Tiffany Boone waited a long time to walk the red carpet at Mufasa: The Lion King's Dec. 9 premiere in Los Angeles.
"Three years of working on this project, it's been a real labor of love," she tells me on the phone the morning after the movie's debut at the Dolby Theater. Her gown for the evening, a sculpted Balmain stunner coated in stripes of blue, yellow, and red beads, was the reward of her patience paying off. "To be able to walk out feeling confident and feeling, regal like the queen that I'm playing...I feel really lucky that we were able to bring all of the pieces together and still tie it back to the film."
Onscreen, Boone is the voice of the lioness Sarabi—Queen of the Pride Lands and mother to Simba. Her performance needed gravitas, and so did the red carpet gown commemorating it.
When she saw the gown stylist Amanda Lim pulled from Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing's recent collaboration with Disney, she knew it was the one. The vibrant rows of red, yellow, and blue beads paid homage to the African continent, where the film takes place, Boone explains, while the structured, high-rising neckline resembles a sculpture in a palace. Before she even put it on, she considered it a "work of art."
"I'd probably say this is the most special dress I've worn, maybe ever," Boone says. "I am a huge Balmain fan, and to have the honor of wearing this dress for this occasion, it was really special for me."
This work of art didn't need to compete with loud accessories. Metallic red Christian Louboutin pumps, blue Irene Neuwirth earrings, and a red Drew Weber bag all picked up on the gown's shimmer without outshining it.
Then came the complementary glam. When hairstylist India Hammond first got a glimpse at the dress, she immediately suggested an extra-long braid. The idea started with more volume on top than the final result, which cascaded down Boone's back. "As we got started working on it, we realized that it needed to be simpler because the dress so high impact from the front," she explained. "Then when I turn around and show the back, you can see the drama of of the long ponytail."
Her beauty look also revolved around a single, impactful moment. "My makeup artist, Nadia Moham, she automatically said, 'Oh, I see a red lip' and I completely agree with her." They kept the rest of Boone's skin clean and "really bronzy" so the red of her lips could pop alongside her gown. "Everything was really around complementing the dress but not overpowering the dress totally," she says.
At the theater, Boone stood onstage alongside the entire cast as director Barry Jenkins gave an emotional introduction. She also felt the gravity of the moment. After so many years in production, "I think the film means a lot to a lot of people and a lot of us in the cast," she reflected.
Then the lights went down, the music came up, and Mufasa: The Lion King was playing for a full theater for the first time. Boone could immediately sense it connected with an audience member right next to her. "My little nephew was present at the premiere and just see his little face, watching the film and then having him ask me questions afterwards, it was all really special," she says.
This night was worth the wait.
