Chris Tucker Reveals Why He Never Did Another 'Friday' Film: 'It’s A Lot That Goes With It'
During a recent interview, Chris Tucker revealed why he never reprised his fan-favorite role as Smokey in the 'Friday' movie franchise.
Tucker, 52, spoke with Big Tigger for V-103 in Atlanta last week, citing the studios and producers whom he says make the process challenging.
"It's studios, and they got to want to do it, and then it's uh producers and all that stuff," he said.
"It's a lot, it's a lot that goes with it," the Atlanta native continued.
From there, Tucker revealed how he wants to be in a space where he can create freely while on set, as that mindset led to a lot of the best moments in the first 'Friday' film.
Tucker starred alongside Ice Cube in the classic film, "Friday," released in 1995. It debuted at number 2 at the box office on its opening weekend.
The comedian played Smokey, a small-time drug peddler who owes the neighborhood bully money, however, he wasn't a part of the film's sequel, 'Next Friday,' which was released five years after, or 'Friday After Next,' starring Katt Williams and Terry Crews.
Ice Cube, 54, and his production company CubeVision enlisted Mike Epps to play Craig's cousin, DayDay, in the movie's sequel.
"You'll hear 1,000 different stories but we wanted to pay him $12 million to do that movie and he turned it down," Ice Cube, real name O'Shea Jackson Sr., said on the "Full Send" podcast last May.
"He said it was for religious reasons," he continued. "He didn't want to cuss and he didn't want to smoke weed on camera."
Although the West Coast legend recognized Tucker's impact on 'Friday' — which grossed $6,500,000 on its opening weekend on a $3.5 million dollar budget — he admitted that he's content with how everything ultimately turned out.
"But I'm glad he didn't do it 'cause we wouldn't have Mike," he said. "Mike, to me, is funnier."
