Revisiting The Significance Of Trish O’ Day In ‘Romeo Must Die,’ Nearly Twenty-Six Years Later

Romeo Must Die film poster. 

Romeo Must Die finds an authentic, modern-day Juliet Capulet in Trish O’Day. She’s a cherished figure in the community, often smiling and laughing, especially around the neighborhood children— joy is at the top of her hierarchy. Her vibrant, colorful Serpentine Fire boutique features women coworkers and seems a positive base for the frequent youth. They call her name with singsong cheerfulness, implying a valuable reciprocated kindness. This protective healing ground is a carefully built strategy for her, a positive luxury stemming from rising above her past environment, a turmoil that she seeks to escape. While some would reap the benefits of nepotism and allow the privileged lifestyle to inflate their egos, Trish embodies “being the change you want to see in the world” philosophy. An individual can be raised rich and affluent, but knowing the whys and how’s of being rich and affluent can push a humble spirit into setting themselves apart, building a foundation on healthier terms. 

Trish (Aaliyah) choreographing a dance with her coworker Lori (Fatima Robinson—Aaliyah’s primary real-life choreographer and friend) and the kids.

Serpentine Fire Crew: Trish and Lori. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish’s father Isaak O’Day seems too polite to be in gang affiliation while his associate Mac has an oily ruthlessness that shines bright. Mac does not employ loyalist qualities and Isaak’s heavy reliance on him is not a good look for someone who has been in gang-related business a long time. Also, what happened to Trish and Colin’s mother— death at the hands of a vengeful foe or a clandestine departure? Trish’s situation bears similarities to the problematic Disney Princess trope as most of those girls grow up motherless and dealing with either overprotective or centered masculine characters. Again, Isaak acts like a gentle papa bear and wouldn’t be a Titan figure setting off to blow up Trish’s most treasured boutique. Though a barbershop does explode among other events for the small owners who refuse to sign over their deeds. 

When breaking down the name Serpentine Fire, serpentine meaning snake-like and fire as burning flames, a phoenix comes to mind, a powerful bird that rises from the ashes. Trish has that mentality of being reborn, reshaping herself by creating a close-knit workplace. Although there are not many scenes in the shop, it comes up in as also being used by Trish’s brother Colin, his preference to hide behind his sister’s good deeds. She isn’t dumb, however— keenly aware what game he’s playing and telling him not to bring that mess. 

In order to escape her newly assigned bodyguard, Trish hops into the cab of Han Sing (Jet Li). DP: Glen MacPherson.

Despite stranger danger, Trish doesn’t mind being in Han Sing’s stolen cab or Han later entering her apartment without the chivalry of knocking. It is Darius grabbing Nina’s address off the check in the record store in Love Jones or Jason following Lyric’s bus to her door in Jason’s Lyric— red flags bow tied as romance. Except in Trish and Han’s case, they behave as strictly platonic friends that save each other throughout the film. 

Colin (DB Woodside) obviously would come to a bad end. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish blames her father Isaak (Delroy Lindo) for Colin’s bad choices. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Now Colin O’Day shares a single apiece with Trish and Isaak. The reactions to his fate seem grossly unearned, especially in juxtaposition with Han’s storyline. We’re not given much to prove Colin, Trish, and Isaak as a connective family, as loving and supportive of each other in light of lacking a maternal figure (Han has this as well). Trish is defensive with Colin and rightfully so as he constantly weaponizes Serpentine Fire. If the brother truly loved his sister, he would have found a better place to conduct whatever his mysterious plans were. Meanwhile, Colin informs Isaak about wanting to be his own man, his own boss, to step out of the O’Day shadows. Later, we learn that both Trish and Colin were college educated. Why didn’t Colin want to be on a straight and narrow path like Trish? Had Isaak unintentionally enticed Colin into gang related warfare? Furthermore, Isaak planned to finally leave that life and own a sports team, leave behind a legacy for Colin to run. Isaak waiting until his children are full grown adults to be legit though? That’s wild. It is ninth-world  wonder Colin and Trish survived as long as they did. 

Trish’s pretty apartment is painted in lighter shades of purplish pink with gold accents. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish’s sweet, sentimental embellishments in her childhood bedroom tell a story of innocent girlhood. DP: Glen MacPherson.

A wide awake Trish lays next to her stuffed animals. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish’s vulnerable moments are reserved with Han who shares commonalities. Han’s backstory is almost perfectly constructed (except again, no mother). The disgraced former cop escaped a Chinese prison and manages to find his family in America. His only mission is to figure out who killed his little brother, no indication if he is interested in law enforcement. When Han finds out that his last phone call was Serpentine Fire, Han requests Trish’s help. 

What joy looks like— big grins and ice cream cones. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish sharing a story about a prank gone wrong. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish mimics Han— entering his apartment (technically his deceased brother’s home)— without knocking. During this poignant scene, Trish gives a moving monologue, a small glimpse into her childhood, confessing that she fully understands her mother’s reaction to a heinous prank. With cartoons and video games promoting violence as everyday hijinks, naturally giving kids grand ideas, Trish and Colin’s mother probably easily believed this horrible joke because she witnessed the realities that her family faced firsthand. 

Han uses Trish to help fight an assassin. DP: Glen MacPherson.

The moves are playfully referenced in Aaliyah’s award-winning Try Again music video. 

Romeo Must Die’s all male production team— from the direction by Polish director Andrzej Bartkowiak to three writers Mitchell Kapner, Eric Bernt, and John Jarrell, and to cinematographer Glen MacPherson— could have made a film along the lines of Foxy Brown type blaxplotation to Proud Mary and other films that mirror it. Ironically enough, men shepherded Aaliyah’s whole musical career including her own uncle. Trish existed in the man’s world that James Brown sang about— a character made for Aaliyah to play. However, having no mother figure, Trish is shielded from being stripped of her agency, balancing between an outgoing, free-spirited nurturer to strong and firm in her values, her enigmatic quality lending itself to Aaliyah’s charismatic portrayal. The strongest range of depth was Trish’s sensitive emotional state, her grieving both a brother and mother through a distinctive core memory, a promising indication that acting could have been Aaliyah’s next step achievement. 

“What I like about Trish is that she's tough. She's independent,” Aaliyah says. “She doesn't take anything off anybody. But at the same time, she loves her family. She's got a sweet side. So I felt I could play her, and people could get into her. It would be realistic to people, being that people know me as Aaliyah, the artist -- there is this image that I have. I wanted to make the right transition and have people understand where I was going, and I felt Trish embodied all of that.”

Aaliyah’s magical chemistry with Jet Li also makes for a wonderful watch. The deep connective friendship between them created a believable strength onscreen. That familiar Romeo and Juliet formula—two different worlds meeting and colliding— works here. Unfortunately, mute-worthy, badly cast Anthony Anderson ruins things a bit. With plentiful peppered in laughter and light-hearted moments, the goofy, incompetent moronic bodyguard wasn’t needed, especially by an actor whose exploits will never age well and almost tarnishes the film’s legacy. Isaak would have selected a more capable, stern figure to protect his daughter. Delroy Lindo, one of the finest, most underrated thespians, put on a terrific performance as a father in the late-blooming stage of doing right. DMX as Silk the shortlived nightclub owner was a bonafide scene stealer. If only they gave him more than five minutes…

Trish in her childhood bedroom. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish in her element on the dance floor. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Other highlights are the dynamite fighting sequences— Han using Trish as a creative weapon is still riveting. The killer soundtrack features Aaliyah’s four songs produced by Timbaland (music executive of the film), Joe’s Rose in a Concrete World (playing in two different scenes), and Chanté Moore’s This is a Test— the film’s other saving grace. 

Trish with the smoking gun. DP: Glen MacPherson.

Trish O’Day will go down in history as a soft-hearted woman who had her father’s fire flowing on her veins. She couldn’t deny the instinctual prowess to become a valiant leader, knowing that when it comes to survival and shielding people that you care about from harm, sometimes violence is the answer. 

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Aaliyah: Fem Film Icon Spotlight

 

Aaliyah, photographed by Joe Wright.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton. 

Every time this January date arrives, it remains hard to stop imagining what would have happened if Aaliyah were still alive, still blessing us with edgy music and sleek dancing as well as advancing in her acting career. She had an incredibly layered vocal range coated in honey tinged softness— and she held back a lot, didn’t let us hear the full capacity of her depth. Furthermore, her screen presence delivered vivacious elegance in both her own classic music videos and in the cameos she brought to her friends Lil Kim and Missy Elliott— a unique style combination blending urban aesthetics with sophisticated fashion. She was in a class all her own, often duplicated yet no one else compared.  

Aaliyah singing on Star Search. 

Born on the same day as one of her favorite singers the enigmatic Sade, Aaliyah first performed at age ten on Star Search, choosing a sweet and hearty rendition of My Funny Valentine. Her loss to her competitor became our eventual gain. She would release three albums—two of which remain on heavy rotation ever since the days of middle school when the kids were performing the One in a Million beat on the cafeteria tables. Hard to believe that that iconic song did not win a Grammy (nor any other Aaliyah effort) proving that the show doesn’t always have the best musical record. She came out with an air of mystery, eye covered by a fringe of dark hair, soft spoken and articulate, effortlessly beautiful. 

Aaliyah was that 90’s cover girl from Sophisticated Black Hair to Teen Vogue. 

On the verge of pending stardom, Aaliyah starred in only two feature-length films— Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned, both directed and written by men. Even though this almost mirrors her musical history (with the abuser producer of her debut and Timbaland who has said weird comments about her), it was always wonderful seeing her with other incredible women— Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, 702, Changing Faces, Da Brat. She was set to star in the two Matrix sequels, Honey, and Sparkle— a film produced by Whitney Houston who looked forward to working with her. If only she had been supported and cared for, Aaliyah would have remained an unstoppable force, continued to be everywhere, smiling with such an infectious grace. 

Aaliyah in the Matrix sequels (scenes were reshot with her replacement Nona Gaye), as Trish O’Day in Romeo Must Die, and Akasha in Queen of the Damned

On August 25, 2001, the world lost the commendable Aaliyah in an awful, terrible way. During that time, we had been utterly riveted by her interviews—her excitable nature, her esteemed intelligence, her sweet humor, and her supreme modesty. She desired to branch out, to explore her artistry— testing out new sounds, playing new roles— the true sentiment of an entertainer. 

And although she didn’t get to show us as much as she hoped, we are forever grateful for what we received from her. 

Memorable Aaliyah quotes:

“Keep working hard and you can get anything that you want. If God gave you the talent, you should go for it. But don't think it's going to be easy. It's hard!”

“When I'm long gone, I want to be remembered not just as an actress or singer, but as a full-on entertainer.”

“I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be aware of that and be original.”

“You have to enjoy your job; you should wake up every day and love what you do... I honestly do... From the bottom of my heart to the depths of my soul. I'm truly happy.”