Janet Jackson Says She Almost Played An Iconic Movie Role That Ultimately Went to Halle Berry

Jackson had to turn the part down because she was heading out on tour.

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Janet Jackson
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Janet Jackson has starred in five films—from Poetic Justice in 1993 to 2010’s For Colored Girls—but almost had one more film credit to add to her roster: 2000’s X-Men, where Jackson was offered the role of Storm for the franchise. That role eventually went to Halle Berry, and Jackson said she had to turn it down because of tour obligations, she said on The Drew Barrymore Show.

Janet Jackson

Jackson, seen here on her current tour, said tour obligations back in 2000 prevented her from taking on the role of Storm in "X-Men."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jackson offered up this detail after she was asked if she was almost cast in 1999’s The Matrix—the question stemming off of a photo of her from the same year where she wore an all-black ensemble, leather trench coat included, evoking the movie. That’s when Jackson revealed that it was X-Men (and not The Matrix) that she was almost a part of, but couldn’t do it “because I was just embarking on the Janet tour,” she said.

Janet Jackson

Jackson has starred in five films, including her movie debut "Poetic Justice" in 1993, directed by John Singleton.

(Image credit: Alamy)

Berry went on to play Storm in not just the 2000 film but also 2003’s X2, 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, and 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. “I loved playing Storm, and people love Storm,” Berry told Vanity Fair in 2021, adding that she would revisit playing the role “if we could find a version that would make sense, or a storyline that would make sense, I would absolutely do that, for sure.”

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Halle Berry

The role of Storm ultimately went to Berry, and she starred in four films for the franchise.

(Image credit: Alamy)

On The Drew Barrymore Show, as Jackson revealed a part she didn’t take, so did the show’s host—Barrymore revealed that she was in the running for a role in 1997’s Boogie Nights, starring Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore. “I think that’s when I went and did Ever After,” she said, adding, “I went in a very different direction.”

Janet Jackson

Jackson said she'd be open to starring in another film.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Barrymore’s co-host Ross Matthews told Jackson “I love you in movies” before asking her “Would you ever do another one?”

Jackson smiled and responded, “Sure, I would. For sure.”

Janet Jackson

Jackson is currently in rehearsals for her Together Again tour.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It might have to wait, though—earlier this month, Jackson confirmed on The Tonight Show to host Jimmy Fallon that she’s in rehearsals for the upcoming dates of her global Together Again tour.

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.