Woman to Watch: Naturi Naughton
Image courtesy of AfterEllen.com
Name: Naturi Naughton
Hometown: East Orange, New Jersey
Occupation: Singer and actress
Education: Attended Seton Hall University (she left after receiving a role on Broadway)
You May Know Her From: The group 3LW or you also may have seen her playing Lil’ Kim in the movie Notorious.
How She Got Her Start: Her love of singing began when she was five years old and joined her church’s choir in East Orange, NJ. By 15, Naturi and the group 3LW were signed by Sony/EPIC Records. The group toured with Destiny’s Child, Nelly and Jessica Simpson and even had a platinum hit before disbanding in 2002.
Other Claims to Fame: Naturi played Little Inez in Hairspray on Broadway. She also played Denise in the 2009 remake of Fame.
Where You Can See Her Now: As the only African American Playboy bunny on NBC’s new show The Playboy Club. Her character is determined to be the first black Playboy centerfold.
Where You May See Her Next: According to US Weekly, she may appear in the sequel to X-Men Origins, The Wolverine along with Hugh Jackman.
Quotable: In an interview with the LA Sentinel she talked about what attracted her to her role in Fame: “I was a young person who had a dream and wanted to be successful, and that’s kind of what Fame is all about. So, I think I was just attracted to the struggle and the realness of the story.”
She Credits Her Success To: Her faith in God, parents’ support and friends for pushing her not to give up on her dreams. (source)
