Fast Five Set VisitAn Interview with Tyrese Gibson
by Wilson Morales
March 1, 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, Tyrese Gibson returns to reprise his role as Brian O’Conner’ ex-con pal Roman Pearce.
Here are excerpts from the interview we did with Tyrese.
Are you definitely back? You mentioned that the last time for ‘Fast and Furious’ and we didn’t see in it.
Tyrese Gibson: Yeah, I know, man, I’m definitely back. I’m here, finally. I’m happy to be back. I feel like this is my baby the way it’s theirs. Kinda crazy. It was supposed to work out for me to be back on four, but it didn’t work out, various other things. I’m happy to be back, it’s fun times.
Is this your first time shooting in Atlanta?
TG: Yeah.
Is there a friendly competition going on?
TG: Well Luda has got to step up his muscle game in general. (laughs) That’s why he’s always wearing those big t-shirts, wanna cover up what’s really going on. I think in general he should look at it like camaraderie. We’re all making this movie together, so let’s all be in the best of shape and have us show up and really do our thing.
What’s going to be the difference between Roman from the second film and this one?
TG: Well, there’s a shift in leadership, so to speak. One thing I established with my character in ‘2 Fast’ was I had a problem with authority, with someone telling me what to do. That’s law enforcement, regular folks, whatever. So with Vin being back, he tends to be the one that comes in and says, “This is what we should be doing, this is how we go about it,” and I always have a problem with his plan. Y’all are gonna see that, but we make it fun. It’s not gonna be anything where we fight… but maybe.
Are there any fight scenes with you?
TG: I don’t want to give away anything, but it gets aggressive.
What has made this series such a crowd favorite to survive for five films?
TG: I think, just in general, any movie, unless they’re specifically not wanting to do a part two, anyone who gets in the film business wants to come up with something that the fans will love where you can do a part two. I think this film has the formula, teenage following, all kids and teenagers love cars, grown men love cars, women love sexy people. (laughs) and I’m a co-sexy. But I’m shooting both movies at the same time, I’m doing ‘Fast and the Furious 5’ and ‘Transformers 3’ simultaneously. They scheduled it out. This has been a real adrenalin summer for me. When I’m not here I’m on a plane with Shia LaBeouf, Michael Bay and Josh Duhamel, and we hammer.
Do you find it difficult to transition from one character to another?
TG: It’s a breeze. If we were doing a Ron Howard movie and an Oliver Stone movie and I tried to schedule both that would probably be a little challenging. At the end of the day, as an actor, it doesn’t require me to rev myself all the way up to that serious space where I feel overwhelmed ’cause I have such different characters. We’re chasing robots, we’re fighting, we’ve got dialogue, big action sequences. I come over here it’s cars, muscle shirts… it’s not really a stretch. (laughs)
What’s the hardest type of role you think you could play?
TG: What I look forward to the most is playing someone where I just have to completely remove all of my own habits and instincts that I would do. I have to just become this person, like a Teddy Pendergrass type situation.
Would you like to do a music biopic someday?
TG: Oh yeah, Teddy Pendergrass is in motion, and there’s one other project I can’t speak on that’s legendary, historic.
Marvin Gaye?
TG: I would do Teddy Pendergrass over Marvin. Teddy is dark skinned, has a full beard. Teddy doesn’t sing in falsetto, I don’t sing falsetto. I don’t have no high-pitched voice. That whole raspy, man’s man voice, I can do that.
Is there a real possibility of doing a Teddy biopic?
TG: I am playing Teddy Pendergrass.
Got a director in mind already?
TG: My dream director would be Lee Daniels, ’cause he’s from Philadelphia and he’s raw, knows how to tell the truth about characters and layers. He knows how to get people to go there. That would be my ideal situation for me. Lee Daniels would hit it out of the park. It’ll be my first time singing in a movie. I’ve actually stayed away from movie roles where they want me to be a producer and the studio telling the singer or rapper what to do in a vocal booth. Nope. That’s what I do for a living. I don’t want to do a movie doing it. But Teddy Pendergrass, that’s different. I was there. I was there during the last days of him being on this earth. He said to my steppops, he told me himself, “I don’t want nobody else in this world to do this movie but you.” At first it was an opportunity, now it’s a responsibility.
Getting back to ‘Fast Five,’ are you going to be singing on the soundtrack?
TG: I think so. I wouldn’t mind. Me and Luda did a song for the last movie, so I think I can still sing, I think he can still rap, and we might be able to come up with something. (laughs)
How much chemistry is still there between you and Ludacris and Paul Walker from the first one you did?
TG: The energy is still there. Luda’s one of my good friends on and off camera, so regardless it’s good to be doing something with friends. I think the only new component for me is Han, the Asian guy, and Vin Diesel. I never did one with them before. It’s just interesting.
And Justin Lin, the director?
TG: I did ‘Annapolis’ with him and James Franco. So me and him already have a history. It’s almost like a family reunion.
What’s it like being in two franchises at once?
TG: They’re coming out a month apart, so get used to seeing my black ass all over the place. It’s going to be fun. Sometime in June/July ‘Fast Five’ is coming, and around the fourth of July ‘Transformers 3.’ I have to do a lot of interviews, I’m sure I’ll be seeing y’all again. At the end of the day I’m a real spiritual man, I went a whole year, 2009, without booking one movie, and it wasn’t for lack of effort. If you know me, I hustle, I know how to get all the right spots. I got this saying, “A lot of people are on their knees praying, but they have to get out and execute. Prayer without work leads to nothing.” It’s about being in all the right spots, socializing, relationships, creating opportunities. Twenty or more meetings, going to all the right A-list events and socializing with all the right folks, just trying to get on people’s radars. At no point should anyone feel like they’ve made it. I don’t care how many movies you’ve been on, interviews, press junkets. It’s all about trying to figure out what’s that next level, otherwise you’re doing a routine, the same shit. Like I said, I didn’t book one movie. My prayers with God, bless my finances, bless these opportunities. Not only did I get blessed but two simultaneously. The directors and producers could have easily said, “Hell no, you can’t be working on that! When’s it coming out, a month before ours? Hell no!” But they worked it out, that’s fate, that’s God, pushing the egos aside and saying, “Let that man work.”
2011 represents the 10th Anniversary for your film debut ‘Baby Boy.’ That was a platform to tell the truth about love from our perspective. Why haven’t we seen that yet again?
TG: ‘Baby Boy’ ended up being a cult classic, but when it first came out if you look at the box office receipts, how many people actually saw the movie in a theater as opposed to how many people discovered it afterwards? It was very controversial when it first came out. A lot of black folks were trying to boycott the movie because it was, “Oh, once again, stereotypical-ass black folks fighting, arguing, drama, shooting, and killing.” Now everyone loves the movie because it’s been around. At the end of the day, you want to do these sort of films that have a strong message about the different layers of African Americans in our culture, our essence. You just wonder how many people are going to show up to the theaters to support it. In the eyes of Hollywood, if it don’t make dollars it don’t make sense. I would love to do another movie with a real message.
Is there a follow-up coming up?
TG: A ‘Baby Boy’ sequel? Naw. Me and John been talkin’ about it for years.
What about Luke Cage? Will that film ever get made and will you be in it?
TG: I don’t know. If they call me I’ll go hit the gym and get right for it. Right now it’s about my comic, ‘Mayhem.’ On Halloween it went from a comic book and then on iTunes so you can press a spacebar and watch it as a movie. I did a voiceover on my Mayhem character and we hired other voiceover actors. It went from a comic book that sold over 40,000 copies, then it became a series on iTunes, and now it’s a costume sold exclusively at Party City. It’s available nationally at partycity.com right now, and its being sold at all the California stores. I just want to put that out there, black superhero, which is what we’re lacking in the comic book world. It has a costume, so your nieces, nephews, and grown-ass men can go get it.
Anything else?
TG: Last thing, my new album! I’ve been working on it on the low, the album is called ‘Open Invitation.’ Oh yeah, and I got a book coming too, I’m serious. It’s coming out in April, it’s called ‘How To Get Out of your Own Way.’ I got a lot goin’ on.
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