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The Friday film series has helped comics like Mike Epps and Katt Williams become certified celebs. And of course, the original film took Chris Tucker from struggling comedian to one of the most in-demand comedic actors of the mid-90s.
Taking on the role of Smokey, Tucker was a fan favorite but never appeared in the movie’s other installments, Next Friday and Friday After Next. While his character indeed would have still been a hit, now we know why Tucker has refused to return – as well as the big bag Ice Cube and company were prepared to pay for his time.
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“We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday but he turned us down for religious reasons.” Ice Cube tweeted on Wednesday (Dec. 29). “He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore.”
Cube’s offer is a far cry from Tucker’s check from the original film. According to Tucker, he only earned $10,000 for the role that made him a star.
In the past, Tucker has spoken about his breakout role and the decision he faced when considering reprising the weed-loving character.
“Back then, I gotta tell you, one of the reasons why I didn’t do the second one is because of the weed,” Tucker said in a past interview. “Because I said, ‘Man, that movie became a phenomenon. I don’t want everybody smokin’ weed.’ I never really told people this because I kinda forgot about it, but it was one of the reasons why I didn’t do it. Because I said, ‘I don’t want to represent everyone smokin’ weed.’ I kinda made it more personal than a movie, and that’s one of the reasons I said, ‘Nah, I don’t want to keep doing that character.’”
Guess How Much Ice Cube Offered Chris Tucker for ‘Friday’ Sequel was originally published on theboxhouston.com
