Tupac Shakur had it all. Not only was he potentially the greatest rapper to have ever lived, but he was also an activist, an intellectual, and before his death, he looked destined to take over Hollywood.
Acting and music went hand in hand for Pac. He got his first taste for film in a small cameo as himself in the 1991 film, Nothing But Trouble, and when he was just 21, he starred in Juice. The shift from rapping to the screen is a hurdle that most fail to clear, but Pac made the transition look effortless.
He was almost even cast in Menace II Society. However, an altercation on set with director Alan Hughes over the script prevented Pac from getting the role. His most prominent on-screen turn came as Birdie, in the lead role of Above The Rim, and Shakur’s talent was evident for all to see.
In one of his final interviews, Pac talked about his future acting ambitions and his grand plans to take over Hollywood. Heartbreakingly, his comments were made just weeks before his death on-set for Gang Related.
“I can’t explain why I shine and no one else shines. I think everybody shines in different things, and a lot of things I can’t do. I can’t play basketball like every other black person in America. I can act,” Pac said. “I know how to go to that true spot in myself, because I go there everyday. I can be me. I can be whoever because I’m true to me. I can go to neutral easily.”
Pac then elaborated on his unique skillset, adding, “A lot of people, black, white, Mexican, young, old, fat or skinny, have a problem being true to their self. They have a problem looking into the mirror and looking directly into their own soul. The reason I sell six million records, the reason I can go to jail and come out without a scratch, the reason I can walk around, the reason I am who I am today, is because I can look directly into my face and find my soul.
“It’s right there. It’s not sold. I didn’t sell it. It’s still within me. I still feel it. My heart is still connected to my body, so any character, I’m going to bring that intensity, that truth, that honesty to it, because I have to repay for that blessing.”
Although he was only 25 when he died, Shakur had already made it to the top rung of the musical ladder. However, he still felt like he needed to prove himself at acting, and Pac had a burning desire to be the best in both fields.
Later on in the interview, Pac made his future ambitions crystal clear. He added, “I could be the best actor anybody’s ever seen, given the chance, the opportunity and the experience and the lessons from people. I could be the best, but right now, I don’t even wish to be the best, I just want to be one of them.”
If it wasn’t for his devastating death, Pac could have achieved anything he set his mind to. He had a resilient attitude and a rare ability to dig into the human psyche in whatever artform he chose to pursue. Nothing was off-limits, and he had all the makings of a future Academy Award winner.
