Ice Cube Talks About Returning To Barbershop: The Next CutPosted by Wilson Morales
April 11, 2016
Coming out this week is Barbershop: The Next Cut, the third installment of the Barbershop franchise.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee from a script by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, the film features the return of cast members Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Anthony Anderson, Jazsmin Lewis, Troy Garity and Sean Patrick Thomas.
New cast members include Oscar winner Common, Regina Hall, Nicki Minaj, Chyna Layne, Michael Rainey Jr., Deon Cole, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lamorne Morris, J.B. Smoove, Tyga, Margot Bingham, Diallo Thompson and Isaiah John.
Cube Vision is producing through MGM, with Bob Teitel and George Tillman Jr of State Street Pictures on as lead producers.
For Ice Cube, who was recently inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A and has been a part of several successful franchises including Friday, Are We There Yet? and 21 Jump Street, he wasn’t sure at first if he wanted to revisit Barbershop for a third time.
In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Ice Cube addresses his concerns, getting back into it, and working with rapper Nicki Minaj on her first major and meaty role.
You’ve already talked about that you were hesitant at first to do another Barbershop film. What convinced you to say yes?
Ice Cube: Producer Bob Teitel. He made the call to me. I always look at him as the initiator of this particular one. It’s cool. I love working with Bob. He’s the most laid back, get it done producer I know. It’s great to work with him again because we’ve had great experiences together with the first two. I initially said I don’t know because I didn’t know. Why should we do another one? What could we really gain? Other than the obvious. I knew we’d have the jokes because as time’s gone on, people clown themselves and we can always put them in the Barbershop. You know what I mean? We got that.
Everybody’s back. It was good to see Troy Garity. I was like, “You brought everybody back”. Except for a few.
Ice Cube: I was trying to get them all back.
You’ve got Nicki Minaj in here. Being that people are going to be seeing her for the first time, for those who don’t really follow her and her music and don’t care. How did you work with her in terms of bringing what she had to the screen and contributing?
Ice Cube: I think whenever you’re working with somebody who has a persona and you’re working with them for their first movie, you want to put them in a position to win. You want to play them as close to the persona they already have as possible. It worked for me with Boyz N The Hood. Draya, to me, is right up Nicki’s ally. It’s in her wheel house. All it is is giving her the confidence on set that she’s an actress and that she’s the best person for this part. I think that’s really my job as a producer and as the lead in a movie, to just try to make all the people we ask to come play with us comfortable. You don’t want to step on the director’s toes. I don’t want to give her too much direction. I just want to give confidence.
With the movie, and all three films, the core structure is between you and Cedric. Talk about working with Cedric. It’s the two of you that people really want to see.
Ice Cube: I don’t think I would do the movie without Cedric because he is the cornerstone. He’s been holding the Barbershop together for three movies. I think he is just as important as Calvin to this whole thing. Ced, as far as this role, is in his warehouse. To me, it’s the best he’s ever been, as Eddie. He’s just so perfect.
Then Jazsmin. Jazsmin didn’t really have much in the first two films and here she’s in there with you, Jazsmin Lewis. It’s like they brought everybody back and then you have those scenes …
Ice Cube: The thing is with this, I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but if we do more, that don’t mean you might not ever see Michael (Ealy) again. You might see Queen Latifah. You never know. It’s all about, what’s the climate at the time we put the next one together. This shit is like Star Wars to me.
If there’s another movie that you think they can come back to you and says, “We want to do another one”, what would it be?
Ice Cube: All About The Benjamins is a great movie. I think people dig Three Kings, it’s a great movie.
Can you redo Janky Promoters?
Ice Cube: Yeah, I got a Janky Promoter 2 in my head. It’ll be funny as shit. It’ll be cool.
What about another Friday? People keep talking about Friday.
Ice Cube: Yeah, it’s coming.
Is that talk or is it really coming?
Ice Cube: It’s talk.
