Vanessa Williams on Why ‘A Diva’s Christmas Carol’ Is a Cult Classic
The singer-actress reflects on its fandom for the 20th anniversary
Vanessa Williams knows how to play a diva. Before she starred as the formidable Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty, the award-winning singer and actress brought international pop sensation Ebony Scrooge to life in the made-for-TV movie, A Diva’s Christmas Carol.
Based on the Charles Dickens holiday classic, A Diva’s Christmas Carol debuted on VH1 in December of 2000. But Williams wasn’t the network’s first choice. According to the star, producers had originally wanted to cast Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston as the lead. The movie’s writer and director, Richard Schenkman, however, had someone else in mind.
“He said, ‘yes, they’re divas, but I need someone who can actually act as a diva and is not literally a diva, because then where’s the humor? He pitched my name, and that’s what happened,” explains Williams. “Recently, Williams celebrated the 20th anniversary of the cult classic with a live screening hosted by BLACK, GAY, stuck at home, an online initiative to gather folks together and center Black queer film.
“When I was doing the screening on Zoom, I could see the people watching, and there was one guy who laughed at everything. And I was like…
