Ariana DeBose to star in queer rom-com ‘Two And Only’ with Afro-Latina cast
The actress made history last month as the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar
Fresh off her historic Academy Award win, actress Ariana DeBose has announced her next project, a rom-com described as My Best Friend’s Wedding but with an Afro-Latina cast.
As reported by Deadline, DeBose will executive produce and star in Two and Only. The project is written by Latina and LGBTQ+ writer Jen Rivas-DeLoose for Screen Gems studio.
DeBose made history last month as the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar. She took home the coveted golden statue for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story. The role was originally played by Rita Moreno in the 1961 film.
The plot for Two and Only hasn’t been revealed but so far it’s being compared to Julia Robert’s 1997 hit comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding but with a bisexual Latinx POV, according to Deadline.
Roberts co-starred in the film with Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney, and Rupert Everett. The story centers on a woman who realizes she has feelings for her longtime male friend who is set to marry another woman — thus leading to wedding sabotage.
“So many people have someone that they can see themselves as in the movie,” Roberts said about the film in a new interview with E!’s Daily Pop. “I also just think that we really got lucky coming together — none of us knew each other before we made the movie — and we just had a really great chemistry. It just worked.”
Two and Only is being developed as a starring vehicle for DeBose, who also won a BAFTA Award, Critics Choice Award, SAG Award and Golden Globe Award for her performance in West Side Story. In 2018, she received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Her other credits include Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation of The Prom on Netflix and the Apple musical series Schmigadoon! starring Keegan Michael Key.
DeBose previously spoke out about using her platform to inspire her community.
“I take this very seriously. I am a ‘positive vibes only’ person, especially in my social media presence,” she told People en Español. “There are young people out there watching what I say or do. I don’t want to give anyone a reason to put these communities down. That being said, I say what I mean and mean what I say. Afro-Latinos have been underrepresented in our industry.
“I am excited to continue to be a part of moving the needle forward so we can reach a day where there is balance in how we represent the beautiful spectrum of Latinos, and not just one ‘traditionally Latino’ prototype.”
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