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Idina Menzel: How to be a strong, fearless woman

SINGAPORE – Award-winning singer and actress Idina Menzel has found herself to be the champion of young women everywhere after singing Let It Go, the theme song of Frozen.

SINGAPORE – Award-winning singer and actress Idina Menzel has found herself to be the champion of young women everywhere after singing Let It Go, the theme song of Frozen.

Now, she stars in the TV remake of the iconic 1988 film Beaches, a film on the friendship and bond between two women.

“It’s not often there are films about two women, where it’s not all about romance, it’s about their friendship,” Menzel said in an interview with TODAY.

But the singer and actress, who has starred in productions like Rent and Wicked, as well as TV series Glee, found herself torn when it came to whether she take on the role of CC, the character Bette Midler made famous.

The 45-year-old said it “took a lot of convincing” for her to take on CC, the role played by Bette Midler in the original movie.

“I saw (the 1988 movie) at the theatre with my two best friends in high school,” she said, and probably “50 times” thereafter.

“It’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to do the role — because it was a movie I loved so much and I didn’t think it needed to be redone. I said ‘no’ several times because I honestly didn’t want to be compared to Bette Middler — I’m not going to come out winning!”

Happily, Middler “tweeted a really nice little tweet at me, giving me her blessing and giving her audience permission to like this (remake)”, said Menzel.

The new Beaches, Menzel said, is “an homage” to the original, made for a new generation.

Films about female friendships are rare, she said, because “maybe historically, people didn’t think of (them) as marketable. That’s probably a chauvinistic, sexist belief that is inherent in years and years of the business. Maybe women’s issues are not as exciting or interesting for people to watch. Of course, we’ve seen that that’s not the case.”

In celebration of women, Beaches will air here on International Women’s Day (March 8). Here are Menzel’s thoughts on all things relating to women – and men – including how women should lift one another up. She also spoke on Let It Go fame, and why she’s still not tired of that Oscar-winningsong.

Q: What are some things that women are mostly better at than men? What are some things that men are mostly better at than women?

A: Obviously, I don’t believe in generalising — I think we are all capable of different things, and lumping everybody into one belief is where we get into trouble. But I think women can see more grey areas than men. I think our emotions fuel us and we’re not afraid of them. They’re not weaknesses – they empower us and make us stronger. Men, I think, are better at friendships, sometimes, than women. I think that men forgive more easily.

Q: How can women best support other women?

A: We need to accept each other. We need to not judge each other. Wre need to lift each other up. We need to not be afraid to be competitive with each other and still know that we can be there for one another. We can make each other stronger and better. But I think most importantly, it’s about not judging somebody and having more empathy and really accepting someone for who they are, with all of their shortcomings and all of their strengths and all of their scars.

Q: What messages do women most need to hear from men?

A: I think men try to fix things. That’s innately in their makeup. They want to make things better and just make it all go away. Sometimes, we just want them to listen more and experience what we’re experiencing and not try and fix it all immediately. To sit in the ugliness of life just a second longer and not be afraid of that and not run away when that happens. Because through those times, we all grow and evolve. I think we need them to just sit and listen.

Q: What kind of woman does the world need more of?

A: I can only speak for myself. I am harder on myself ... (I try) not to be afraid to be who I am, to accept who I am and not be afraid to speak out. Even though I’m in a business where you think you have to be fearless, to get up in front of people and do what we do is still a terrifying thing, and I’m still very much affected by what people think of me. And so I admire those women who get out there and say what they need to say to change the world. I guess I stand with the women who are struggling with that.

Q: What was your reaction when you first learned that Frozen had become the anthem of young women and girls all over the world?

A: I still need to pinch myself. I feel very, very lucky that I have Frozen in my life and that I get to sing the music from that movie on stage all the time. I’m not (sick of it). This might sound like rehearsed answer but it’s not. When you’ve been in the business as long as I have and struggled, and had your ups and downs, you recognise when something great is happening and when something special happens in your career.

Catch Beaches on International Women’s Day, March 8, Wednesday at 9pm on Lifetime (StarHub TV Ch 514).

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