Queen Latifah’s Hollywood Life of Rumors and Reinvention

In 2002, she was cast as Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago, a role that required singing and theatrical performance skills she had not used since high school. The casting marked a bold move into a different style of performance.

Taking on the role meant stepping into unfamiliar territory at a high level. As production began, it was unclear how the transition would be received, but the outcome would soon become one of the most defining moments of her career