IT’S GOOD TO BE QUEEN

The Equalizer star Queen Latifah on her journey from New Jersey to Hollywood, her reign in rap music, TV and film and how she got that royal title.

he was born Dana Owens. That’s also the name displayed on the screen when she logs in for her Zoom interview. But it takes Queen Latifah only eight seconds to establish her true identity: “You can call me Queen,” she says matter-of-factly.

You better believe she exudes the confidence required to back up her lofty title. First, Latifah, 52, shares how she boosted her self-esteem starting from a young age and learned to embrace her full-figured body. When her acting coach arrives on the scene during our Zoom, she instructs him where to sit until she finishes the conversation. Asked to name her favorite celebrity from her home state of New Jersey, she replies, “Me!” Spoken like a superstar who has reigned supreme for more than 30 years. Latifah, after all, wasn’t content with simply being one of the first successful female rappers of her era. Or with co-starring in the hit sitcom Living Single in the 1990s. She went on to make her presence known across all movie genres—edgy thrillers (Set It Off), romantic charmers (Last Holiday), ribald romps (Bringing Down the House, Girls Trip) and dramatic biopics (Bessie). She scored an Oscar nomination for her brassy performance in the 2002 musical adaptation of Chicago.

And now she’s vigilante extraordinaire Robyn McCall in her latest smash, The Equalizer, an updated version of the 1980s TV series (and subsequent Denzel Washington films). Each episode features Latifah’s ex-CIA officer using her razor-sharp skill set to dole out swift justice. She’s an avenging angel helping people who have nowhere else to turn, while raising her headstrong teen daughter, Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes).

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