Chloe Bailey on Sexy Thriller ‘Strung,’ the Best Advice Beyoncé Gave Her and Racist Backlash to ‘The Little Mermaid’: ‘It Broke My Heart’
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- "Strung" premieres June 26 on Peacock, directed by Malcolm D. Lee, with Chloe Bailey starring as violinist Laila whose one-night stand with Lucien Laviscount's character becomes dangerous when she discovers he's her student's stepfather.
- Bailey called Beyoncé her mentor and said her love of psychological thrillers like "Obsessed" drew her to the project, which she described as a 'no-brainer'.
- Bailey performed her own violin, rehearsing fingerings and pieces with about a week and a half of prep alongside tutors in L.A. and Cape Town, South Africa, where the Blumhouse film was shot.
- Laviscount and Bailey had instant on-screen chemistry without a chemistry test, though Bailey revealed their shower sex scene was filmed late at night in a freezing cold warehouse.
- Bailey highlighted the film's deliberate effort to portray Black characters — from a wealthy family to a rap artist father who doesn't die from stereotypical causes — in positions of power without leaning on stereotypes.
- Bailey, one half of musical duo Chloe x Halle, turns 28 in a couple of weeks and reflected on sacrificing parts of her childhood to her career while embracing being an adrenaline junkie.
Why it matters: Peacock is betting on Bailey's crossover appeal — from Chloe x Halle and the Beyoncé orbit — to anchor a Blumhouse-produced erotic thriller, a genre that has been underserved on streaming. Her willingness to do her own violin and endure punishing Cape Town shoots signals a deliberate pivot toward mature, scream-queen territory.
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