While Ice Cube has led an extensive career in film, he admitted in a sit-down with the On The Guest List podcast that there was one movie role he missed out on that haunts him to this day.
“I would say Menace II Society,” Cube said when asked if there were any scripts he regrets passing on. “I had a shot to do O-Dog, even though I think Larenz Tate killed it, I just didn’t wanna be type cast. You know what I mean? I was like, ‘I just did Boys N The Hood and they just gonna have me be the L.A. gangbanger you know what I mean every damn movie’ and [Menace] was like the second movie I got offered so I was like, ‘Nah I don’t wanna play that.’ That was one movie that when I saw it I was like, ‘Ooo that role is cold.'”
The N.W.A. legend kickstarted his film career by starring as Doughboy in John Singleton’s 1991 classic Boys N The Hood. From there, he would go on to star in other classics such as Friday, Barbershop, and Are We There Yet? After John Singleton unexpectedly died in 2019, Ice Cube both thanked and mourned the man who solidified his big transition into film.
“I was discovered by a master filmmaker by the name of John Singleton,” Cube wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him and Singleton at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. “He not only made me a movie star but made me a filmmaker. There are no words to express how sad I am to lose my brother, friend & mentor. He loved bring the black experience to the world.”
Elsewhere in his interview with On The Guest List, Cube also offered his take on who he believed to be the GOAT of rap.
“It’s hard to beat Lil Wayne,” Cube said. “His metaphors are otherworldly. As far as lyrics and can make hits, you know. Has been copied all these years and nothing but clones of Lil Wayne at the end of the day. So I just think, besides myself. I’ve done so much for the culture, but uh, yeah, yeah he’s dope.”
Watch the full interview below.
It was better that he didn’t play O Dog. It would have come out exactly like Cube said and he would have looked like a sell out. Instead Larenz did it and it made his whole career. He’ll always have a role on some BET sunday movie because of Menace
You mean Starz
It would have been a continuation of Doughboy. Same character, different name. Now, if he never did BITH and did Menace as his film debut, shieeeet!
Thank god he did.. Tate played it perfectly!
o dog deserved oscar double burger wit cheese
Cube would have killed it as well, just like he did Boyz In The Hood, but Cube is right he may have been plugged into those types of roles forever. Whereas Larenz is a hella actor in all types of films. Oh Pac was suppose to be O-Dog as well, but Larenz killed it in Dead Presidents for real every bit as he did in Menace. Both Larenz and Cube are good actors, but Larenz is a bit more refined professionally. Having said that they both had the perfect roles for them.
Pac was never supposed to be O-Dog, he was cast as Sharif. He wanted Sharif’s gangsta background before he converted to Islam explored more though, and that was a major part of the beef between him and the Hughes brothers
Don’t be a menace while drinking your juice in da hood