Although famous for her singing career, Nicki Minaj has roots in acting as well, with “Ice Age 4: Continental Drift,” marking one of her earliest works.
Like most celebrities, fame took its toll on iconic rapper Nicki Minaj, but not in the way one might expect. The mom-of-one recently went candid about becoming less confident since plunging into fame.
She attributed this to the media’s tendency to make news of everything she did, from leisure activities to bloopers.
However, she has found a way around this attack on her confidence after a long stint in Hollywood. In some way, staying off social media has helped the star nurture her confidence.
When that doesn’t prove effective, having her son, nicknamed Papa Bear, on hand helps her cope with the heckles of Hollywood. These methods perhaps are responsible for the confident woman Nicki has proven to be during her on-screen appearances.
In addition to her music, she has forayed into acting severally in the last decade, with most of her characters mirroring confidence.
In fact, Nicki Minaj made her film debut lending her voice to an extremely confident, chatty, and pretty mammoth in the animation film, “Ice Age 4: Continental Drift.”
The songstress deems the iconic role as one of the greatest projects in her career, and one she always looked forward to. With so much hype coming from the singer, who exactly did Nicki Minaj play in “Ice Age?”
Who Did Nicki Minaj Play In “Ice Age.”
Nicki Minaj has credits in the fourth installment of the animation series “Ice Age,” released in 2012. She voiced the character of Steffie, a hairy teenage mammoth who had a knack for looking pretty and belonged to a group of friends called the Brat Pack.
Although her character had few lines in the series, the “Monster” singer made a mark in the series with her limited spot specifically written for her.
“Ice Age 4: Continental Drift”
The fourth of the five-part animation film franchise hit the cinemas in July 2012, bringing back our favorite wooly mammoths to the screens once again.
Like previous installments, it depicted Scrat’s attempt to capture the acorn. However, his greed-inspired lost cause resulted in an accident that tore the universe apart leading to a species-endangering continental drift.
The animation centered around Sid, Diego, and Manny’s attempt to find a safe haven after Scrat’s accident set them off adrift. In their quest, they came upon new characters including Shira, a sabretooth who eventually became Diego’s love interest.
They also met a smart mammoth called Ethan, Steffie who kind of had a secret crush on him, and a clumsy mammoth, Peaches who stepped in as Steffie’s love rival.
Notably, these new interesting characters were played by outstanding figures in Hollywood. While Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and Drake voiced Shira, Peaches, and Ethan respectively, Minaj did the honors of voicing Steffie.
Nicki Minaj As Steffie In “Ice Age”
Minaj admitted she really yearned for a part in the animated film. So when the opportunity came calling, the songstress could not resist.
Admittedly, she initially gunned for a different role but failed to get the path to her disappointment. Thankfully, the producers decided to write in another character, with Minaj in mind, thus birthing the sassy mammoth Steffie.
Nicki Minaj rendered the teenage mammoth impeccably. In addition to her beauty-consciousness, the character was somewhat selfish, adventurous, and witty
With her orange-brown fur and devil-may-care attitude, Steffie easily stood out as the queen bee of the brat park. At the end of the movie, the pretty mammoth soon showed her caring side and warmed up to Peaches and Louis, proving she was not so hard after all.
What Nicki Minaj Thinks Of Her “Ice Age” Character
Notably, Nicki Minaj has been known to gush about her fondness for her character in “Ice Age,”
During an interview ahead of the movie’s premiere, the “Anaconda” crooner described her stint on “Ice Age,” as one of the greatest moments of her life.
She attributed this to the privilege of starring alongside Queen Latifah, Jenifer Lopez, Ray Romano, and Denis Leary. To the rapper, being part of the animation’s star-studded cast was both a blessing and an honor.
Additionally, the singer fell in love with her character during filming, despite craving something else from the start. Gushing about her character, Steffie, Minaj noted that she considered her a cutesy little ladybug, a term she used to describe things she loved.
She also described the teenage mammoth as beautiful and great, further driving home her love for the wooly creature.
Nicki Minaj’s Other Acting Credits
Aside from her role in “Ice Age 4,” Nicki Minaj has snagged a handful of acting gigs since her first foray into the industry. She made her first movie appearance in 2014’s “The Other Woman,” opposite Cameron Diaz.
She also starred in the 2016 film, “Barber Shop: The Next Cut,” which earned her a nod at the Teen Choice Awards that year. Minaj also landed a voice-acting role in the 2019 animation, “Angry Birds 2.”
What Else Has she Been Up To?
In addition to acting, the “Starships” singer has landed deals with several top brands including Adidas Originals and MAC Cosmetics. She also snagged a deal with Pepsi and has a few investments of her own.
Notably, the star owns a fragrance line as part of her entrepreneurial ventures. She is also a shareholder at Tidal Streaming Services.
Despite Minaj’s numerous pursuits, she never turned her back on singing, which remains her career focus.
With hits like “Starships,” from the “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” album, “Megathron,” and her “Queen” album, the songstress has maintained her spot as the Queen of rap in the last decade.
She achieved all this while nurturing a growing family. The “Va Va Voom” crooner announced her temporary retirement following the release of “The Angry Birds Movie 2.”
Via her tweet, the singer stated she was retiring to have her family. True to her words, she tied the knot with childhood sweetheart Kenneth Petty in October 2019 and welcomed their son a year later.
Since her marriage, Minaj has been entangled in several controversies and legal feuds. This is due to her husband’s involvement in a legal case that has prevailed for decades.
Notwithstanding continues to hold her head high, in hope and confidence. The lovebirds enjoy a relatively peaceful existence in their cozy Los Angeles abode, along with their son, whose real name remains unknown to the public.