Black Women, Badass-ery and Blockbusters: Action & The R&B Star in the 2000s
By Shaznay Martin
In the West, action has mostly been a genre which in “prestigious” film communities like The Academy, or to the discerning cinephile with the esoteric auteur film at the top of their Letterboxd, is often undervalued and overlooked.
Action definitely has a reputation for being somewhat overzealous in its pursuit of entertainment, often prioritising revenue targets and audience engagement metrics over “substance”. This is sometimes at the expense of plausibility, thoughtful representation, and the ability to resonate with audiences who crave a bit more realism in the world they’re seeing on screen. However, I think action’s inherent flawed mimesis is actually its greatest strength. Action is escapism. It is the lack of realism. It’s the (habitual struggle with) the suspension of disbelief. The trailer-bait action sequences. The cheesy one-liners. It’s the movie star that feels like they’re just playing themselves. The obvious cash-grab of it all. Spectacle is the point.
I believe the genre's reliance on impossible characters and improbable plot twists actually invites us to embrace its absurdity and escapism. What makes action films so magnetic for its true fans is their ability to take familiar tropes and turn them into pure entertainment. And this is where aspects like casting and representation become really important, as to keep this genre interesting and fresh, studios should be willing to take risks with who we see on screen.
So, while action films may not always be considered the pinnacle of cinema, they do tend to reflect shifting cultural values and the state of society. This was particularly true in the 2000s, when Hollywood began to experiment with more female leads in action, suggesting a growing belief that women could headline blockbuster films. That era certainly blessed us with an array of bold, badass, butt-kicking female-driven action, from Charlie’s Angels (2000) to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), and Resident Evil (2002). Though these films often fell into patterns of over-sexualisation and the male gaze, they laid the groundwork for more female-led representation in the Hollywood blockbuster.
However, though a shift was taking place with female leads, Black actresses rarely held these central roles—the decade's blockbusters largely featured white women as protagonists. Black women were typically cast in secondary roles, playing supporting characters and sidekicks.
Some notable performances include Gabrielle Union in Bad Boys II (2003) and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), as well as Jada Pinkett Smith in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). These roles showcased Black actresses as strong, action-capable figures, though still secondary to the main characters. In smaller films, Black actresses took on more prominent roles—such as Angela Bassett in Strange Days (1995) and Vivica A. Fox as assassin Vernita Green in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)—demonstrating their potential as compelling action leads even if not as headliners.
Other significant but not ~leading~ roles in 2000s action (adjacent) films included some performances by popular R&B stars. From Macy Gray’s brief cameo in Spider-Man (2002) and Ashanti’s pivotal role in Coach Carter (2005) to Mariah Carey’s appearance in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008), this era saw a rise in culturally relevant R&B stars making small but impactful film appearances.
In particular, Aaliyah’s role in Romeo Must Die (2000) and Beyoncé’s in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) stood out to me because they brought a layer of intertextuality, nuance and memorability to what might have otherwise been pretty one-note characters. Despite playing supporting roles, their real-life star power gave these films an extra edge, drawing more attention and intrigue than their male leads (Jet Li and Mike Myers). In this sense, I believe these artists effectively became the stars of their respective films, adding unique appeal to each one.
In Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah’s feature film debut, she plays Trish, a young woman caught in a feud between two rival families. The film was a box office hit, and Aaliyah’s charisma added layers to a character who might have otherwise been one-dimensional. Her real-life persona—a beloved R&B star known for her effortless cool—seamlessly blended with the film’s hip-hop culture inspired style. This blend of action and R&B elevated the movie and added a layer of nuance with Aaliyah’s presence, embracing the spectacle of action cinema while grounding it in some sincerity.
There’s even a scene where Trish is in a nightclub and real-life Aaliyah’s song "Are You Feelin' Me?" plays in the background as Trish sings along. This meta touch connects Aaliyah the star with Trish the character, adding a layer of authenticity to the role. At that point it feels essentially impossible to separate the two, but there is such a magic about it in that moment where you just think: yeah. She is really her. It makes the film and the character so much more alluring than it realistically should be on paper. This demonstrates action’s potential to be elevated with an intentional pursuit of cultural significance.
In Austin Powers in Goldmember, Beyoncé’s theatrical debut, and the highest grossing film in the Austin Powers franchise, the singer was praised for her performance. In the action-comedy she plays Foxxy Cleopatra, a stylish and skilled spy who teams up with Austin (Myers) to take down villain Goldmember.
Like Aaliyah in Romeo Must Die, the film’s appeal increases with the presence of Beyoncé’s star-studded aura drawing you in but it also reflexively compliments her established image as a hardworking, skilled pop star. At the time, audiences were familiar with her as the frontwoman of Destiny’s Child and a serious R&B artist, known for her powerful vocals and stage presence. Seeing her step into such a high-camp, ridiculous comedy like this is something I wouldn’t have expected. The contrast between her usual image and the silly, over-the-top humour of Goldmember made her performance all the more engaging. Watching Beyoncé embrace exaggerated 1970s blaxploitation tropes, deliver ridiculous one-liners, and playfully interact with the absurdity of the plot was genuinely fascinating. It showcased her versatility and ability to engage with comedy—a refreshing offering from a pop star willing to poke fun at herself. This playful side of Beyoncé added a new dimension to her not just her character but also her public persona, making her role in Goldmember even more intriguing to watch.
The films’ respective successes demonstrate the appeal of Black female R&B stars in action. These performers didn’t just embrace the genre’s inherent excess—they elevated it. Aaliyah and Beyoncé took the spectacle, style, and exaggerated nature of action and made it their own, drawing audiences in so much more powerfully.
In reviewing these titles I can’t help but feel like we are losing recipes. We need more of this in our current era of action, instead of the same old rotation of ex-Marvel-DC employees, retired wrestlers and Emily Blunt. Because whilst I accept that action might never become the pinnacle of cinema, I still want to see the society we live in reflected on screen in more meaningful and creative ways than it currently is. The industry seems locked in an era of cautious choices, hesitant to take risks on different ideas—but I think that’s exactly what these major studios need. Amid countless franchises and reboots, fatigue is setting in, and introducing a cross-cultural roster of talent, like the Black women who carried these films, could make the genre as fresh and exciting as it used to be. Romeo Must Die and Austin Powers in Goldmember show that Black women in R&B can not only sell action films but perhaps even outperform their male counterparts in drawing audiences. I believe we should run that back.
This essay was commissioned as part of T A P E & Invisible Women’s SHE PACKS A PUNCH SEASON as part of Art of Action, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.
