Will Packer had to rework Obsessed 5 times before Beyoncé said yes to the movie
Klaudia//March 26, 2025
Getting rejected by Beyoncé was a blessing in disguise for Will Packer.
During recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the prolific Hollywood producer recounted the difficult task of convincing the megastar singer to appear in his 2009 film Obsessed. While the psychological thriller went on to find success at the box office, it took a few tries to convince Beyoncé to get on board — and ultimately turn the movie into a project worthy of her talents.
“Bey taught me a lot about getting rejected, because she told me no over and over again when I wanted her to be in that movie,” Packer told host Andy Cohen. “She told me no, but she was gracious enough to tell me why, and I kept going back and asking again and again and changing the movie in order to make it something that she could do.”
Packer called Beyoncé’s answer a “fortuitous no.” Though she was turning him down, there always remained the possibility that he could change her mind.
“Ultimately, on the sixth time, Beyoncé said yes, and that movie opened at No. 1,” Packer said with a grin. “So thank you, Beyoncé.”
Directed by Steve Shill, Obsessed stars Idris Elba as Derek Charles, a successful executive with a seemingly perfect career and marriage, which both begin to crumble when a seductive office temp steps into his world. Beyoncé plays Derek’s wife, Sharon, and Ali Larter plays her unhinged rival, Lisa Sheridan.
Packer also opened up about Beyoncé’s hesitance to make the movie during a visit to The View last month, where he shared her very firm response to reading the initial script.
“She was very stern — and she’s a wonderful human being — but she said, ‘Will Packer, I’m not doing your movie,'” he recalled. He explained that after she shared the specific elements holding her back, he revised them. “I didn’t go back or push back and didn’t say, ‘Oh no, woe is me.’ And actually, I was making my project better each time.”
Offering advice to those who find themselves hitting creative roadblocks, he joked, “It took me five times because Beyoncé is very particular, but I only needed one yes. You only need one, so whatever your Beyoncé is, right, keep seeing if there is a way to adjust and learn something from the no.”
During recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the prolific Hollywood producer recounted the difficult task of convincing the megastar singer to appear in his 2009 film Obsessed. While the psychological thriller went on to find success at the box office, it took a few tries to convince Beyoncé to get on board — and ultimately turn the movie into a project worthy of her talents.
“Bey taught me a lot about getting rejected, because she told me no over and over again when I wanted her to be in that movie,” Packer told host Andy Cohen. “She told me no, but she was gracious enough to tell me why, and I kept going back and asking again and again and changing the movie in order to make it something that she could do.”
Packer called Beyoncé’s answer a “fortuitous no.” Though she was turning him down, there always remained the possibility that he could change her mind.
“Ultimately, on the sixth time, Beyoncé said yes, and that movie opened at No. 1,” Packer said with a grin. “So thank you, Beyoncé.”
Directed by Steve Shill, Obsessed stars Idris Elba as Derek Charles, a successful executive with a seemingly perfect career and marriage, which both begin to crumble when a seductive office temp steps into his world. Beyoncé plays Derek’s wife, Sharon, and Ali Larter plays her unhinged rival, Lisa Sheridan.
Packer also opened up about Beyoncé’s hesitance to make the movie during a visit to The View last month, where he shared her very firm response to reading the initial script.
“She was very stern — and she’s a wonderful human being — but she said, ‘Will Packer, I’m not doing your movie,'” he recalled. He explained that after she shared the specific elements holding her back, he revised them. “I didn’t go back or push back and didn’t say, ‘Oh no, woe is me.’ And actually, I was making my project better each time.”
Offering advice to those who find themselves hitting creative roadblocks, he joked, “It took me five times because Beyoncé is very particular, but I only needed one yes. You only need one, so whatever your Beyoncé is, right, keep seeing if there is a way to adjust and learn something from the no.”