The family of late American music legend Aretha Franklin has denounced a new dramatisation of the singer’s life on Genius. The family says Genius did not consult them and they “do not support” the show.
Genius: Aretha stars British Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo, and is being shown on National Geographic in the US. The channel said it had permission to make the “tribute to Aretha Franklin’s genius”. However, the family says they were cut out of the production process and asked fans to boycott it; saying: “This is about common, decent respect for our family.”
The Queen of Soul’s granddaughter Grace posted a video of her protesting against the show; alongside her parents, siblings, and friends last week. In a TikTok clip, they can be seen chanting: “This movie has to go! This movie has to go!” as reported on BBC Online.
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She said, “As the immediate family, we feel that it’s important to be involved with any biopic of my grandma’s life, as it’s hard to get any accurate depiction of anyone’s life without speaking to the ones closest to them. During the process of writing, directing, and filming this movie; we’ve reached out to Genius as a family on multiple occasions where they have disrespected us and refused to work with us.”
Grace continued, “As the immediate family – emphasis on immediate – we do not support this film and we ask that you also do not support this film. We feel extremely disrespected, and we feel there will be many inaccuracies about my grandmother’s life.
Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and civil rights activist. She was one of the biggest stars of pop, soul, gospel, and R&B. She scored more than 100 hit singles on the US Billboard charts; from Chain of Fools and Respect to Think and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
