It seems that a lot of people were excited when they heard a biopic on Salt-N-Pepa would be airing on Lifetime. But there was some criticism about the three women cast to play Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton and Deidra “Spinderella” Roper.
Some didn’t believe the actress G.G. Townson looked like Salt or that Laila Odom resembled Pepa or that Monique Paul made a good DJ Spinderella. And there were accusations that colorism was at play since all three actresses have light complexions, unlike the real group members.
It turns out, however, that Pepa’s daughter Egypt Criss, whose father is Treach of Naughty by Nature, auditioned to play her mother but didn’t get the part.
“Egypt did audition for the role to play me, and let me tell you the funny thing: When I was prepping her to play me, I was like practicing with her. ‘This is what I did then. This is how it happened.’ Because it was my story,” said Pepa when she and Criss visited “The Real” on Wednesday.
“When she went for the audition — because you know I’m going to let her do the whole process — she came back out like, ‘Mom, everything you taught me was wrong,'” added the rap legend.
Criss then gave her side of the story.
“It was the opposite,” said the “Growing Up Hip-Hop” star, who revealed that she’ll be playing in the biopic but not as her mom. “She was like, ‘Oh, but it’s me though.’ I was like, ‘They didn’t want it like that.'”
The Salt-N-Pepa biopic, which will be directed by Mario Van Peebles, is expected to air on Lifetime in 2020. Queen Latifah is one of the producers, as are Pepa and Salt.
The “Push It” creators are also still hitting the road pretty heavy these days.
Because they’ll be playing at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Dec. 29. Then they’ll head to Dublin, Ireland, for a Feb. 28th show, and they’ll be playing a series of gigs in the United Kingdom throughout March.
But it doesn’t seem like DJ Spinderella will join them, because earlier this year it was revealed that she filed a lawsuit against her band mates and accused them of breach of contract. The DJ also filed a restraining order against the two New York MCs.
Pepa talked about the lawsuit on “The Real” and what she believes Spinderalla’s beef is all about.
“A lot of times they ask for Salt-N-Pepa to talk or be here and they don’t have Spinderella,” she explained. “It’s out of our hands, and she always blames us, and thinks that [we should] fight [for her]. … We do fight, but sometimes they just want the Salt-N-Pepa and it’s hard.”
