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Regina King Says Beyonce ‘Inspires Me to Work Harder’

Icons supporting icons. Regina King revealed that she is inspired by Beyoncé — and we can all relate.

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“I think Beyonce empowers me every quarter,” King, 48, told Us Weekly and other reporters at the TCA Summer Press Tour on July 24. “[There’s] just something about just the way she navigates her life, being one of the biggest superstars on the planet, and she just does it with such grace.”

The actress and director then noted how Queen Bey, a frequent Grammy winner, “inspires me to work harder,” while adding: “I’m always like, no time to sleep and Beyoncé wouldn’t be asleep.”

Regina King and Beyonce
Regina King and Beyonce Kristina Bumphrey/Shutterstock; Richard Young/Shutterstock

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King is quite the hard worker herself. In February, she walked away with her first-ever Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress in If Beale Street Could Talk. In her acceptance speech, she noted that she is “an example of what happens when support and love is poured into someone.”

Her performance in the Barry Jenkins-directed feature also scored her a Golden Globe win. 2018 was a good year for the star, who also earned a Golden Globe nomination and a Primetime Emmy win for playing Patrice Butler in Netflix’s Seven Seconds.

At the TCA Summer Press Tour, King, who stars in the new superhero series Watchmen for HBO, reflected on the most inspiring role she has landed throughout her long career, which includes credits such as Boyz n the Hood and the Miss Congeniality sequel. “I guess I would have to say Brenda Jenkins from 227 because that’s where it all started. I’d have to go there. The beginning,” she told Us and other reporters at the event, noting how it set her up for the path she is currently on.

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“At that time when I got that job, I still wanted to be a dentist,” she shared. “It took that experience and being in that for five years and then going to college and going, yeah, this acting thing is for me. ‘I think I want to re-drop out, Mom. I hope you’re OK with that.’ She wasn’t, but it all worked out.”

King plays Angela Abar in Watchmen, which is based on the DC Comics graphic novel and is slated to premiere in October. A full-length trailer for the upcoming show debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in July.

With reporting by Amanda Champagne

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