LisaRaye McCoy shared that she suffered an “identity crisis” after her portrayal of stripper, “Diamond,” in the 1998 Ice Cube film “The Players Club.”
She says the pressure of living up to her newly accrued sex symbol status was heavy.
“I had an identity crisis after ‘Players Club’ because I felt like I had to have the long hair and look like my character, ‘Diamond,’ in order to be recognized,” she told Page Six. “‘Players Club’ put me on the map… it made me a bona fide sex symbol, and when you are a sex symbol people think that you’re sexy all the time, and that stigma follows you.”
The role catapulted LisaRaye into the spotlight. But despite her many other movie roles, fans will best remember her as the curvaceous beauty.
“So I am forever Diamond.”
She adds, “I’m an older ‘Diamond’ now, but diamonds always shine, so I am here for it. I did not know what sexy was at the time… I think it was best for me not to really know, because I probably would’ve tried to play it up in my role and messed it up.”
The actress recently weighed on on a debate about who should play her in a reboot of the movie.
“Basketball Wives” star Draya Michelle and “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” star Joseline Hernandez both threw their hats into the ring.
“I do have a problem with some of the sequels. Sometimes when they’re done so well, it’s as if the first time you see it — it’s like — let Diamond be Diamond,” LisaRaye said on “Cocktails With Queens.”
“Maybe, somebody can play Cubic Zirconia,” she explained. “Diamond was done so well, so she’s still Diamond. You know what I mean? I don’t know what to say.”
