Back in 2002, Beyoncé starred in Austin Powers in Goldmember, in which she played Foxxy Cleopatra, Austin’s sidekick and Goldmember’s rival.
20 years later, Austin Powers star Mike Myers recalled memories of working with Queen Bey during a conversation with David O. Russell in Hollywood on Wednesday night (May 4), for a Netflix Is a Joke event.
Myers told the audience that he knew after meeting Beyoncé that she had something special, according to The Hollywood Reporter.“The Obamas have it,” he said. “They exude molecules that take the shape of their persona.”
He added that everyone on set “fell in love with her,” and Myers said he even introduced the “Drunk in Love” singer to the legendary Led Zeppelin, a band a then-20-year-old Bey hadn’t heard of. “I don’t know this Led Zeppelin,” he remembered that she said, and then, a few days later on set, she pulled out her headphones and revealed she had been listening to their music. “It’s Led Zeppelin — they’re great,” she told Myers.
Austin Powers in Goldmember was released just a year before Beyoncé made her solo debut outside of Destiny’s Child with her 2003 album, Dangerously in Love. The album, which featured hit songs like “Baby Boy,” “Me, Myself and I” and, of course, “Crazy in Love,” skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart dated July 12, 2003. The album spent an impressive 102 weeks total on the chart.
“Baby Boy” and “Crazy in Love” both hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 albums chart, while “Me, Myself and I” peaked at No. 4.