Chris Tucker, who starred in the 1995 stoner comedy “Friday,” is giving the real reason he refused to reprise his lead role as Smokey opposite Ice Cube in the flick’s follow-up films.
Tucker explained, “One of the reasons why I didn’t do [‘Friday’ sequel ‘Next Friday’] is because of the weed.
“Man, that movie became a phenomenon. I don’t want everybody smokin’ weed. I never really told people this because I kinda forgot about it, but it was one of the reasons why I didn’t do it.”
“Friday” follows broke best friends Craig (played by Ice Cube) and Tucker’s character Smokey, a small-time marijuana dealer, whose weed-smoking habits land them in hot water with a neighborhood drug kingpin. Tucker was replaced by comedian Mike Epps in sequels “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next”.
It’s been widely speculated that Tucker passed on starring in the blockbuster hit’s continuations due to beef with Cube over money.
But now, Tucker has made it clear that the franchise’s marijuana-driven storyline clashed with his moral compass.
He explained, “I said, ‘I don’t want to represent everyone smoking weed'. I kinda made it more personal than a movie, and that’s one of the reasons I said, ‘Nah, I don’t want to keep doing that character.’ ”
Tucker added, “It probably was good for me, because it kept me moving to the next phase . . . the next movies,” noting the success of his other projects, including 'Rush Hour'.
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