On-screen love scenes, gay or straight, should not be a matter of controversy, according to Queen Latifah.
Latifah spoke with BET about a same-sex kiss in the upcoming HBO biopic, "Bessie," in which she stars as legendary blues singer, Bessie Smith, who was bisexual.
“You know, people feel a type of way when they see any sexuality on-screen, to me, and I think it's almost human nature," she said. "People are so fascinated by it. There shouldn’t even be a discussion, but it is because people are still curious and people still wonder how they feel about things. At the end of the day, I don’t really care if someone feels uncomfortable about it. It is what it is, and it’s life. So you either deal with it or not, you know? That's your choice. It’s just part of who she is. I had to tell the story honestly."
Latifah, who bares it all in "Bessie," added that she hopes viewers don't focus only on Smith's romantic interests.
"I hope that it doesn't become the sole issue because it's really not just, you know, one thing about Bessie. There's so many parts of who she was. [Her sexuality] was just part of it," Latifah said.
In the April/May 2015 issue of Uptown magazine, the actress, who has faced rumors over her own sexuality, said she thinks that "people’s ideas in general are antiquated when it comes to who you love" and that society has not progressed quickly enough.
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