First of all, did you know that Nicki Minaj has been working on a single-camera comedy TV show about her life story, titled Nicki, with ABC? Well, after a casting call seeking actresses aged 11-13 to portray her younger self, Minaj announced today via her Instagram that Ariana Neal has earned the role. Neal is an up-and-coming talent, having previously appeared in Get Hard and Fruitvale Station.
Several other castmembers also got announced today, via Minaj’s Instagram; Selita Ebanks will play Nicki Minaj’s mother, Wesley Jonathan will play her father, and McCarrie McCausland will play Nicki Minaj’s brother Jaylen. The biggest name of the bunch might be Whoopi Goldberg, who’s on tap to play a next-door-neighbor character named Miss Martha.
Nicki Minaj hand-picked the cast and will serve as one of several executive producers, so the show will undoubtably meet her approval … and it sure will have to, since Minaj has previously described her life story as a less than happy one, albeit one that we know will end happily for her career-wise. This may be a comedy, but it does seem like it’ll have to involve a lot of dark humor.
Lastly, I hope Nicki Minaj herself gets to play a part on her own show, because I really loved her all-too-brief appearances in The Other Woman — one of the few cinematic acting opportunities she’s had. I’m pretty interested to see where this project goes.
(via The Hollywood Reporter, image via Instagram)
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