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The movie is the latest in a string of challenging roles for the singer-turned-actress. In her previous film, Cadillac Records, she portrayed the fiery blues singer Etta James. Beyoncé played James with abandon in this tangled tale of exploitation, resentment, creative ferment, opportunity, and exhilaration, communicating the complexity of James’ character—by turns vulnerable, manipulative, sexy, and cagey. Knowles has not shied away from a diverse cross-section of projects, flexing her comic muscle alongside Steve Martin in The Pink Panther and Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember, and earning two Golden Globe nominations for her role in Dreamgirls. With Obsessed, the multiplatinum singer is showing that was just warm-up. When it comes to blowing audiences away, Beyoncé is just getting started.

LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL: Your character in Obsessed displays a lot of strength and empowerment, but she’s also subjected to dishonesty and betrayal. What made you want to tackle such an intense role?
BEYONCÉ KNOWLES: I was drawn to this role because she isn’t a damsel in distress. I loved that she wasn’t helpless and could stand up for herself. She wouldn’t throw in the towel without a good fight. She’s hopelessly in love with her family and was willing to do what it takes to protect them.

LAC: Your previous role, Etta James, was a heroin addict and an emotionally troubled woman. Your public image, at least, is quite the opposite— clean-scrubbed and relentlessly cheerful. Did portraying her take you outside of your comfort zone?
BK: Etta James had a darker side. And with the profanity I use in the movie, me [portraying someone] addicted to heroin, having a scene where I’m strung out—I’m sure audiences were extremely shocked. But I’m an artist and I’m playing a character. When I’m doing a movie, Beyoncé is nowhere in the film. One thing playing Etta James taught me is that I can’t be afraid or ashamed of the things that I like, even if it doesn’t make sense to other people, or even if it’s shocking to people. It comes to a point where I know it’s time to take a chance. I don’t have a need to do another record to make more money or become a bigger superstar. Doing the Etta James movie was a scary thing for me. I read the script and said, This is great, but what are people going to think? I even talked to people at the label and they said, "I’m not sure if you want to have a needle in your arm the week after the album comes out.…"

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LAC: Wow. So you’ve really stepped way outside the bounds of what people expect from you. I mean, you’re a L’Oréal model.
BK: But it’s soul, and it’s the roots of R&B, and it’s history, and I feel like my generation needs to know where all this music is coming from. And it’s coming back. People listen to Amy Winehouse, and even what I do... it all came from Etta James. She was the first black woman to cross over and be played on the radio. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t even have a chance. It was crazy, some of the things that got copied that these artists never got credit for. People, especially young people, need to know. So in that sense it’s a part of my history.

LAC: You grew up in a pretty conservative household, but in recent years your sexuality has definitely become more central to your public persona. Do you still need your alter ego—Sasha Fierce—to allow you to explore the more untamed aspects of your sexuality?
BK: I still have the values I grew up with. The reason I maintain my sanity and I’m still the same person is because of those values. When I’m performing, I’m able to be whoever I want to be on stage. I have my alter ego, Sasha—and it’s kind of like a character but I leave it on the stage, and I don’t walk around being over-the-top in real life. It’s just a part of my artistic expression.

LAC: Why have you been so secretive about your relationship with Jay-Z?
BK: This is my first relationship. I’m very private and, of course, I don’t talk about it, but I’m very, very happy, that’s all I’ll say. We were together for a really long time before we got married; we were in no rush. We don’t have a normal relationship because of our careers. But celebrity or not, you go through the exact same things. We’re not perfect, it’s just natural for people to start rumors and try to break things up. You can try to defend it, but it’s difficult when you read things and people are always asking. You have to have a very strong relationship, way stronger than people who aren’t being scrutinized.

LAC: You’ve managed to become one of the most visible women in the world, but also someone almost nobody really knows. Do you take pride in remaining hidden?
BK: I think that it’s wonderful to be around for so long and still have some mystery. I’ve always wanted to be known for my music and songs and for the work I’ve done in movies and for being a hardworking person, and I like that people don’t know everything about me. It makes me feel a little normal, because most people are like that. You meet them and you know as much as they let you know, and the people they love know every little detail. I feel like that’s important just so I can feel a little bit of normalcy in my life.

LAC: Between your role as Etta James and your recent single, “If I Were a Boy,” you really seem to be expanding the Beyoncé brand. What made you want to sing “If I Were a Boy,” which takes a gender-flipping perspective?
BK: I didn’t write it, but that song is so perfect. It’s so refreshing. It’s definitely something that will last forever. I felt like I was singing for every woman in the world. I feel like I’m an artist who says a lot of the things in my music that women want to say or need to hear. Fans always tell me, “You got me through this argument with my boyfriend,” or, “Because of you I was strong enough to stick it through.”

LAC: So if you sing songs to help women get through break-ups, who does that for you?
BK: [Laughs] Well, fortunately I haven’t had any break-ups! ★