Beyonce Knowles had to get so mean and moody for her role in new movie Dreamgirls that it affected her relationships with her friends, family and boyfriend Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter. The singer-turned-actress took a method approach to prepare for the part of starlet Deena, her first character movie, after brief parts in Austin Powers: Goldmember and The Pink Panther. She became so deeply involved with her character’s emotions, she began punishing those closest to her.

Beyonce says: “The material was very difficult in that I had to be moody and angry to make the role work. I was creating drama in my life so that I had something to feed off. I was mad at everyone and they were thinking: ‘What did I do?’ It was scary for people around me. They suddenly saw a change and were quite frightened at times. That was the only way I could really make it work and build myself up for the part.”

- The Irish Examiner