Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' has me rethinking her acting ability

Beyonce in Lemonade

Even the most hardcore Beyoncé fans (and I count myself among them) would concede that her career as a film actress to date has been less than stellar. She mostly smiled her way through unremarkable, cardboard cutout roles in profitable, but forgettable movies like Austin Powers in Goldmember and The Pink Panther.

Then, in her first major, serious role -- 2006's Dreamgirls -- she was blown off the screen by Jennifer Hudson, although that former American Idol hasn't really capitalized on her success in the film with a strong follow-up role.

She got some decent notices for her performance as Etta James in the little seen Cadillac Records, but it didn't really rise above the level of dress-up acting. It's not entirely her fault. She can never really fully disappear into a role.

Even singers who had success on the big screen -- I'm thinking Cher -- never really fully shed their star persona, and when it comes to a performer as distinct looking and sounding as Beyoncé, it's nearly impossible for them to not be seen as themselves.

That said, I don't think celebrities have to necessarily play heightened versions of themselves, although I did get a real kick out of LeBron James playing the best black friend role in Trainwreck.

After watching Beyoncé's riveting performances in Lemonade, her game-changing visual album which is probably consuming your Twitter and Instagram feeds as you read this with memes and shout outs, I have come to revise my thinking about her screen acting potential.

Her maddeningly vague sit-down interviews aside, this is a woman of real substance. And in an era where, sadly, many of out best black American actresses have retreated to television because the movie business has decided to shun them and/or not provide them with adequate opportunities, there is a real gulf in movies for African-American female representation.

In the short films of Lemonade, Beyoncé plays a full range of emotions -- despair, anger, love, pride, regret, lust, swag. It's all there and it's so magnetic you can't take your eyes off her. I couldn't help thinking with that the right part and a truly gifted director she could be a phenomenal presence in a feature film.

A few years ago, prior to his infamous RNC speech next to an empty chair, actor-director Clint Eastwood had apparently signed on to direct Beyonce in yet another reboot of the showbiz classic A Star Is Born. Although I wasn't excited by the material -- since it was already done to perfection back in 1954 -- I was curious what kind of performance Eastwood could get out the famously guarded pop diva.

Sadly, that movie never came to fruition, and I've not heard of any new movie projects for Beyonce on the horizon. A rumored biopic about Saartjie Baartman isn't happening. But certainly in a marketplace crowded with superhero films, she could play a larger than life icon.

I hope if she does ever get another chance to try her hand at acting, she'll get a part that really utilizes the fierce and aggressive side of her persona, instead of turning her into yet another thankless female sidepiece for the hero.