Renowned American actress, singer, and rapper, Queen Latifah, has been a household name since the release of her debut album “All Hail the Queen” in 1989.
Regarded as one of the pioneering female rappers and affectionately known as “Hip Hop’s First Lady,” Queen Latifah paved the way for a new generation of women to break into the rap scene, which was predominantly male-dominated at the time.
Apart from her music, she has also made a name for herself in the movie and TV industry, with her first on-screen appearance as Khadijah James on the 1993 sitcom “Living Single.”
The talented actress and rapper has since appeared in a diverse range of films, from light-hearted comedies like “Girls Trip” to dramas, including her lead role on CBS’ revival of “The Equalizer.”
However, the now 53-year-old has a surprising stipulation in all her contracts that not many people are aware of.
American Hollywood actress, singer and rapper, Queen Latifah, has been much-loved since her debut album ‘All Hail the Queen’ which was released in 1989
Although her exceptional talent in various roles is recognized worldwide, it’s interesting to note that in the early years of her career, her characters seemed to share a common fate – they all met an untimely demise.
Many of her characters’ deaths were quite gruesome, with some people joking that the actress became known for being the one who always died.
Her character Cleo Sims in 1996’s “Set It Off” died after being shot by police following a high-speed car chase.
In the 1998 sci-fi movie “Sphere,” her character met an unfortunate end after being stung to death by a swarm of jellyfish.
In 1999, Queen Latifah played the role of Thelma in “The Bone Collector” – a movie that follows a serial killer who abducts his victims.
Sadly, her character was killed off during the climax of the film.
In a 2017 appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” the actress revealed that she had had enough and got a “no-death” clause put into her contracts.
She said, “The movies that I first started doing, I always had these death scenes, I got killed in Set It Off, I got killed in Sphere – apparently, I die too well.”
The actress is next set to return as star Robin McCall in The Equalizer series four, however it’s yet to have a release date
The actress and rapper has since been in a range of movies, from light hearted comedic films such as ‘Girls Trip’ and dramas including her lead role on CBS’ revival of ‘The Equalizer’
“I’m like, hold on, wait a minute, if I die in these movies, I can’t be in the sequel. Got my agent on the phone and said we need to put a no-die clause in future movies.”
The actress is next set to return as star Robin McCall in The Equalizer series four, although the release date is yet to be announced.
Her fans love the idea and every now and then it resurfaces on the internet to shock people.
One social media user wrote, “Oh, that’s f****** DOPE! If a movie she’s in ends up becoming a franchise, she would need to come back EVERYTIME! That’s smart asf.”
Others said, “Wait! This is genius, though. Can always make a comeback” and “I’ve always respected Queen Latifah, and that’s very smart of her.”
Queen Latifah is not the first person in the acting world to introduce an unusual clause that determines the fate of characters.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson limits how “badly” he can be beaten up on screen, meaning he never loses a fight.
Tom Cruise also allegedly has a surprising clause in his contracts that states his “likeness” cannot be used to create any merchandise.
This means that anything with the actor’s face on, including figurines, toys, and games, would be very difficult to come by.