Christina Aguilera has been a longtime advocate for gay rights and now the LGBT community has another reason to adore her: the pop songstress will make the transition to outright movie star when she shares the screen with gay icon Cher in the musical "Burlesque." Aguilera, in her first big-screen role, stars as Ali, a small-town girl with a big voice who comes to L.A. in search of stardom. And as if starring in her first-ever acting role wasn't enough, the singer served as executive music producer and wrote three original songs for the film, including the title track. Aguilera, accompanied by her Papillon, Stinky, discussed working with Cher, why she's been an advocate for the gay community and all things "Burlesque" during the film's recent press junket.
AfterElton: "Beautiful" came out eight years ago and was so inclusive of the gay community. Now we're seeing other artists — like Pink, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, follow suit. You were so ahead of the curve. And you've always been so supportive of the LGBT community. Could you speak on that?
Christina Aguilera: I have my own issues with feeling alienated for my own reasons. As a kid and feeling a little bullied and like an oddball at times. When people aren't being heard or seen or aren't being treated fairly or equally because of their own individual choices or who they are, I really stick up for that. It means a lot to me to put it out there, in my video for "Beautiful," for example. I'm very supportive of the gay community.
AE: What happened that you were bullied?
CA: I grew up in a very chaotic home, first of all, so I came from a little bit of a troubled past because there was a lot of domestic violence in the home and then at school, doing what I did and maybe being a little smaller, I was definitely picked on and I definitely was bullied for the attention that I got. It was definitely unwanted attention and there was a lot of unfairness about it. I'm sensitive to that.
AE: Burlesque is your first feature, are you ready to give up after this?
CA: I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for me. It could be a small independent (film) — at first, that was my goal to start out small and not star in a leading position whatsoever; just be part of a great film and have a couple lines and get my feet wet. Boy, that didn't happen! (Laughs.)
AE: Why did you wait so long to segue into the movie business?
CA: I know my comfort zone and I know what my strong points are and my first love was always music. I'm a huge cinema fan. I was taking my time; I got offered a lot of scripts and things along the way but until Burlesque showed up at my doorstep, it really spoke to me. I have a collection of burlesque books at home that I've had for years. I've always been intrigued and fascinated with the topic, the beauty and the art of it and the comedic value of it. I think it's just a beautiful, empowering thing for women.
AE: What did you relate to in your character, Ali? Was it her drive or her journey to L.A. trying to make it in the business?
CA: That was definitely a part of it. I liked her background story; it came from a place of maybe being inspired by pain — she definitely had her fair share of struggle: her mother dying when she's very young, growing up in a lot of foster care homes and having to grow up quickly taking care of a grandmother. She's in this small town being taken advantage of by her boss and finally — a lot of people talk about their situations and complain but they never do anything about it — and the thing about Ali that I loved is that she makes the decision to leave and get out of there and go on her own. That's really hard. The inspiration of it all really spoke to me.
AE: What was your relationship with Cher like?
CA: Amazing! It's so weird to say this about the icon and legend that is Cher, but she's like an old girlfriend. We still talk all the time. She's an incredible person personally and professionally, giving such amazing advice, stories for days, been there done that. She's one of a kind.
AE: Did you feel pressure carrying the movie since it's your story, considering it's your first movie? Did that daunt you at all?
CA: Of course. Going in to it, you gear yourself up and there's a time and a place for that. And there's a time and a place to get down to business and focus. You know going into it that there's going to be challenges and a lot of hard work involved. I didn't know how much hard work. I was wearing so many different hats — more than anybody else on the film. I went in and wrote the songs, I recorded them and had to do it from Ali's perspective, not my own — which was out of my comfort zone. I had to go into intense dance rehearsals without a microphone, so it was completely concentrated on the body and the dance and it was a new kind of dance for me. Then there was throwing everything out the window that I ever knew and stepping in as a newcomer as an actress and approaching it really vulnerably and open-minded. There was a lot going on.
AE: When you're writing records, recording music videos, you have so much say in how that's done. Did you have much creative contribution on this film in terms of making suggestions on how you'd like to see things done?
CA: Absolutely. There was a lot of collaborating on this movie set. Maybe too much. A lot of cooks in the kitchen and a lot of opinions being thrown around. We all came to a happy medium. Everyone was so passionate about this film.
AE: What were your favorite outfits and musical numbers?
CA: The "I'm a Good Girl" outfit was my favorite because I thought it tied in perfectly with the idea of the song. It had a feather bustle and crystallized bra top, I loved that outfit.
AE: In the movie, you think your love interest is gay. How good is your personal gaydar?
CA: I think it's improved. I remember I did have an ex-boyfriend that left me for a gay man at one point in my life. (Laughs.)
Aguilera and co-star Cam Gigandet in a scene from Burlesque
AE: If you could go back to the person starting your career — either as a musician or in the Mickey Mouse Club — and give her one piece of advice, what would it be?
CA: It's hard to speak about it because it's a growing process and it's really about feeling comfortable in your own skin, and that takes time. I would probably just tell her things are going to get better if you keep on the path that you are. Stay focused, keep working hard because honestly, without my hard work, you have nothing. Hard work in this business is everything. I wouldn't advise her to do anything differently — even mistakes that I might have made or any failures I might have had over the years aren't because they're all lessons. I'm very proud of my body of work. I would tell her don't change a thing, keep your head held high and keep working hard.
The young Aguilera (center right) with her New Mickey Mouse Club castmates
AE: As the film's music producer, what happened that there was no duet between you and Cher?
CA: It was talked about but we had so many musical numbers. Alan Cumming also had a musical number — that wasn't seen in the movie, maybe it'll be a bonus feature (on the DVD). We already had so much music. Cher's ballad came late in the game, too, so it was hard for everyone to agree on a song (to get into the movie).
AE: What do you have planned for after "Burlesque"?
CA: I would like to record another album. Leaving the movie, I really felt I was a changed woman — I am a changed woman. I'm in a very introspective place right now and I really am into putting my heart out on paper. The last record I made was a little more playful in nature: I'd just had my son and I wanted to experiment with electronica sounds and now I want to get back to my roots.
AE: How comfortable did you find yourself when you were writing the songs for this character and not for Christina?
CA: It was a little out of body just because I wanted to write from (Ali's) point of view and make sure it was about her and not myself. We do share some of the same issues and it was a little easy for me to find comfort with it because, say the ballad "Bound to You," it's all about feeling vulnerable and a little scared and fearful to love for the first time. Ali didn't grow up with a father, I didn't grow up with a father. There's issues there. There's vulnerability but there's also a fearlessness quality to it where she's going to charge forward and go for it. I admire that about Ali but I definitely could relate a little. That's where that came from, finding those points that make her tick in order to make it believable in the movie. Then, in "Express," it's a very sensually charged number about feeling empowered as a woman and your confidence in sensuality. That's an easy place for me to go, too, in my own work. Feeling comfortable in your body and in your own skin and exuding that in an exhibitionist way on stage is a very inspiring thing for women. The "Burlesque" finale, I wanted everyone to leave the theater wanting to dance out of the aisles. I wanted to leave it on a high note and get everyone be inspired to burlesque as well.
"Burlesque" opens nationwide Nov. 24.
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