Tiffany Boone didn’t know she was auditioning for Sarabi in Mufasa

When Tiffany Boone stood up for her Mufasa audition, she had no idea she would be playing the iconic Lion Queen Sarabi.

“I created the character that was in my head, (but) I didn’t know I was auditioning for Sarabi,” the actress, 37, said exclusively. My Weekly on Thursday, December 19 during the discussion Mufasa: The Lion King. “There was a different name on the page. So I thought, ‘This must be some new character.'”

When Boone read the script, she thought the character looked “cool” and wanted to use her voice to reflect that aspect of her personality. Boone was thrown for a loop once it was revealed he was set to voice the beloved cartoon character.

“So when they told me who I was actually playing, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s actually quite a lot of pressure,'” she admitted.

Boone revealed that she asked director Barry Jenkins if she wanted her vocals to sound more like Madge Sinclairwhich originally the character expressed in the original The Lion King since 1994 or so By Alfre Woodardwhich played Sarabi in 2019 live action adaptation. Jenkins, 45, believed in Boone’s talent and encouraged her to be herself as they developed Sarabi’s story.

“I had so much freedom to create a younger version of her and add layers to the character (and) the challenges she went through to become the great queen she became,” she said. Our.

As a fan The Lion KingBoone always saw Sarabi as the “perfect” wife, mother, and queen, so she wanted fans to get a taste of Sarabi’s personality before she became Mufasa’s loyal partner.

“She wasn’t always perfect. She’s sassy… she’s sarcastic and makes fun of the boys,” Boone said, referring to Mufasa and his adopted brother Taka, who would later become Scar. “I think he has a sense of humor. She’s really vulnerable, and all those things are really fun to add to the complexity of Sarabi that we’ll see later.”

Boone teased that fans might be “surprised” to see how Sarabi’s relationship with Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) unfolds and suggests that it is “not such a straight line”. As for the rumors of a love triangle between Sarabi, Mufasa and Scar, Boone hinted that fans will “get an answer” when they see the movie.

“I’m sure you’ll understand those three a lot better,” she teased.

Boone admitted that she is “still pinching herself” that she is now a member The Lion King family.

“I can’t believe I’m a part of this,” she said, noting that her younger self could never have dreamed of such an opportunity. “Telling that little version of myself that sat and watched the VHS in her mother’s bed over and over again, like, ‘You’re going to be part of that family, that story.’ I feel like her little head is going to explode. My imagination could not even dream of it.’

However, Boone admitted that there was “definite pressure” to make sure she and the entire team delivered Mufasa – especially for fans of the animated classic.

“I know there are a lot of people who are like, ‘Will justice be done?'” she reflected. “But there’s also so much joy, and I think that’s what we tried to remember when we were recording. And I think Barry Jenkins really guided us to find joy in those moments and have a lot of fun and let the pressure fall off our backs and just do our jobs as actors.”

Mufasa: The Lion King is in theaters now.

With reporting by Kat Pettibone