Actress Shares Behind-the-Scenes Story of Laurence Fishburne’s Cake Scene Slip-Up

Laurence Fishburne (left), Vanessa Bell Calloway.
Credit :

Buena Vista Pictures

Key Details

• Vanessa Bell Calloway reflects on the strategy behind the notable cake fight scene in What’s Love Got To Do With It.
• The 68-year-old actress recalls her role as Jackie, alongside Angela Bassett as Tina Turner and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.
• What’s Love Got To Do With It draws inspiration from Tina Turner’s 1986 memoir, which recounts her challenging upbringing, abusive marriage, and her journey to success.

Vanessa Bell Calloway recently shared insights about a pivotal moment from her role in What’s Love Got To Do With It, revealing that the scene was more than just fiction.

In the film, Calloway plays Jackie, a friend of Tina Turner, who intervenes when Ike Turner shoves Tina’s face into a cake during a public event. This scene echoes an actual event described in Turner’s memoir, I, Tina Turner, where Ike compelled her to eat an entire cake following a similar incident.

During a recent interview with Cocoa Butter, Calloway offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the emotional intensity of the slap scene, noting a stunt failure that added authenticity to her performance.

“They wanted to use a stunt double for the slap,” she explained. “But I told director Brian Gibson that I needed to be in the moment to create the right energy and adrenaline when I got up to confront him.”

Gibson agreed, and the choreography was adjusted accordingly. However, on one take, things went awry. “We didn’t have the eye connection, and he slapped the living s— out of me,” Calloway recounted. “My face was pounding. On one side, I felt the pain, and on the other, I thought, ‘Keep going, Vanessa. This is going to be good.’”

Angela Bassett as Tina Turner (left) and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.

Buena Vista Pictures

Despite the unintentional slap, Calloway remained focused. “I slapped, I rolled, I got up, and let him have it. That’s the take they used,” she stated. “I can’t blame Gibson; it was compelling. Afterward, everyone rushed to me with ice packs to ensure I was okay. He really slapped me hard.”

Laurence Fishburne, who played Ike Turner, expressed his own reservations about the role in a 1993 interview. “I didn’t want to play Ike at first because the script portrayed him as one-dimensional without much context for his actions or his relationship with Tina,” he said. After discussions with the producers, they agreed to add depth and history to the character. “In essence, he is the villain, but I aimed to make him interesting and appealing, giving the audience a reason to be drawn to him, much like a spider’s web.”

Angela Bassett as Tina Turner, Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.

Buena Vista Pictures

Fishburne elaborated on his approach, stating, “I wanted to make him multidimensional, portraying him not just as a villain but as a complex character that has appealing traits, drawing Anna Mae in like a Venus flytrap. It’s vital to show how that beauty can quickly turn harmful.”