Trey Songz Made Sure to Make a Particular Negotiation When Starring in ‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’
Trey Songz may be primarily known as an R&B singer, but he also has several prominent acting credits to his name. His most notable turn is probably his major role in 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D. Back in an interview while during press for the film, Songz revealed that during negotiations, he made sure that one particular horror trope would not be upheld.
Trey Songz starred in the most recent film in the ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ franchise
Songz made his major film debut with the film. It is the seventh film in the franchise, though it plays like a direct sequel to the original 1974 film, disregarding any events that took place in the six other films.
Texas Chainsaw 3D also starred Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager and Scott Eastwood. Gunnar Hansen and Marilyn Burns, who appeared in the 1974 film, also reprised their roles. The 2013 film revolves around a woman (Daddario) who travels through Texas with her boyfriend (Songz) on the way to collect her inheritance.
Prior to this film, Songz also appeared in a minor role in the film, Preacher’s Kid. After Texas Chainsaw 3D, Songz had a prominent role in the 2013 film Baggage Claim. He also took on the lead role for the 2018 film, Blood Brother.
Here’s what he said about the 2013 film, including his negotiations
In an interview with The Skanner in 2013, Songz talked about the film, his role, and more. Songz said that one of the things that interested him the most about the film was the opportunity to be a part of an “iconic franchise,” noting that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film was one of the first horror movies that “actually petrified people.”
A common trope in horror films is the fact that the black character always dies first. It is so much of a common and ridiculous trope that it is often parodied in film and television now as Hollywood continues to move past it and its harmful side effects. Songz confirmed in the interview that he specifically wanted the film to avoid this cliche and even went as far as to make sure it wasn’t in the film during his talks to join the project. He told the outlet, “Yeah, that was definitely a part of the negotiations.”
On being a singer diving into acting, he explained in part, “As a musician moving over into acting, it was important to have other denominators in the picture that could carry the weight. As a musician-turned-actor, you ordinarily face one of two scenarios. Either all the pressure of success or failure is on your shoulders, so if the picture does poorly, you might never get another movie role, or you have a situation where you already have an anchor, which allows you to work your way up the ranks.
He continued, “I think Texas Chainsaw is such a big brand that it’s an anchor unto itself. In fact, I wasn’t #1 on the call sheet. That was Alexandra Daddario, who is an amazing actress. So, I didn’t have the burden of carrying the film, which afforded me a chance to learn a lot about acting while playing her boyfriend.”
