<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $8,880,045 </Td> </Tr> <P> Cadillac Records is a 2008 biographical musical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin . The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago - based record - company executive Leonard Chess, and a few of the musicians who recorded for Chess Records . </P> <P> The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf, and Beyoncé as Etta James . The film was released in North America on December 5, 2008 by TriStar Pictures . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs an improved plot summary . (October 2015) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who did beyonce play in the movie cadillac records