By Krys Copeland

When "XXX" came out in 2002, it grossed a robust $141M domestically and starred Vin Diesel. After the success of "The Fast and the Furious" and "XXX", Diesel was supposed to star in the sequel, but it seems the producers are taking the franchise of "XXX" in a different direction this time around with an entirely different cast, save Samuel Jackson as NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons, who once again finds himself in need of an outsider. In this sequel, former rap artist and current movie producer/director, Ice Cube, fits the bill. He plays Darius Stone, a former Navy Seal who must track a dangerous military splinter group that is conspiring to overthrow the U.S. Government. Currently shooting the sequel on the outskirts of Maryland, Cube spoke with blackfilm.com and shares his thoughts on the movie, his success as an actor/producer/director, and the current state of Black films overall.

THIS IS THE FIRST MAJOR ACTION ROLE FOR YOU, RIGHT?

Cube: Yeah. Throughout my career I dabbled a little with smaller action roles in Anaconda, Three Kings, Torque, and Ghost of Mars, but this is the first major part for me in a big-budget action flick. It's a big opportunity for me, so I'm definitely coming through, trying to hit a home run with it.

HOW WAS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ROLES YOU'VE PLAYED?

Cube: They weren't as heavy on the action as this movie is, but it was still a lot of physical work. So I train and try to get myself in shape, you know, dealing with the stunt guys, trying to figure out what the dude can and can't do, and making sure that I can do all the things that this character is supposed to be able to do.

HOW IS THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE GOING?

Cube: We've been shooting since July. Everything is going pretty good for the most part.

WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER LIKE?

Cube: Darius Stone is pretty much one of those Seal-type training dudes, a Black Ops kinda cat. He's definitely all business.

DID YOU SEE THE ORIGINAL MOVIE?

Cube: Yeah, it was pretty good.

HOW IS YOUR CHARACTER DIFFERENT FROM VIN DIESEL IN THE ORIGINAL FILM?

Cube: In the first movie, Vin Diesel was the x-games type of dude, you know, extreme sports. The agency threatened to send him to jail if he didn't go to work for them. In the sequel, I play a guy who used to be in Samuel's unit, who is already locked up in a military jail for disobeying orders from the General.

DID YOU DO ANYTHING SPECIAL TO PREPARE FOR THIS ROLE?

Cube: Not really. Just learn what kind of military dude that he was; what his specialties were, you know. They don't really let you do the crazy stunts, cause the insurance won't allow it, the studios either. They make you use the stunt dude, so you never really end up doing anything too crazy or over the top.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THIS MOVIE?

Cube: Revolutions Studios is one of the movie's backers. I have a deal over there with my company, CubeVision, where I did this movie with Nia Long that's coming out early next year. Neal Moritz, the producer of XXX, also produced the movie Torque so the relationship was already there. When Vin Diesel fell out of the role and they were looking for the next guy, I was kinda like right in their own back yard. So they asked me to do the film.

HOW DOES PRODUCTION ON THIS MOVIE COMPARE TO OTHERS YOU HAVE FILMED IN THE PAST?

Cube: It's cool, cause you don't really get a chance to see a lot of Black people on a movie that's $114 million dollars to make. We're at the front, you know what I mean. It's the biggest budget I ever been around.

WHAT IS IT LIKE WORKING WITH SAMUEL JACKSON?

Cube: It's been great. You know Sam is one of the best Black actors out there. Without him in the movie, I don't know if I would have done it. Cause otherwise it wouldn't really bring you from the first movie to the second. He's like the hinge, you know, to make the story understandable. Even if you're expecting Vin in this movie, the way it breaks down you understand how it is that they have to use a new XXX. It's not really one guy, but it's more the agency getting the guys that they need, to do what they want. So no matter who they have doing the job, while that dude is working for them, he's XXX. It's on that tip. And just working with a good actor like Sam, you learn a lot just about the craft, and about filming in general.

YOUR LOVE INTEREST IN THE MOVIE IS NONA GAYE, RIGHT? WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH MARVIN GAYE'S DAUGHTER?

Cube: She's fine, you know, doing her thang. And she's a real cool person. I actually shot a video with her a long time ago. I directed the video she did with Prince back in '94 or something like that. So I already knew her, but getting a chance to do a movie with her was cool. We don't get too steamy, but we get close, you know. (Cube starts to laugh.)

DID YOU HAVE A HAND IN SELECTING THE CAST OR WAS IT COINCIDENCE THAT NONA WAS PICKED FOR THIS MOVIE?

Cube: It was just coincidence, casting really. She was the best girl for the part. Xzibit is also in the movie. He has a small role in it, and he's doing a real good job. So I'm working with a few people that I know.

HOW HARD WAS IT TO MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM ACTOR TO PRODUCER, THEN TO DIRECTOR?

Cube: I'm glad I'm even in that position, because I'm a guy who, if I'm gonna be a part of something, I want to be involved from start to finish. I don't want to be a hired actor who just comes in, does their part, then leaves. I've done a few movies like that, and they never work as much as the ones where I'm in there from day one, knowing everything. You get much more of a well-rounded perspective when you've sat in the director's chair before or you've sat in the producer's chair. You know everything that's going on and not just what you're shooting, not just a scene. So it just made me a better actor, you know.

WITH THE SUCCESS OF BARBERSHOP AND BARBERSHOP 2, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PROLIFERATION OF SIMILAR MOVIES?

Cube: I can't take credit for starting the trend, you know. We started doing our movies off of what brothers were doing in the 70s. Really, the style for [the movie] Friday came directly from the Sidney Poitier/Bill Cosby movies like "Uptown Saturday Night" and "Let's Do It Again." The ideas came from an era that I grew up in which produced movies like "Car Wash" and a few others. So I can't really take credit for this, because there were talented filmmakers before me like Spike Lee who produced some popular ensemble pieces. And to see people following some of the trends we put out there, man, I'm not taking credit for that. That's just how it's supposed to go.

DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE A PIONEER IN CERTAIN RESPECTS?

Cube: Hopefully we do inspire a whole bunch of Black people to start writing, and acting, and getting familiar with the camera, so they'll feel like "if he can do it, maybe I can too." This is always a good thing.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE STATE OF BLACK FILMS TODAY - QUANTITY vs. QUALITY?

Cube: The quantity is definitely on the rise, kinda like where it's always been. If you think about the quality, there have always been good Black movies... and bad Black movies. But you can't really complain a lot, cause there have always been good White movies... and bad White movies. That's just the industry. I don't think that we're ever gonna get to a place where all the Black movies are gonna be on a certain level, and we don't have to look back at the ones put together on a shoestring. But I just think that's the nature of film. Everybody gotta start from somewhere, so I can't really diss those low-budget movies, cause I think they also play a part.

YOU HAD SUCH SUCCESS WITH "FRIDAY," DO YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF WORKING WITH CHRIS TUCKER AGAIN?

Cube: I hope so, I hope so. He's a hell of a talent. I just want to work with good people, so if he's in the mix, I'll definitely be there.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT FANS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOVIE?

Cube: You know this movie is definitely tailor-made for me. I think all the people who are into action flicks and seeing it in kind of a different way, should definitely check out the movie. Though this is not considered a so-called Black film, just support Black films. That's really all I have to say.