'What's Love Got to Do With It': 10 Facts

It has been 20 years since the release of the epic biopic What's Love Got to Do With It. Angela Bassett toned up and shook a tail feather as Anna Mae Bullock — a small-town girl from the Nutbush, Tenn., city limits, turned into Tina Turner, a husky-voiced singer leading the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. And Laurence Fishburne made for a convincing Ike: He sang all the vocals and even perfected Turner's stutter.

If you're a fan of the film, you likely quote certain lines ("Eat the cake, Anna Mae" and "If you die on me, I'll kill you"). And perhaps you've even sung "Proud Mary" at a local karaoke bar — complete with a few Ikettes to back you up. As The Root celebrates the film's debut, take a look at 10 facts you might not have known about What's Love Got to Do With It.

Whitney Houston was offered the lead role, but she had to decline because she was pregnant with Bobbi Kristina. Halle Berry, Pam Grier, Vanessa L. Williams, Robin Givens and Janet Jackson were reportedly considered for the role.

But the casting director was hell-bent on casting Laurence Fishburne, who turned down the role five times. Fishburne finally accepted after he learned that Bassett would play Tina. The duo had previously worked together on Boyz n the Hood.

Calloway's strong Christian faith had her wary of reciting, "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

The producers found that the Turner home was still relatively the same since the '60s — even down to the wallpaper. 

She and Fishburne were both nominated for Academy Awards, too, but neither won.

The Dallas Plaza Hotel, which was called the Ramada Plaza Hotel, closed in 2009. There were plans to turn the hotel into housing for the homeless and low-income residents of Dallas.

LaFaye Baker directed the 2006 documentary Hollywood at Its Best, which focuses on African-American stuntwomen in Hollywood. Kym Washington was also featured in the documentary.

We guess Ike's assumption that Anna Mae's mother was actually her sister was not too far-fetched. Lewis also auditioned for the role of Turner but was cast as her mother instead. Lewis later played opposite Bassett in Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns.