Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable' Guy Had A Tough Time Getting Dumped: VMA Lens Recap
You've landed your first starring role in a music video and you're in a mansion full of beautiful women, one of them Beyoncé Knowles, but you've just messed up and the superstar singer is personally overseeing your exit.
"She told me to pack up all my stuff, I'm getting kicked out -- the video starts off like that," described actor/model Bobby Roache, who plays Beyoncé's soon-to-be ex in "Irreplaceable," a Video of the Year contender at Sunday's VMAs (see [article id="1566507"]"MTV VMA Race Is On: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Lead Nominations"[/article]).
"I'm a basketball player, feeling myself," he recalled of his character. "I love my girl, but at the same time I'm doing my thing. I'm just out there messing up, and B is the wrong one to do that with."
Roache said he didn't have to audition for the part. He was already in good with Beyoncé's people after playing a police officer in her video for "Ring the Alarm" and a warrior during Jay-Z and Beyoncé's performance at the 2006 Fashion Rocks show (see [article id="1540510"]"Beyonce, Jay-Z, Christina Put The Rock in Fashion Rocks Concert"[/article]).
"In my eyes, I don't really see competition from the guys I see doing videos," Roache boasted. "The audition was cool. They knew me. But come on: I'm 6-foot-3 [with a] sports background -- I thought I was perfect for the video."
Don't worry: The cocky model did get served a slice of humble pie while shooting this video for 12 hours at an 18-bedroom estate in Yonkers, New York, last winter.
"She kicked me out, and she's just taking everything," Roache laughed, retelling some of his scene. "The car -- what brother wants to go through that? You take off my bling? You strip down my gear? ... Everything."
Roache and Beyoncé immersed themselves in their roles. So much so that the newcomer said he found himself mesmerized by the lovely singer.
"I was up there trying to role-play and kick some lines to her," Roache said. "And she stayed in character, like, 'Nah, don't even talk to me. Get away from me.' But she was cool. She's great at what she does. It just came naturally. I just followed her lead. It was tough, working with Beyoncé. She brings that presence. Sometimes you just stop and watch her. I got caught up a lot of times, but I had to tell myself to keep it moving. I had to keep in my mind, 'I'm supposed to be acting, I'm getting kicked out. I'm not really in love with her.' It was kinda tough, man. You get put in that situation with Beyoncé, you really start feeling like that's your girl right there."
Lucky for Roache, neither Jay-Z nor Papa Knowles was there during filming. He said his only regret about the production is that he didn't get to film romantic shots with Beyoncé in the bedroom.
"My bedroom scene, I ain't gonna talk about that one," he said with a smile -- and then, of course, he did. "The video -- I heard in some places it already won Video of the Year. But if they would have had the bedroom scene, it would have been something to talk about. Something they wouldn't forget. First of all, you got Beyoncé, that's enough said. Then you got me. The majority of celebrities I see, I'm taller than the majority of them. Don't you want somebody like 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, muscles? It's that type of sex appeal I would try to give off in the bed. I'm a man, not no little boy."
While "Irreplaceable" has boosted Roache's career, Beyoncé is satisfied that she accomplished the goal of helping other people through the song.
"I love 'Irreplaceable,' " B told MTV News in December. "I think it's important to have those songs. I've had so many people come up to me in tears, saying, 'I experienced my first breakup. If it wasn't for the song, I wouldn't be strong enough to not call. I wouldn't know how much I'm worth.' I'm happy to be a part of that."
Go behind the scenes with other Video of the Year nominees:
» [article id="1568968"]Kanye Added Perfectionist Touch -- And Venetian-Blind Glasses -- To 'Stronger' Video: VMA Lens Recap[/article]
» [article id="1568860"]Rihanna's 'Painful' 'Umbrella' Shoot Kept Her On Her Toes: VMA Lens Recap[/article]
» [article id="1568831"]Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab' Was Really Just A Decrepit London Building: VMA Lens Recap[/article]
» [article id="1568745"]Justin Timberlake Went 'Around' And Came Out With A Broken Finger: VMA Lens Recap[/article]
» [article id="1568729"]Justice's 'D.A.N.C.E.' Is An Underdog, But 'Maybe Kanye Will Jump Onstage Again': VMA Lens Recap[/article]
Wait -- don't cash out on the VMAs just yet! From Britney's sultry comeback performance to the big winners, you saw it all -- well, almost everything! Get yourself even richer with our wall-to-wall show coverage, party reports, videos and loads more at www.VMA.MTV.com. For reports, photos, video and much, much more from previous VMAs, dive into the VMA archives.
