Queen Latifah is back in feathers and flapper dresses, but this time around, the movie is more La Vie en Rose than Chicago. HBO has released a full-length trailer for Bessie, in which Latifah stars as Bessie Smith, one of the most influential recording artists of the 1920s.
The path to becoming “The Empress of the Blues” was thorny for Smith, not only as a black entertainer but also as a bisexual woman in an imperfect marriage (Michael Kenneth Williams plays her husband, Jack Gee). The story of her struggle to stardom airs May 16 on HBO.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Global Climate Solutions Exist. It's Time to Deploy Them
- What Happens to Diane Feinstein's Senate Seat
- Who The Golden Bachelor Leaves Out
- Rooftop Solar Power Has a Dark Side
- How Sara Reardon Became the 'Vagina Whisperer'
- Is It Flu, COVID-19, or RSV? Navigating At-Home Tests
- Kerry Washington: The Story of My Abortion
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
