Aaliyah ‘forcibly checked’ a homophobic co-star for taunting a gay crew member on the set of Romeo Must Die
Aaliyah performing in 1997 (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Aaliyah once “forcefully checked” a homophobic co-star who was taunting a gay crew member on the set of Romeo Must Die, according to make-up artist Eric Ferrell.
The singer and actress, who tragically died in a plane crash aged 22 in 2001, made her film debut in 2000’s Romeo Must Die – and she was not going to let homophobia go unchecked on set.
Ferrell, Aaliyah’s former make-up artist, was recently asked on Instagram by a fan if he thought the singer would have been “outspoken” about the injustices brought about under Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Oh God yes!!!” Ferrell replied, according to a screenshot shared by a fan account.
Aaliyah was a ‘committed’ LGBT+ ally, according to her make-up artist.
“She had very strong opinions about social issues!”
The make-up artist said Aaliyah was “very much a committed ally to the LGBT+ community” and continued: “She once very forcefully checked a fellow actor who was continually taunting a gay crew member on the set of Romeo because the man was flamboyant.”
The unnamed actor allegedly “thought it was funny” to target the “flamboyant” man on set.
She once very forcefully checked a fellow actor who was continually taunting a gay crew member on the set of Romeo because the man was flamboyant.
“Well she set him straight and made him apologise in front of the entire crew,” he added.
When fans began speculating on which actor allegedly made homophobic comments, Ferrell replied: “It was not Anthony [Anderson] or Jet [Li] nor was it Delroy [Lindo]! And I’m gonna leave it at that!”
The acclaimed singer and actress was killed in a shocking plane crash in 2001.
Aaliyah tragically died just a year after Romeo Must Die was released.
The singer was killed in a plane crash when she was flying home from the Bahamas, where she had just filmed a music video for “Rock the Boat”.
Nine people were killed in the tragic plane crash, with toxicology tests later revealing that the pilot, Luis Morales III, had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system when the plane went down.
Aaliyah’s music has stood the test of time, however – she is often referred to as the “Princess of R&B”, and has an estimated 24 to 32 million album sales worldwide.
