In a recent appearance on the Mavericks with Mav Carter podcast, former NWA member Ice Cube unveiled that he was pushed into making next Friday, the follow-up to his iconic 1995 movie debut Friday.
Speaking about his transition into acting, script-writing and working with director John Singleton, Carter asked Cube (real name O’Shea Jackson) if he ever felt pressured or “pushed” into a project he wasn’t passionate about.
Opening up about the follow-up to his debut Friday in 1995, Jackson explained, “I was pushed into doing Next Friday. Not pushed, but I always thought, ‘We did a great movie, don’t touch it.'”
He continued, “My people was like, ‘Yo, have you thought about ever doing a part two?’ And it’s like, ‘Nah.’ [They] said, ‘You should think about it; people love the movie.’ So, I’m glad I did it, because part two led to part three, led to me meeting [comedic actors] Mike Epps and Katt Williams, Terry Crews.”
Jackson admitted that if it had been up to him, he would never have made the 2000 film, especially after hearing that his co-star Chris Tucker wanted no part of it either. Opening up about his true feelings concerning the sequel, Jackson unveiled, “But, you know, by the time I heard he didn’t wanna do it, I was invested in doing another one. We figured out the best way to keep going.”
The West Coast icon disclosed that he was eventually thankful he ended up doing the project, stating, “I’m grateful that I was pushed on that. That’s fine, too. As long as, at a certain point, you gotta take the reins and buy into it and go full force.”
Jackson has played several roles in his career since 2000 and has always looked back fondly on his various filming experiences. From Friday alongside his good friend Chris Tucker to Are We There Yet? You can watch the trailer for Friday below.
