Came To Give Love

She's got attitude which I like. I'm a very reserved, kind of shy person. When I'm around my friends I come out a little bit more, but when I get around of the people I tend to be very reserved. She has a side of her that is really spunky and will come out. She'll get histerical and loose control, and I like to do that. I like playing that part, cause I don't do that a lot, only when it's pretty much necessary. I'm on tour my band needs to get yell, all of that, and that will come out of me, but she has that attitude pretty much all the time, and I really like that, that side of her. ~ Aaliyah on playing Trish O’Day, 2000

Acting is something I've always done since I was very young. Singing was my first love, but I also acted throughout high school. Even while I was doing my albums, I was taking acting lessons... but I didn't feel I was ready. I'm a music artist, and people know me a certain way, so I wanted the first character to be similar to me. I didn't have to find her [Trish] I connected with her closeness to her family. It also helped that my coach was on the set with me. We talked about the character, and we rehearsed the lines in the script.

~ Aaliyah for UPSCALE magazine, 2001

Aaliyah talks on her joint fight scene with Jet Li in Romeo Must Die

He (Jet Li) made sure I was graceful, I looked good, my legs were straight. I worked with his fight choreographer for a month, because it's all me, no stunt double, it's me flipping around! Worked hard on that one. That was a lot of fun.

- ALL Interview, 2000

I wanted this role [Trish in "Romeo Must Die"] because I felt we were similar in a lot of ways. She's tough girl, she's independent, but she loves her family and that's what motivates her, and that's what her anger comes from because she doesn't approve of the lifestyle. She's no nonsense girl. ~ Aaliyah about the role of Trish O'Day, 2000

Aaliyah talks about Romeo Must Die

I did my screen test with Jet, that was the first time that we've met. We talked a bit, got to know each other, and the chemistry was just kinda there, right from the beginning. So when I went to Vancouver, I went to the pre-production of rehearsals. We got to know each other better and I think that it helped, and came time, you know, to actually start shooting. 

The approach that we took was the right one to take. To me, you do see a nice relationship. I feel that there is a beautiful relationship that you see progress throughout the film,  but we are in a midst of a lot of fighting and drama, so we don't get the chance to really be that romantic. And that's just what a story was since the beginning, so I think that it's sweet and it loose a lot to the imagination at the end. You feel similarities with Romeo & Juliet but it is it's own thing. 

I wanted the first character that I played to be someone similar to me, so people would be able to accept me in this role. I wanted to play a character I could bring to life, be believable, and I felt that she [Trish] was the right one. I liked the story, I thought it was very different and I saw Jet in a Lethal Weapon 4 and I just fell in love with him, so I was looking forward to work with him. I took martial arts when I was younger, my brother and I did. When I was about 7 or 8, and that was very long time ago. Doing the fight scene with Jet kind of brought a bit of that back and it was really a lot of fun. I guess you can say after seeing a movie I really thought about getting into it again. 

I really had a lot of fun, the cast was just great, they made me feel so comfortable. We've been around each other for almost 4 months, so I was living in Canada for 4 months. Actually, going home felt a little weird. There was no point when I was  like: Okay, I'm done, I'm tired, I wanna get away. It was really great.

Rare interview of Aaliyah and Delroy Lindo about Romeo Must Die. Enjoy! ♥