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Chris Tucker almost fumbled the bag, big time. Before his breakout as Smokey in Friday, his first shot at the role was anything but smooth. In fact, casting director Kim Hardin didn’t sugarcoat it. “The first time he auditioned for me, he was horrible,” she recalled. Tucker was fresh off a comedy tour, unprepared, and hadn’t even read the script.
He didn’t know comedians could improvise during auditions, which caught him off guard. Most casting directors would’ve passed. As Hardin put it (via Complex), “Any other casting director may have been like, ‘You were horrible. Next!’” But she gave him another shot. And that second try? Pure fire.
Friday wasn’t just another comedy. It was Ice Cube and DJ Pooh’s response to movies like Boyz n the Hood. They wanted to flip the narrative and show the laid-back, funny side of the same streets that people thought were all violent and dramatic. Ice Cube needed a co-lead with chemistry and comedy chops. Originally, DJ Pooh was set to play Smokey, but New Line Cinema wasn’t down with an inexperienced actor in such a major role.
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That’s when Chris Tucker’s name came up. He had done a small part in House Party 3 and made waves on Def Comedy Jam. Cube and Pooh pushed to get him in the room. But when he showed up, he bombed. Hard. It turns out that Tucker wasn’t even taking it seriously at first. His Friday co-star Faizon Love, who played Big Worm, revealed he was frustrated after losing roles to other comics.
This one didn’t seem worth the hustle. But that changed fast. After Hardin gave him time to prep, he returned and lit up the audition. Just like that, Smokey was born. Tucker’s performance on Friday turned heads across Hollywood. Even though he didn’t return for the sequels, the impact stuck. He scored supporting roles in Dead Presidents, The Fifth Element, and Jackie Brown.
Then came 1998’s Rush Hour with Jackie Chan. A $33 million budget turned into a $245 million global hit. By the time Rush Hour 2 dropped, Chris Tucker was one of the highest-paid actors in the game. Still, he didn’t flood the screen with films. Just three movies followed over two decades: Rush Hour 3, Silver Linings Playbook, and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Fans still hoped for a Last Friday reunion with Ice Cube, but it never happened.
It all started with a disastrous audition and a casting director who saw potential beneath the mess. The Chris Tucker story is from “You were horrible” to Hollywood heavyweight.
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