- - “The Pink Panther” Director Shawn Levy Says He Will 'Never Forget' Watching Beyoncé's 'Genius' at Work (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereFebruary 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM

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Beyoncé and Shawn Levy

Andrew Schwartz/MGM/Columbia; Samir Hussein/WireImage

Director Shawn Levy got Beyoncé to join the Pink Panther cast after working together on a Disney Channel show years prior

The singer also recorded two original songs for the 2006 movie

"I'll never forget that privilege of seeing the highest level of talent at work," the director tells PEOPLE ahead of the film's 20th anniversary

Shawn Levy says it was surprisingly easy to get Beyoncé to join the Pink Panther cast thanks to a past Disney Channel connection.

Reflecting on 20 years of The Pink Panther, the 57-year-old director explains that the first time he worked with Beyoncé was in 2000, when she guest-starred on an epsiode ofThe Famous Jett Jackson that he directed.

“I hired Beyoncé to be in an episode of my Disney Channel show. It was such a smooth and fun shoot together that it made it that much easier to get the ‘Yes’ when Pink Panther came along a few years later,” Levy tells PEOPLE.

Beyoncé in 'The Pink Panther'

Andrew Schwartz/MGM/Columbia

“I went back to her, and I was able to say, ‘It's me, the guy who used to be doing Disney Channel episodes, now I'm directing Steve Martin and The Pink Panther. Want to come join Kevin Klein and several other awesome actors to be a part of this fun?'" he recalls. "It was a quick ‘Yes.'"

In the 2006 comedy, Beyoncé played international pop star Xania. Along with acting in the film, the 44-year-old also recorded two songs for the project: "Woman Like Me" and "Check On It."

Levy says he'll “never forget" going "into the recording studio with Beyoncé to record those original songs.”

Beyoncé and Steve Martin in 'The Pink Panther'

Andrew Schwartz/MGM/Columbia

“I've rarely in my life, before or since, seen someone in the sweet spot of their genius like Beyoncé in a recording studio," the Deadpool & Wolverine director says. "Watching her go into the recording booth to lay down a take, bounce back into the listening booth to listen to it, realize exactly in an instant what was needed differently — or in addition, going back into the recording booth, laying down another harmony track and coming back."

“The back and forth of Beyoncé in that recording session, seeing the depth of her instincts and genius in music, was jaw-dropping," he adds. "I'll never forget that privilege of seeing the highest level of talent at work.”

In addition to Beyoncé, Martin and Klein, The Pink Panther starred Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer and Henry Czerny, to name a few.

Levy shares that “everybody came with a respect for the legacy we were inheriting and respect for the screenplay that Steve Martin had written.”

“And a commitment to have fun and try to parlay that fun offscreen into fun onscreen for audiences," he added. "When the movie became such a big hit, it was really gratifying. We knew we would take our shots critically. You don't touch a classic like that and not run that risk. The way audiences embraced the movie and Steve in this new incarnation of Clouseau was really affirming."

The Pink Panther, which came out on Feb. 10, 2006, is available to stream on Kanopy and RokuTV.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”