Laurence Fishburne turned down the role of Ike Turner five times. When he learned that Angela Bassett had won the role of Tina Turner, he changed his mind.
Angela Bassett lip-synched all of the songs in this movie; Tina Turner sang all the tracks herself. Bassett herself admitted that she can act and dance, but isn't much of a singer.
Angela Bassett recalls meeting Tina Turner for the first time so the singer could see for herself who would be playing her; when Tina appeared, she walked up to Angela, looked her up and down, smiled, and said out loud, "She's perfect!".
In an interview, Tina Turner stated that she wished the film had contained more truth, but the studio felt that the public would not believe everything that actually happened to her.