why Motown started here and how amazing it was.<\/p>\n

As far as knowing the movie before, I wasn\u2019t alive in the \u201870s so I didn\u2019t see it when it came out, but I had heard about the remake at the beginning of the year (2011) before I even knew that I was going to be considered for auditioning. So I\u2019d heard about it, so you know Netflix I went on there and watched Sparkle and I really liked it. I love anything that has to do with music.<\/p>\n

Do you feel any pressure being the lead in the film? Do you have any music on the soundtrack?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>JS: <\/strong>Oh my gosh, this is my first movie ever, and so it being my first movie and also being one of the principals\u2026it\u2019s a lot of pressure but I\u2019m kind of like just flying by the seat of my pants. It\u2019s great to have such an amazing cast with me because they\u2019re helping me. I\u2019m like, \u2018Is that ok? Am I responding in the right way? Is that where my emotion is supposed to be?\u2019 Salim (Akil), the director, he\u2019s so great because we shoot things out of order; so the hard thing for me is to try and figure out where I am emotionally and in my growth stage. And Salim is so great because he comes to me and he\u2019s like, \u2018This is where you\u2019re at in life. This is what just happened to you.\u2019 And I\u2019m like, \u2018Thank you \u2018cause I had no idea.\u2019 But it is a lot of pressure, but it\u2019s so much fun too; it\u2019s a completely new experience for me. I did Broadway last fall, but now I\u2019m going to be able to do acting and music but in a movie format; as well as I like doing it. I hope it turns out really well. It looks really good from what I\u2019ve seen so far.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t tell you the names of the songs that I did separately [for the soundtrack], but we are doing most of the songs from the original film. We\u2019re doing \u201cHooked on Your Love,\u201d \u201cGiving Him Something He Can Feel,\u201d \u201cJump,\u201d and there\u2019s another one from the original, but we\u2019re trying to figure out how to put it into the story of Sparkle. Yes, I did some new stuff that I absolutely fell in love with and I\u2019m so excited to do. So I think you guys are really going to enjoy the soundtrack when it comes out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A lot of the songs from the original film were legendary songs; do you have a feeling that the new stuff will be just as legendary?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JS: <\/strong>I think that the new stuff has the possibilities to be. I heard the demos; R. Kelly is doing a lot of the new stuff, and he\u2019s just a beast. So to be sitting here hearing him sing the demos, I\u2019m going. \u2018How am I supposed to replicate that?\u2019 I\u2019m very honored and excited to sing songs that he\u2019s written and been producing. They\u2019re amazing. I think they\u2019re going to be really, really good\u2026 I know they\u2019re good because I\u2019ve been listening to them on my iPod and they\u2019re awesome.<\/p>\n

Why did you want to pursue acting? And how did you prepare yourself for this role in particular?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>JS:<\/strong> Ever since I was little, I knew that singing is what I wanted to do. And then I got into doing drama club at Community Theater in school. We lived in New Jersey, so I went to Broadway a lot and saw plays and I just loved seeing people being able to play a different character and be able to be themselves at the end of the night. So, I\u2019ve always wanted to do it, I just didn\u2019t know when it was going to happen and then this just sort of fell into my lap. I\u2019m really excited for this being my first movie, like the cast and I\u2019m like, \u2018This is my life.\u2019 But it\u2019s been a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really know how I prepared for the role. I was like, \u2018I\u2019m playing Sparkle.\u2019 They said, \u2018Yep.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Ok.\u2019 I just prayed and prayed and prayed cause you never know how other people are going to be when you meet them and I never did a movie before so I didn\u2019t really know how to prepare. I read the script over and over and over again. I really loved it so it wasn\u2019t hard to read it. I read it back and forth. I had the script for a while before we started shooting so I just wanted to make sure I knew my lines and to figure out my emotions and try to figure out like how I would respond and then taking a step backwards and trying to figure out how she would respond cause we\u2019re similar but we\u2019re still very different at the same time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Why do you think it\u2019s important to tell this particular story given the nature of the current music industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JS: <\/strong>It\u2019s really amazing to see because Sparkle in the movie she goes through a lot of adversity and she deals with insecurities with herself and trying to overcome that. Being around with her families and seeing them go through things herself, just everybody\u2019s changing and everybody goes through stuff like that whether it\u2019s an entertainer or [not]. Everybody goes through something and can have a personal struggle. So a lot of people are going to be able to relate to it. I think a lot of young girls or young men who are trying to break into the industry, even though this is based in the \u201960s, they can see that it takes a lot of work and it also takes a lot of dedication and a lot of sacrifice. I think they\u2019re going to be able to relate to the girls, and the mothers are going to be able to relate to Whitney cause she\u2019s so awesome. But I think they\u2019re going to be able to relate to Sparkle because she\u2019s got that slight insecurities in herself and you see her grow and you see her blossom. I\u2019m hoping that when people walk away they say, \u2018Ok, if she can overcome stuff, if she can find it in herself to do something after all of that just happened, I can do it too and I\u2019ll be ok too.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019re already a superstar, but being that this is your first movie, and movies take you to a whole another level, and with it being Sparkle people are going to see it just because they want to see how well you\u2019re going to do\u2026 are you ready for the extra attention and how your life is going to change?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> I was just saying that I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m ready for this yet. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m ready for my life to change again because you\u2019re right it\u2019s a whole another level and I\u2019m just like well I must be ready because I was put here and I\u2019m supposed to be here and I\u2019m doing the part for a reason. So, I\u2019ll let you know when it happens.<\/p>\n

Can you talk about how you got involved in the project? Is it something that came to you, or did you go after it and talk about any audition that you had to do for it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>JS: <\/strong>It was a little bit of both. Like I said I had heard about the project, you know it\u2019s been in the works for a while. I first heard about the project earlier this year [2011], and it was funny because I was like, \u2018Sparkle\u2014that would be so funny if I got to play that role\u2026\u2019 cause my last name is Sparks. So I thought, o that would be so funny. So I read the script and I had that for a while, and then all of a sudden it became, \u2018Are you interested? Do you want to go audition?\u2019 and I was like, \u2018Ok, I can do this.\u2019 And if somebody just tells me to sing, it\u2019s no problem, but you tell me to go stand in front of someone and go act, it\u2019s like something else, and here memorize these lines and kiss this guy that you just met and it\u2019s\u2026 I was shaking. But I did do the audition process; they pulled me in a couple of times. I never asked who else was auditioning because I didn\u2019t want to know. I had a meeting with the casting director, and then the next one Salim came in and then the next one a few other people came in and then they taped me and the producers and everybody got together and watched the tape to see how it goes. Then I was sitting in a meeting outside of the hotel near the roof pool, and I got the call that I made it and I just screamed so loud. I was so excited. It was a lot and it was a learning curve for me as well to figure out how the audition process is and I know I guess all of them are different but it was fun for me. All of it has been so much fun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What was your reaction when you found out that Whitney was going to be involved?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JS: <\/strong>As a singer, Whitney is like through the atmosphere\u2026She is just somebody that you aspire to want to sing like. I remember like with Whitney around everybody just trying to mimic her. I already knew like that she was executive producing so I knew that she would be around and that I\u2019d be seeing her around; and then I heard that she was going to be playing my mom and I was just like, \u2018Could this get any better?\u2019 It\u2019s been so exciting, she\u2019s such a riot and it\u2019s so fun to be around her. For the past two weeks we\u2019ve done a lot of scenes together and she is so funny. She\u2019s definitely going to make a lot of people happy. She has millions upon million of fans and I think they\u2019re going to be very happy to see how she is in this movie. As well as the people who doubt that she\u2019ll be able to do it, I think they\u2019re going to be pleasantly surprised as well. I\u2019m just so excited\u2026I was on the red carpet when I found out that she was going to be playing my mom. They\u2019re (the press)were asking me questions and in my head all I was thinking was, \u2018Whitney\u2019s playing my mom.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t even pay attention. But yeah, she\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

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