Here's What Rihanna Thought of "Queen & Slim," According to Lena Waithe

From Oprah Magazine

• Queen & Slim hits theaters November 27 and the reviews are in: The film, written by Lena Waithe and directed by Melina Matsoukas, is a must-see.

• In case you need more convincing, there's one review in particular that just might do the trick: Rihanna herself tells Waithe she "really cared about the characters."

Ahead of its November 27th release date, Queen and Slim is already knee-deep in positive reviews and awards season buzz. The film follows titular characters Queen and Slim, a couple who go on a first date that gets cut short thanks to a run-in with a racist police officer. As they quickly become the country's biggest news story, the duo find themselves on the run from the law in a romantic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and also move you to tears.

Critics are raving about stunning visuals from director Melina Matsoukas—known for masterful music videos with artists like Beyoncé—and a poignant, timely plot from The Chi creator Lena Waithe. But there's one person in particular whose review of Queen & Slim we've been dying to hear: Rihanna.

Earlier this month, the pop star/fashion designer/beauty product mogul turned heads in a vintage John Galliano black satin kimono at the American Film Institute Festival's premiere of Queen & Slim. And according to Waithe, Rih Rih—who worked with Matsoukas on her video "We Found Love," which won "Best Music Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013—loved the film just as much as the rest of us.

"Rihanna, after the premiere, came up to me, and she actually had really, really beautiful words for me—I appreciate them very much," Waithe tells OprahMag.com. "She just was like...she really enjoyed it, and felt like she cared about the characters. She felt as if the people in the room cared about the characters."

Waithe adds that the fact that everyone from a random moviegoer to Rihanna can relate to Queen and Slim's story is all the affirmation she needs as a writer.

"That to me was my main goal—for the characters to really leap off the screen and into your lives and make you feel as if they were you and you were them," she says. "I think based on what Rihanna said, we accomplished that."

Rihanna hasn't been the only big-name supporter of Queen & Slim so far—actresses like Euphoria's Zendaya, Black Swan's Natalie Portman, and Black-ish's Tracee Ellis Ross also showed their support. And Waithe admits that co-signs from such star power makes all the difference.

"I'm really grateful to Rihanna for always being really for the culture and of the people," Waithe says. "She's really for us and I told her that—she can choose to support any project that she wants, and I'm grateful she supported ours."

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