Queen of the Damned may not have been a major movie through a critical lens, but it has become a cult classic amongst genre fans mostly for Aaliyah's performance in the role of Queen Akasha, which originally garnered some Hollywood A-List interest from many other actresses.
The film was released in 2002 and is based off the novel of the same name by Anne Rice, the third book in her series, The Vampire Chronicles. The novel - and the film - revolves around the vampire Lestat, who is a key player of many of Rice's novels, such as Interview With The Vampire, but introduce a vampire Queen named Akasha to the lore. Akasha is woken up from her sleep by Lestat, who has become a frontman of a rock band alongside mortals in the modern era. Though it received many negative reviews, the film is regarded as special to many fans of the genre and Aaliyah alike, as the R&B singer turned actress died in a plane crash in 2001. The film was released posthumously and dedicated to the actress' memory.
It's hard to imagine Queen of the Damned without Aaliyah in the titular role, but many other prominent actresses were rumored to be cast or were considered for the role before Aaliyah - who was ironically the first major role cast in the film - was chosen at only 21 years old. It was a challenging, mature part, but according to director Michael Rymer stating that he was very impressed with her performance. Here are some of the actresses who were also considered for the role.
Many Actresses Were Considered For The Role Of Akasha
While some of the actresses who had names attached to both the role of Akasha and Queen of the Damned were rumored, it's likely some - if not all - were still considered for the roles given their prominence in Hollywood. The process for casting Lestat was similarly difficult, as the role was originally offered to Tom Cruise, who had played Lestat in Interview With The Vampire, but he declined. Afterward, other actors were considered such as Heath Ledger and Josh Hartnett before Stuart Townsend was cast. Oddly, despite it being part of the same series and world, no actors from Interview With The Vampire were used, even in archive footage.
One of the biggest stars rumored to be stepping into the role was Halle Berry; at the time, she had just finished X-Men and ended up starring in Monster's Ball in 2001, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. Jada Pinkett Smith wasn't attached to many major projects after Scream 2 in 1997, but landed the role of Niobe in The Matrix Reloaded, which began filming in 2001. Vivica A. Fox was involved with the TV series City of Angels in 2000, then ended up in two 2002 films, Juwanna Mann and Boat Trip. Rosario Dawson ended up landing the role of Valerie Brown in the Josie and the Pussycats movie (2001) and was in Men in Black II (2002). Jenna Dewan was rumored as well, and while this movie could have started the young actress' career, she ended up getting her break in Take the Lead.
Vanessa Williams and Samantha Mumba were also rumored as potentials for the role, but ultimately, Aaliyah was chosen, and Queen of the Damned was much better for it. While the others certainly had a wealth of talent, there's a reason Aaliyah was cast and, in many ways, the film is an integral part of her legacy.