“I couldn’t relate to the guy”: Why Method Man rejected ‘Girls Trip’ role
Method Man has been acting for over 20 years and has starred in some of the most iconic movies. Whether it’s the hilarious Train Wreck with Amy Schumer or the more serious Shaft with Samuel L Jackson, he has undoubtedly reached extraordinary heights in Hollywood.
The Wu-Tang Clan legend has even appeared in Starz’s Power Book series as Davis MacLean. However, over the years, the performer has had to reject and turn down some roles for the sake of his career.
In 2017, Method Man was approached to feature in the highly successful comedy film Girl’s Trip. The smash movie starred Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, and Tiffany Haddish in her breakout role. However, despite the powerful lineup, the Tical creator hesitated to appear in the film after reading the script.
Girls Trip was about four friends who roll out to New Orleans for the Essence Festival and end up having the trip of their lives. With themes of sex, romance, and some heartbreak, the film was definitely aimed at a female audience, but this isn’t why Method Man didn’t want to take up the role offered to him.
The Blackout rhymer knew the film would be wildly successful and that, if he wanted, he could star alongside males such as Larenz Tate, Mike Colter, and Kofi Siriboe as one of the movie’s love interests. However, he has since revealed that the script completely threw him off and left him feeling uncertain.
Furthermore, the lyricist knew that he would have reunited with his Shaft co-star, Regina Hall, and even been lucky enough to appear in a sequel. Still, it didn’t work for him, and during an appearance on Jemele Hil’s Unbothered podcast, he explained why he ultimately rejected the role.
Revealing he was given the part of Stewart in the movie, Method Man told Hill, “I was supposed to be that a-hole guy that Michael Colter played! So when I read the script, I was like I feel like I’ve gotta take a shower. It was like I couldn’t relate to the guy. I like characters I feel like I can hang out with … But this dude was like ugh. I didn’t like him. I’m sorry. I just didn’t like him.”
As an accomplished actor, Method Man knew that he didn’t need to accept every role offered to him and most likely felt that he had already explored the world of comedy. Having featured in films such as How High, The Wackness and The Sitter starring Jonah Hill, it was most definitely unnecessary for the rapper to feature in yet another comedy.
Although Method Man hose to turn down the role of Stewart, the film still managed to make over $140million and was a smash at the box office. Following the offer, Method Man went on to take up more serious roles, such as the shady lawyer Davis MacLean in Power Book and Leroy in the 2020 Western drama Concrete Cowboys.