Anika Noni Rose will always be a Dreamgirl at heart. On New Year’s Day, the actress jumped on social media to offer her take on the Dreamgirls-inspired TikTok challenge.
In the 2006 musical film, Rose played Lorrell, a member fictional trio The Dreams. The movie was loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes. In the film, Lorrell and Effie White, portrayed by Jennifer Hudson, reluctantly sang backup for Beyoncé’s character, Deena Jones.
While displaying her character’s vocals, Rose would personify the ultimate stage performer with poses and facial expressions, including the exaggerated smile and raised eyebrows that have taken TikTok by storm. The videos feature countless TikTokers singing the famous line “Dreamgirls will never leave you” and freezing their faces into one of Lorell’s over-the-top smiles.
@itsantofficial Hollering 😂😂😂😂 #Dreamgirls #lorrellrobinson #dreamgirlschallenge ♬ original sound – Tyler N. Allen
no meu tiktok agr só passa o povo imitando a Lorrell em dreamgirls e eu nao consigo não curtir kkkkkkkkk pic.twitter.com/bdKlzIrRc9
— cadu (@euduardo_oc) December 25, 2023
The videos in the series have racked up over 9 million views, and Rose decided to hop on the trend. In her Instagram clip, the Tony-award-winning actress fulfills everyday tasks like waking up, showering and cooking dinner. As soon as the music is queued into the video, Rose turns to show off their quirky smile and questionable eye with the help of a filter.
The actress wrote, “Stepping into the New Year like…” over her post. She acknowledged the funny challenge with her caption, “Eye see y’all.😅” whilst wishing her followers a “Happy New Year” and sending love to her fans.
In the comments, Fans raved over Rose’s ability to laugh at herself and make a “spoof of her spoof.”
One follower was thrilled with this being the official start to the new year: “I’m hollering and dying!!! Mrs Anika Noni Rose stepped into the 2024 and said I own January 😂😂😂😂😂”
“WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!OUR DREAMGIRL!!!!” said another, reminding everyone that Rose is iconic.
A third person chimed in to let everyone else know that everyone else could throw in the towel. “Okay! The challenge is officially OVER!!! YOU WON!!! 😂”
Rose’s resume is full of long accomplishments, including her multiple stints on Broadway. Her big break was in 2004’s Caroline, or Change. Her performance in the Broadway production earned her the Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical.
One of her most-known roles was as the voice of Disney’s first Black princess, Princess Tiana, in 2009’s The Princess and the Frog.
In 2022, the actress joked during her appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan about her involvement with Disney building Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, slated to open at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in late 2024.
“I’ve been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we want it to be, what we want it to do,” she said, Entertainment Weekly reported. “But if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground, and you’d never see me again.”
