Annie Ilonzeh (Kidida Jones)

How did you prepare for your Kidada Jones role, and were you a fan of Tupac Shakur??

Annie Ilonzeh: Yes, huge fan, huge fan. When I first got the role, I was crazy excited but like any other audition, we put in work. Going in, and making sure we had everything down. Of course, it was a long time coming and when I did a small take with Demetrius, the chemistry clicked automatically. It was so organic, and although, I didn’t hear from the directors right after, when I got the final call, it was everything! During that call, I was told that Benny wanted to Skype with me and at that moment I was confused because they weren’t the directors when I auditioned, however, I made sure I nailed my Skype interview and I told him, I’m you girl and I will give my all into this role. I also did my research. I spent countless of hours getting information, reviewing whatever it was that I found out because they’re relationship was so private and I made sure I was 100 percent Kidada Jones.

What was your introduction to Tupac?

Annie Ilonzeh: I would have to say when I took a trip to Nigeria with my dad, and my family. I kept seeing all these young kids with either Tupac shirts or rapping, listening to this man’s music. Mind you, they knew zero English so knowing that, it was not only powerful but I knew that Tupac was monumental. It was truly amazing to see that and how they worshiped this man whom they knew through his music.

Take us back to the last scene of the film in Vegas, how did you prepare for that particular role?

Annie Ilonzeh: That was by far the toughest scene for me. It was so hard, and I struggled a lot. I was in and out of my Kidada Jones character and as Annie, I didn’t want him to leave. I thought I had to save him, and it was seriously so tough. There were moments when LT would come in and say, you can’t do that. You have to be in full concentration and get into the role of Kidada.