‘Mufasa’ Director Barry Jenkins on Casting Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara: ‘She Was So Prepared’

On a recent episode of Radio Andy's "The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham," director Barry Jenkins discussed his experience casting Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara in "Mufasa: The Lion King."

"The youngest person in our cast happens to be the daughter of Beyoncé … And even for someone of her notoriety, the task was very simple: Move me with your voice. I think she does a really wonderful job in the film, so I really enjoyed casting her voice," Barry told Jess and Julia of Blue Ivy, who turns 13 next month.

Barry also explained that he knew Blue Ivy's voice work from when she narrated the audiobook version of Matthew A. Cherry's "Hair Love" at just eight years old.

"I had a sense she would be very prepared, just knowing what I know about that family," Barry added. "Beyoncé's mom is a very, very lovely, strong woman. I just assume it is all flowing from the top, and I was absolutely right. She was so prepared. And once we booked her and she came to work, it was like working with any of the other actors."

See "Mufasa: The Lion King" in theaters beginning December 20, 2024.

"The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham" airs weekdays at 2pm ET on Radio Andy (Ch. 102). Full episodes are available to stream anytime on the SiriusXM app.