Sheryl Lee Ralph recalls 16-Year-old Lauryn Hill’s ‘brimming’ talent on Sister Act 2 set

Sheryl Lee Ralph is looking back on the moment she met a teenage Lauryn Hill and immediately recognized her extraordinary talent.

The 69-year-old actress reflected on filming Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit with Hill during a career retrospective for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, remembering the future music icon as a confident and gifted 16-year-old performer.

Ralph, who played Florence Watson — the strict mother of Hill’s character Rita in the 1993 film — praised the young actress for her natural confidence and abilities.

“My god, to meet a 16-year-old Lauryn Hill. This was a young woman just overflowing, brimming with talent and confidence,” Ralph said.

She added that Hill’s confidence stood out even among other talented performers.

“You know, I thought I was confident. No, Lauryn Hill was confident with a capital ‘C,’” Ralph recalled.

Ralph also shared a memorable behind-the-scenes moment from the film’s production involving Hill and fellow young actress Tanya Blount.

The pair were singing the gospel classic “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” between takes, and Ralph immediately knew the performance belonged in the movie.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, this has got to be in the movie, right?’ And it ends up in the movie,” she said.

The actress also remembered Hill telling her about her future plans after rehearsal — a moment that became a fascinating prediction of what was to come.

“Miss Ralph, I’m gonna have a band, and it’s going to be called The Fugees,” Hill told her.

Ralph joked that she was unsure about the name at the time, saying she thought, “Sweetheart, I know you’re going to have a band, but that name you might want to rethink.”

Hill later proved her vision right, forming The Fugees alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. The group went on to achieve worldwide success with their Grammy-winning 1996 album The Score, featuring hits including “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and Ready or Not.

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit became a major part of Hill’s early career, starring alongside Whoopi Goldberg and introducing audiences to her powerful singing and acting abilities.

Years later, the cast continues to celebrate the film’s legacy. In 2024, Goldberg invited Ralph to return for a potential Sister Act cast reunion and discussed the possibility of her joining the long-awaited third installment.