Beyoncé starred in Austin Powers In Goldmember as Foxxy Cleopatra, and she is a “whole lot of woman.” The singer disapproved of the original promotional poster because she appeared “too skinny.”
The film’s makeup artist, Kate Biscoe, said Bey reviewed the poster and sent it back for editing in a conversation with Vulture for the 20th anniversary of the movie’s release. “When we were shooting, someone brought her a poster that would be promoting the movie,” Biscoe told the outlet. “He showed it to her, like, ‘Do you like it?’ And she was kind of like, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘What’s the matter?’ And she says, ‘You made me too skinny. It’s not me. Then she did this hourglass shape. And he said, ‘Okay, we’ll fix that.’”
Biscoe detailed her interaction with the unnamed person who showed the Lemonade singer the poster. “(Beyoncé) walked away to go do the scene, and I looked at him and smiled, like, ‘Is that the first time that you’ve ever had an actress ask to make her body bigger?’ she recalled. “He was like, ‘Yes. It’s going to cost me thousands of dollars, but I am going to do it.’”
The 28-time Grammy award-winning singer was only 19 years old when she took on the role in the Austin Powers franchise. It was her second major acting gig after starring in Carmen: A Hip Hopera alongside Mekhi Phifer and Mos Def. The film’s director, Jay Roach, said he planned to cast a Black love interest for the third installment. He said, “I remember Sharon Sheinwold Jackson, the agent, telling me that the lead singer for Destiny’s Child was really special.”
Roach described how helpful the singer’s mother was once they finally proposed the idea. “We sat down with Beyoncé and her mom on the rooftop patio outside of Mike Myers’s room at the Chateau Marmont and talked about the possibilities for the character. Her mom was very much into blaxploitation movies. She could tell that was the DNA for Foxxy. Her mom was so cool and so helpful and instantly had ideas for us.” Beyoncé secured more acting credits in movies like The Pink Panther, Dream Girls, Cadillac Records, and Obsessed.