LisaRaye McCoy shared her opinion on March 2 about who could best portray her iconic character’s role in a potential “The Players Club” reboot during a new episode of “Cocktails with Queens.” The actress’s character Diana “Diamond” Armstrong made headlines last week after Joseline Hernandez and Draya Michele expressed their interest in the potential role.
The 53-year-old said she wouldn’t mind seeing a reboot of the 1998 film if they were to have one, but added sequels can sometimes ruin an original cult classic. “I think why not, you know what I mean? I do have a problem with some of the sequels, you know, sometimes when they’re done so well, and it’s the first time you know you see it, it’s like let Diamond be Diamond. Maybe somebody can play the cubic zirconia or something.”
LisaRaye also mentioned to her co-hosts Vivica A. Fox, Claudia Jordan, and Syleena Johnson that she couldn’t envision Joseline or Draya playing the role of Diamond — a single mother and college student who is forced to take a job at a strip club — because of their celebrity status.
Sylenna disagreed with LisaRaye’s statements and said that both women could play in the film. “I definitely think they both could play. I think Draya would be a great Diamond. If they remade it.” She added that Joseline would make a better Ronnie, the antagonist who helped Diamond get a job at the strip club. “But I think Joseline would be a dope-ass Ronnie, no doubt.”
LisaRaye then pitched the notion that the only way a reboot could work is if it features a “no-name” — an actor or actress with limited experience — as was done in the original film.
She said, “But you know, I think that they would do what really [screenwriter and director Ice] Cube did in the first place. He would get a no-name. Because a no-name gives you an opportunity not to compare her to anything and anybody else, a no-name gets more of a chance because you’re watching, say, let me see how great of a job she’s done. But if you have somebody else that has done something else you got to critique it in a different type of way.”
Although the ladies disagreed with the no-name pitch because they felt LisaRaye played Diamond so well, Claudia suggested the actress reprise her role.
She said, “Honestly, LisaRaye, you still look just as good you still look bomb enough to play that role so I think you can still do it.”
Last week on Feb. 24, Joseline commented on Draya’s statement — through a blog’s repost — of wanting to be considered for the protagonist role in “The Player’s Club.” The Puerto Rican Princess expressed how she felt that the reality star didn’t fit the part because Draya isn’t her. She said, “Except that she’s not #joselinescabaret everyone will agree that I’m the perfect girl to play that role @icecube.”
