The screenwriter for the Biggie biopic “Notorious” is firing back at allegations made by Lil Kim that “most of the story is bullsh–” and that the actress who portrays her on screen never reached out to her.
As previously reported, Lil Kim told Hip-Hop Weekly that she has not seen the film, and believed Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans, and his mother, Voletta Wallace, were responsible for pushing her out of the project.
Evans denied that accusation, saying the movie was adapted from the book, “Unbelievable: The Life, Death and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.,” by Cheo Hedari Coker (although the film is actually an original story written by Coker and Reggie Rock Bythewood).
Now, one of the writers of the screenplay, Bythewood, is speaking out in defense of Kim’s presence in the film.
“When I was brought onto the project, I requested to speak with Kim,” Bythewood told MTV News on Saturday via e-mail. “Once I was granted access, I was blown away by the two-hour phone interview [we had]. She is a complex person. She is a sister with a lot of vulnerability and a lot of strength. Much of what she told me went directly into my next draft. Unfortunately, she was slipped a draft that was written before our conversation. She was angry at the producers and I did not get to speak with her again.”
Kim told Hip-Hop Weekly that she received a copy of the script and also viewed the audition reel of Naturi Naughton, who ended up playing Kim after auditioning several times. According to Kim, though, the former 3LW singer was the worst of the potential crop to play her.
Coker told MTV News on Monday (January 12th) that the copy of the script obtained by Kim was a draft that leaked at the time, and said he believes that once Kim sees the completed project, she’ll be satisfied with the account of events. He also went on to say that the fans will have the opportunity to see a sympathetic side of Kim in “Notorious” that they may not have been exposed to for quite some time.
Bythewood also defended the final script, despite it not including every detail.
“Some of what I wrote about Kim did not make it in the final version of the script,” he wrote. “Those decisions were made not just by me but by the studio, director and producers. In a film like this, it is hard to put everything in. However, my aim was to present a real-life human being beyond the icon we know. Biggie did right by her at times. He also did her wrong at times. In spite of that, there was deep love and caring between them. Though Lil Kim has been victimized at times, she has never remained a victim. I think director George Tillman and Naturi Naughton, who plays Lil Kim, did a great job revealing that.”
Lil Kim released a statement on Tuesday clearing up her stance on the movie. She said: “The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a ‘character’ to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent, self-respect and who was able to achieve her own career success through hard work.”
She added: “Even though my relationship with Big was at times very difficult and complicated (as with most relationships we have all experienced at one time or another), it was also genuine and built on great admiration and love for each other. Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry his legacy through my hard work and music.”
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