When Queen Latifah stepped into the role of Cleo in Set It Off, Hollywood wasn’t prepared for what followed. At a time when action and heist films were overwhelmingly dominated by male leads, her performance didn’t just challenge expectations—it shattered them. According to Vivica A. Fox, who starred alongside her as Frankie, there was a specific moment on set that made it clear something groundbreaking was happening.
Fox recalls a scene where Latifah, fully immersed in Cleo’s mindset, stormed into the room and hurled a heavy duffel bag of stolen cash onto the table. It wasn’t just a scripted action—it was a statement. The force behind that movement, the physical authority she projected, immediately shifted the energy in the room. In a genre where dominance had long been coded as masculine, Latifah redefined what power could look like on screen.
Cleo wasn’t written as a softened or traditionally “likable” character. She was loud, fearless, unapologetic, and deeply loyal. What made Latifah’s portrayal so impactful was her refusal to dilute any of those traits. Instead of conforming to Hollywood’s expectations of how women—especially Black women—should behave on screen, she leaned fully into Cleo’s complexity. She allowed the character to be rough, vulnerable, protective, and volatile all at once.
For Fox, watching this unfold was more than just witnessing a strong performance. It was a moment of cultural pride. She has often spoken about how Latifah humanized a character who could have easily been reduced to a stereotype. Cleo was not just comic relief or background muscle—she was central to the story’s emotional and narrative weight. Through her performance, audiences were forced to see a Black woman occupying space in a way that was rarely allowed at the time: powerful, flawed, and undeniably real.
The success of Set It Off, which went on to earn around $41 million at the box office, proved that audiences were ready for this shift—even if the industry wasn’t. The film gave visibility to stories about Black women navigating systemic struggles, friendship, and survival, all within the high-stakes framework of a heist thriller. Latifah’s Cleo became one of the most memorable elements of that story, not because she followed the rules, but because she broke them.
What makes her performance endure is the sense of authenticity. Nothing about Cleo feels manufactured. The swagger, the loyalty, the anger—it all feels lived-in. That’s what gives the character her lasting power. She doesn’t just exist within the film; she commands it.
In retrospect, it’s clear why Fox describes the performance as a “masterclass.” Latifah didn’t just open doors—she kicked them down, creating space for future generations of actresses to explore roles that were once considered off-limits. Her portrayal of Cleo stands as a defining moment in cinema, one that reimagined what women in action films could be and ensured that their stories would no longer be sidelined.