Beyoncé Made Studio Fix Poster In 'Austin Powers' For This Reason

At 19 years old, Beyoncé criticized the promotional poster made by the marketing team of "Austin Powers in Goldmember" that made her look skinnier. The artist was cast in the movie in 2002 for the role of an FBI agent called Foxxy Cleopatra.

Her appearance in the "Austin Powers" franchise was her second biggest acting project since starring in "Carmen: A Hip Hopera" a year earlier. She went on to star in "The Fighting Temptations" in 2003 and "The Pink Panther" in 2006. 

The cast and crew of "Austin Powers in Goldmember" recently came together to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary. While sharing their time on set, the group talked about having their superstar cast member among them and how she faired.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of "Austin in Goldmember," Vulture magazine published an oral history devoted to Beyoncé and her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in the blockbuster comedy.

The actress was only 19 years old when she landed the role of the FBI agent in the 2002 film. Despite her age, the star didn't mince words when she informed the producers of the comedy movie that she did not appreciate how she looked on the movie posters. 

According to an account of the time given by the film's makeup artist, Kate Biscoe, the singer called out the marketing team for editing her appearance on the movie's poster. The artist reportedly felt like the promotional photo made her look much more skinny than she was.

During the Vulture interview, Biscoe recalled the incident, revealing that when the singer was first shown the promotional picture and asked if she liked it, her reaction was lukewarm. When the marketing person probed further, she said, "You made me too skinny. It's not me."

The makeup artist revealed that the response was a promise to "fix that," which they did, but they were certainly shocked by the request. 

She said, "She walked away to go do the scene, and I looked at him and smiled, like, 'Is that the first time that you've ever had an actress ask to make her body bigger?'" Biscoe continued. "He was like, 'Yes. It's going to cost me thousands of dollars, but I am going to do it."

Another noteworthy aspect of Beyonce's time as part of the "Austin Powers in Goldmember" cast was that the artist had to undergo a strict physical regimen and diet to look the part. The film producer, John Lyons, noted that the actress took a daily diet of 1,200 calories to play Foxxy. 

Diane Mizota, who played Fook Mi in the film, also noticed the singer's strict diet and recalled periods when Beyoncé wasn't as strict with her intake. "She was pretty quiet. She would kind of whisper little asides to me, like, "Oh my God, I'm so hungry," she said.

The actress continued, "I just remember she had this big bodyguard who would come in and sneak her donuts on a napkin. I would see her take a bite behind the napkin and kind of smile at me. I remember thinking, Oh my God, she's so cute. She just wants a donut! It's a night shoot, and she's probably working out like crazy."

Further on in the Vulture interview, the crew recounted how stunning the singer's performance was on stage despite being just 19 years old. Candy Walken, the hair department head, described the "Love on Top" singer as an "incredible light" that commanded the stage when she got on. 

"She became this incredible light," Walken said. "She was 19 years old and had such command of that stage when she stepped onto it. None of us really knew why they'd chosen her for this character, and then we understood."

The script supervisor, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, gave an even more stellar account, revealing no matter how many takes they had, the superstar always "nailed it." "We did it over and over and over and over, and every time she nailed it," she exclaimed. "Particularly someone who's new to that arena, they get fatigued. After the sixth take, something will go awry. But it never did."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQLySgRW6y8