Fast Five Set VisitAn Interview with Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges
by Wilson Morales
March 2, 2011
Last September, Universal Pictures invited Blackfilm.com and a handful of journalists to Atlanta to visit the cast of the upcoming film, ‘Fast Five,’ as they were shooting their final scenes.
While the finished product will no doubt look great, the filming process is a grueling experience if one hasn’t been on a set visit. It’s not glamourous as everybody is quiet and ready to things accomplished. While it’s great to talk to the actors as they come back for this fifth installment of the franchise, we also have to be patient and watch them film take after take in a warehouse. On this particular day, we watched one scene be shot over five times, but it’s a good feeling to see the actors work hard to make sure the scene is right.
In one of the few scenes that will hopefully make the film, a bulk of the cast (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, and Sung Kang) are together going over a plan that will make them prevail in whatever heist setup they have going.
During several breaks, some of the cast member would ride around the set with scooters that were given to them by Vin Diesel, who also serves as a producer on the film. One by one, the unit publicist would come over with an actor that could share some information on the film and their role in the film.
Opening on April 22, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of returning all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed in ‘Fast Five.’ In this installment, former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law, with Dwayne Johnson joining the cast as the cop that chasing them.
Having appeared in the second film, ‘2 Fast 2 Furious,’ which was directed by John Singleton, Ludacris returns to reprise his role as Tej Parker, an ex-street racer, a race host and a friend of Brian’s. He arranges high stakes street racing events in which Brian often races and wins.
In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Ludacris talks about his role and coming back to the franchise that started his acting career.
How does it feel to come back to the story and continue this series of events people have been following all these years?
Ludacris: It’s great. It is a franchise and to see all the cast members come together from each installment, it’s like an all-star cast. It’s going to be good, really good.
What’s going to be different with your character this time?
Ludacris: In ‘2 Fast 2 Furious,’ my character was all about the money, but this time you’ll notice I have some more special things going on. I can’t give the details, but I have some other special skills added on to me just being a natural hustler. In ‘2 Fast,’ that’s pretty much all I cared about, was betting on races, hustling and flipping money. It was all about the cash.
Are you doing any action shots in this one?
Ludacris: Nope. Basically I’m just the hustler. The action stuff is to come in another movie soon. I’m going to get it all in to make up for all the action I missed in other movies.
Will you be on the soundtrack?
Ludacris: I’m trying to work that out now but nothing is confirmed so I don’t want to give you any false information. That’s something that’s in the works, that’s not a yes or no. We shall see.
Can you tell us why you left Miami in the movie?
Ludacris: I don’t know how much we can tell about this, but everyone is meeting up from a different location than where we originally were for a big heist.
How much of your personality do you bring to your character?
Ludacris: When I did ‘2 Fast,’ that character was not a stretch. It was a great first role for me because there were parts of my personality in the character, some not. Bringing that character into ‘Fast Five’ is a mixture of who I am and me just trying to get a little something new.
What did doing this mean to your career when you first did this, and what does it mean now?
Ludacris: That’s a good question. When I did it at that point it was totally new to me. I knew that I was excited about it, didn’t know how well I would do. I was really focused, but seeing the outcome I was really happy and interested in continuing after ‘2 Fast’ because I loved the whole process of acting, started getting the buzz. In retrospect I’m just glad I did that, and continuing to take the craft seriously. I’m just glad to be back.
From ‘2 Fast’ to now do you feel like you’ve stepped it up?
Ludacris: I definitely feel like I stepped it up, humbly speaking. A lot of it has to do with experience and just learning and doing it over and over again, learning all aspects around you, owning and perfecting the craft. I feel like there’s always room for improvement. I will never feel like I’m where I want to be, so I continue to strive for perfection.
Can you talk about some of your upcoming projects?
Ludacris: Same thing with the question about the music, that’s something I can’t really talk about right now. If it was said and done I would, but there’s nothing I can really talk about.
Is there a particular type of role you’re interested in?
Ludacris: When it comes to stuff like that it’s almost like coming to the mall, I don’t know what I’m looking for until I see it. I couldn’t sit here and tell you exactly what I want to do, but I just think there are some great things coming in the future. I’m still juggling a lot of things right now, so just imagine the day when I shift 100% focused towards acting. Everything I’ve done over the past 7-years has been juggling a million things at one time. Don’t quote me on that, because a lot of people like to say “he’s retiring from music,” just don’t put that on. One day there’ll come a time, but not any time soon.
Has singing helped your acting, or has acting helped your singing?
Ludacris: Yeah. When we shoot videos it’s almost a form of acting. We’re acting out our own emotions, our own words. I would say both of them have helped each other out. Even when I did the album “Theater of the Mind” that was after I had done two or three movies and in both aspects it’s helped me out.
Any thoughts of stepping behind the camera for producing or directing someday?
Ludacris: Absolutely, that goes with all the other questions that I can’t confirm, but yeah, in the process.
Any interesting stories from the set so far?
Ludacris: I really just started shooting my scenes, so nothing I can talk about yet. This is my third scene, so far it’s been pretty sick. We are having a hell of a lot of fun. Crackin’ jokes, going into each other’s trailers, listening music with each other. Going to Straights, my restaurant, eating food. We’re all supportive of one-another, personally and professionally. Everybody’s leaving their egos at the door. Vin Diesel just bought us one of those electric scooters as a gesture to say he loved the cast.
Is street racing something you’ve always been into?
Ludacris: Yeah, it’s definitely something I’ve been into, like going to Daytona and the Indianapolis 500. Just racing, period, either just me on some street stuff or just as a sport I’ve always loved racing. I understand why this culture is so big, and I’m glad to be a part of it. My favorite car… I’ve tested a bunch of different cars, but the fastest is definitely the Bugatti. That’s the fastest thing on the streets right now.
Can you talk a little bit about your time management. You’re doing concerts, you’re doing movies. How do you prioritize you’re career?
Ludacris: That’s a good question. I ask myself that every day. Man, the Lord allows me to space everything out. If I’m on a movie set then I’m pretty much focused on what I’m doing at the time. Maybe at lunch time I’ll get on the phone and make calls and do other business, but as soon as we’re back on set… it’s not about mixing everything, it’s about making sure you give enough time to each thing, what’s needed. It’s good to be juggling a lot, but things have got to be done.
Is there going to be a musical collaboration between you and Tyrese after this?
Ludacris: That is also something that is being discussed. I hate to give that answer, but I don’t want to sit here and say it’s going to happen, then something political happens and it doesn’t happen. I don’t want to give you the wrong information. I have to give that answer. He’s literally just talking about how we can make that happen behind the scenes.
When you started this did you think this was going to be a franchise that just kept going?
Ludacris: I did. I was on the second one, and I know damn well they’re not gonna stop at two if this is this popular. I absolutely knew. Pretty soon it’s gonna have as many damn sequels as Jason the way it’s going. Jason’s got 13 damn sequels. If they keep making money they’re going to keep doing them.
Who brought the both of you back from the second one?
Ludacris: That was the producers, and Vin; it was collaborative. It was just me and Tyrese came from the second one. If you understand the storyline you’ll know why we came back.
What’s next?
Ludacris: Another album, ‘Ludaversal,’ and we’re only in about a 4th of the United States but by the end of the year we hope to be in 75% of the market.
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