Skye Dakota Turner Chats About Starring as Young Aretha Franklin in ‘Respect’

Amber Pickens sat down with young actress Skye Dakota Turner to chat about her amazing performance in the role of Young Aretha Franklin in the long-awaited Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” opening in theaters August 13th. The film will mark Skye’s big Hollywood film debut and she is humbled and super-thrilled.

It was at TBAAL where Skye’s cover of the Patti LaBelle song, “If Only You Knew” went viral and caught the attention of Patti LaBelle. From that a then nine-year-old Skye was invited to audition for the role of young Anna Mae (Tina Turner’s birth name) in the Broadway production of TINA: The Tina Turner Musical. Shortly after being cast for TINA, Skye auditioned and secured the role of Young Aretha Franklin for “Respect.”

Skye talks about her experience on the set in her breakout role of Young Aretha Franklin and working opposite Hollywood royalty…Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Audra McDonald, Marlon Wayans, and Mary J. Blige. The young actress says she was very focused and determined in her work on set to bring the life of Young Aretha Franklin to life in the film. Skye was traveling back and forth from the TINA stage in New York City to the Atlanta “Respect” set for filming. And she kept up with her schoolwork during it all. The sky is not the limit for the rising star Skye Dakota Turner.

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Photo Credit: JStone / Shutterstock.com