Which film earned Beyoncé her first acting role in a major motion picture?

Austin Powers in Goldmember gave Beyoncé her first acting role in a major motion picture. The 2002 comedy, directed by Jay Roach, cast her as Foxxy Cleopatra.

Foxxy Cleopatra is an undercover FBI agent and Austin Powers’s ally. The character is styled as a playful tribute to 1970s blaxploitation heroines, with costumes and dialogue influenced by that era’s cinema and music.

The film was Beyoncé’s first major theatrical acting credit before she appeared in projects such as The Fighting Temptations, Dreamgirls and Cadillac Records. Her role also placed her alongside Mike Myers, who played Austin Powers and several other characters.

Austin Powers in Goldmember was the third film in the Austin Powers series. It opened in 2002 and featured a soundtrack contribution from Beyoncé and her group Destiny’s Child, helping connect her emerging film career with her established music career.