Janelle Monae wants the same opportunities as Julia Roberts.
The 34-year-old singer and actress has formed her own production company, Wonderland Pictures, because she wants to ensure that she has "freedom and choice" in her movie roles.
Speaking to Collider, Janelle explained: "I have a company now, called Wonderland Pictures, and we hope to be bringing Steven Spielberg, George Lucas trilogy-level science fiction franchises to the world.
"Obviously, I’m a black woman, so I’m always gonna bring that take to whatever it is I do. I’m ready to start getting those scripts that the Johnny Depps were given, and that the Julia Roberts were getting. And I’m ready to see other women of colour have that same freedom and choice to make decisions about their characters."
And Janelle revealed she has a special love for "quiet sci-fi movies" so she hopes to produce films similar to ‘Ex Machina’ and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.
She said: "I also like quiet sci-fi, too. I love ‘Ex Machina’. I love ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. I love ‘Gattaca’. I love ‘Willy Wonka’. I know that’s not science fiction, but it’s fantastical. I’m just excited about being free, being free in cinema, in TV, and in film."
And Janelle explained that she set up her own production company because she wanted more input into her acting projects, like she has with her music.
She said: "That is the nerve-wracking thing about film versus music. If I’m producing on something, obviously I have more say so, but with music, I get the final say so. I have a lot more leverage there. With film and TV, I don’t. You just pray and hope that you get a director and people that have great taste."