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1 Day
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TORQUE...
Ice Cube Talks to
blackfilm.com
By Alberlynne
“Abby” Harris
Of all the rappers who are in the film business
from LL Cool J to Queen Latifah, no one has been more
successful than Ice Cube. When he first appeared in “Boyz
‘N The Hood” back in ’91, you could
tell he would be this “game” for a good minute.
When the time was right, he started to produce films and
the dividends were enormous. The first "Friday" film made
enough money to make a sequel, and that film made more
money for a third. At the same time, Ice Cube starred
and was featured in other films such as "The Players
Club", "Higher Learning", and "Three
Kings". Two years ago, Ice Cube
starred in the financially successful
"Barbershop", in which
a sequel is forthcoming. In the meantime, he’s ready
to give us some more flavor with the action-packed film,
Torque. In this film, Ice Cube plays Trey Wallace, a biker
who seeks vengeance on the man who supposedly killed his
brother. In an interview with blackfilm.com, Ice Cube
speaks about working on this film and what films we expect
to see him in next.
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| AH: |
Was
this a deliberate choice to get away from doing the comedy
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| IC: |
In
a way, yeah. You kind of wait for something like this
to come along. We waited. We always try to figure out
what’s next and which way for us to go. I have been
trying to get me an international audience for a long
time. These kinds of movies are a way it can be done.
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| AH: |
You
do a lot of snarling in this movie, did you have to practice
that?
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| IC: |
That
comes naturally. [He provides a demonstration].
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| AH: |
Did
you have to prepare for the stunts or did you have a stunt
double?
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| IC: |
We
had a few. We had professionals for different things.
Some people could do wheelies really well, and others
could do stunts like fall off of the bikes. It was a lot
of different people involved. We did about four weeks
of training. It was cool and it made us better riders.
We had the best people out there teaching us the tricks
of the trade.
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| AH: |
Did
you ride bikes before this movie?
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| IC: |
A
little bit, but not as much as this.
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| AH: |
Are
you a fan of bikes, generally?
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| IC: |
Yeah.
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| AH: |
Have
you been riding since?
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| IC: |
Yeah!
Now I ride a Kawasaki 750. I tear up the neighborhood.
But I don’t get too crazy, because I still have
a lot to live for.
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| AH: |
When
you started in the rap game, did you always envision that
acting, film and production would become a part of your
master plan?
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| IC: |
The
master plan comes after you learn the business. What I
did was, tried to seize my opportunities. I tried to see
what was out there for me. My pops always told me that
the world is full of opportunity. You either take them
or deny them. So I always kept that in mind when I saw
opportunities to write the video instead of hiring someone
to write it; see what the camera guy was doing. All these
opportunities are around all these artists and they need
to take advantage or they can just hang out in their trailer.
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| AH: |
This
is your first time working with Warner Bros. What is that
like?
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| IC: |
I think
that Warner Bros. is really starting to feel me. They
really have a couple of good things lined up for me.
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| AH: |
Was
it your idea to say “F. .K da police” or was
that already in the script?
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| IC: |
Now,
actually, it was Joseph Kahn’s idea. He said he
was a fan, that’s why he wanted me. He asked me
if I had used it in a movie before. He said, “I
want to be the first one!”
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| AH: |
In making
that transition from being a rapper to acting did it require
any formal training?
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| IC: |
Some
of it came pretty natural. I think I went to a class once.
John Singleton told me to go meet with this acting coach.
I said I would go, but if it felt corny I was not going
to stay. I went and it did not feel right. So I complained
to Larry Fishburne. He told me that “the best acting
is not acting, do your thing.” So from then on I
took my own cues and tried to study the best people.
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| AH: |
How
do you feel you have developed as an actor?
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| IC: |
I’m
getting better. I am more comfortable with the process.
It still takes a long time to get truly comfortable with
acting. You feel a lot of insecurities when you act. You
cannot really force this whole business. You have to pick
your spots. I want to get a reputation of being in good
movies; movies that are not a waste of your time or money.
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| AH: |
Do you
like playing the role of a villain or do you prefer the
good guy?
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| IC: |
I like
them both. Which ever I choose to do I try to put my all
into it to make it believable. I try to keep my personal
feelings out of the way.
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| AH: |
There
are many rappers turned actors. Have you considered going
the sitcom route?
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| IC: |
No.
Being in the movies is the biggest arena to me. I might
do television way down the line, but for now films is
where I want to be. It’s where they all want to
be.
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| AH: |
Have
you considered writing or developing a sitcom?
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| IC: |
I could
see my company maybe developing one. But as for me being
in one or doing one, I don’t really see it.
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| AH: |
Is there
any particular actor that you like to study over and over
again?
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| IC: |
You
have to watch movies like The Godfather. Those are great
performances. It’s an ensemble. Whenever you can
catch an ensemble like that, you have to watch it over
and over. I am into great acting, great directing. Even
a movie like Jaws, you are so caught up with the shark!
Movies like that are just magical.
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| AH: |
Have
you always been a comedian?
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| IC: |
Well,
we have always had a sense of humor. In my household,
my neighborhood, people I am around. I am usually cool
with funny people. My comedy is a little dark, but to
me that is the best kind.
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| AH: |
Is there
a particular actor or director that you are interested
in working with in the future?
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| IC: |
I would
love to work with Scorsese or Robert Dinero, Al Pacino,
Denzel. Those are some of the great people that I’d
like to work with.
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| AH: |
Are
there any particular characters or story ideas you’d
like to develop?
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| IC: |
Not
yet. There are a lot of things I want to do in the industry.
I still want to play a major bad guy that the audience
can sympathize with. A guy that you are not supposed to
root for, but that you love. That would be a dream come
true.
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| AH: |
Can
you talk about doing the sequel to Barbershop?
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| IC: |
We got
all of the players back. Everyone that was in the first
film agreed to do the second one. That is one of the key
ingredients to making a great sequel. We had an experienced
director in Kevin. He did “How Stella Got her Groove
Back” and “The Soul of the Game”. I
knew we would have movie that had a little more structure
with little better camera movement. Plus the script and
storyline are a little more interesting. You are definitely
back in the barbershop. You have to ask yourself a lot
of questions. Do we leave the neighborhood the same or
do we kick everybody out and put in something new? These
are things that the first movie really could not get to.
Know you know who the people are and you can move forward.
Plus, you add in Latifa and there you go. That’s
the cherry on top.
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| AH: |
Can
you talk a little about "XXX" 2 as well?
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| IC: |
Just
starting to work out and starting to change the diet.
We are just hashing things out. I want it to fit like
a glove. I do not want a cookie cutter Hollywood movie.
Even though we are doing things big, I want it to be smart.
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| AH: |
Have
you talked to Vin Diesel about the role?
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| IC: |
No.
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| AH: |
Is there
anything, as an actor, that you will not do?
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| IC: |
There
are a lot of things in this industry that I will not do.
But I will keep those to myself.
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| AH: |
Is a
clothing line in your future?
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| IC: |
That
could be in the future, but not in the near future. I
do not believe that you should do everything just because
you can. You should do it because you can do it better
than everybody else.
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| AH: |
Are
there any cautions you’d like to extend to the young
viewers of this movie?
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| IC: |
The
thing about this movie that I think is cool is that it
is over the top. I hope nobody tries to jump on an Amtrak
with their motorcycle. We were way over the top for a
reason. We gave a motorcycle rider’s dream. Just
ride with us in the movie and obey the laws on the road!
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| AH: |
What
advice would you give to other rappers that are seeking
to turn actor?
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| IC: |
Be careful of the kind
of movies you agree to do. Just because someone wants to
put you in a movie, does not mean it is the role for you
or that its going to take your career to another level.
I was extremely lucky. It was my first movie and it was
a great movie all around. No matter what actor was in it,
it was a great movie. It touched people and it gave me credibility
in Hollywood. It was a nice launching pad. If I had not
had that, I think it would have been a longer and harder
road to get to where I am now. |
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