<p id=”par-1_66″>In 2002, Aaliyah played Akasha, the first vampire, in the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/movies/”>film</a> <em>Queen of the Damned. </em>Critics generally disliked the film, but she spoke about her excitement to take on the role, describing it as a “dream” part. It provided a chance to establish herself as an <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/actors/?swcfpc=1″>actor</a> and, she said, she loved vampires. She explained why she sometimes felt like the creatures in her real life.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-aaliyah-said-she-sometimes-felt-like-a-vampire”>Aaliyah said she sometimes felt like a vampire</h2>
<p id=”par-2_25″>While Aaliyah was a major star, she didn’t want to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/aaliyah-responded-evasively-asked-been-love.html/”>sacrifice any of her privacy</a>. She said she had even been this way before fame.</p>
<p id=”par-3_39″>“I’ve always been mysterious,” Aaliyah told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.vibe.com/features/editorial/aaliyah-august-2001-cover-story-what-lies-beneath-682260/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Vibe Magazine</a> in 2001. “My mother and father always used to ask me, ‘What are you thinking, what’s going on?’ There are times when I don’t understand myself, you know what I mean?” </p>
<p id=”par-4_31″>Her desire for privacy began to make her feel like a vampire. She wanted to conceal herself away in the dark comfort of her apartment, keeping away from the world outside.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jay-Z-Aaliyah.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”A black and white picture of Aaliyah wearing a jacket, crop top, and jeans. She has her arms above her head.” class=”wp-image-3726547″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Aaliyah | Catherine McGann/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-5_43″>“I have black-out shades in my apartment, I push a button, it’s totally dark,” she said, adding, “I think I’m a bit of a vampire in real life, and there are times when I just want to be myself. I wanna be alone.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_15″>She said that if she was overly forthcoming, she wouldn’t feel like her own person.</p>
<p id=”par-7_31″>“People feel like they own you in this business, and, to a certain degree, they do,” she said. “But there’s a part of me that will always be just for me.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-aaliyah-played-a-vampire-in-queen-of-the-damned”>Aaliyah played a vampire in ‘Queen of the Damned’</h2>
<p id=”par-8_34″>Aaliyah portrayed a vampire in the 2002 film <em>Queen of the Damned</em>. Director Michael Rymer said that while she had relatively limited experience as an actor, she did <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/aaliyah-was-the-most-reliable-person-on-set-for-queen-of-the-damned.html/”>an excellent job</a> in the role.</p>
<p id=”par-9_63″>“There were two factors for casting Aaliyah. I was very keen that Akasha, an Egyptian queen, not look like Elizabeth Taylor,” Rymer said. “And not only did [Aaliyah] do a good job on <em>Romero Must Die</em>, but people went to see her. This is a really difficult role, and she took on a huge challenge. She worked her a** off for this film.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_11″>Aaliyah described the role of Akasha as a dream come true.</p>
<p id=”par-11_27″>“I have to exude power and be regal,” she said, adding, “I love Egypt. I love vampires. It was the dream role, so I worked very hard.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_9″>The film was dedicated to Aaliyah following her death.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-anne-rice-praised-her-performance”>Anne Rice praised her performance</h2>
<p id=”par-13_49″><em>Queen of the Damned</em> was at the top of the box office on its opening weekend. Still, it went over extremely poorly with critics. It currently has a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. While Anne Rice, the author of the source material novel, disliked the film, she enjoyed Aaliyah’s performance.</p>
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<iframe title=”Queen of the Damned (4/8) Movie CLIP – Queen Akasha Arrives (2002) HD” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/kdDH7Ynw5Lc?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-14_28″>“Fans of Aaliyah, who <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/aaliyahs-autopsy-revealed-new-details-about-singers-death-recovery-would-have-been-near-impossible.html/”>died so tragically</a> in a plane crash, will probably be more than delighted with her remarkable performance,” she said, per <a href=”https://nypost.com/2002/02/11/author-adores-aaliyah/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The New York Post</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-15_10″>She added that Aaliyah was “a gifted singer and actress.”</p>