Actor Faizon Love was immortalized as “Big Worm” in the 1995 cult classic film Friday starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. But over the years, he’s become well-versed in the art of inflaming Hip Hop OGs. In a recent interview with Comedy Hype, Love revealed he was paid only $2,500 to portray the unforgettable character, which dissuade him for starring in the 2000 sequel, Next Friday.
“See, it wasn’t really about the money then,” Love said of making the original film. “I got to say I’m working, pay my rent, I ain’t out in the street doing no bullshit. It wasn’t iconic when we did it.” He added, “They wanted to give me double-scale. The scale was $2,500, right. So that was $5,000,” not enough to reprise his role. Instead, he accepted a role in The Replacements for $100,000.
Although Love’s remarks were seemingly said without malice, someone on Twitter caught Ice Cube’s wrath after they accused him of cheating Love out of proper pay.
“yo it’s wild how @icecube act like he for the people and whole time been robbing his own people…Pay them people @FAIZONLOVE @christuckerreal #RIPAjjohnson,” to which Cube replied, “I didn’t rob no fuckin body. The 1995 Friday movie cost $2.3 million to make. Shot in 20 days. Faizon worked 1 day, maybe 2. All the actors got paid scale to do the movie. They could’ve simple said ‘No’ but they didn’t. So miss me with that shit.”
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But had the instigator finished reading the article, they would’ve discovered Faizon Love is actually down to do another installment of the Friday film franchise if it ever comes to fruition. Cube has been wanting to make a fourth film called Last Friday for years but has run into trouble with the studio. The deaths of three of the film’s characters — John “Pops” Witherspoon, Tiny “Deebo” Lister and Anthony “Ezal” Johnson — also made it less of a possibility. But still, Love said he would even do it on “general principle.”
“Now if I do it again, they talking about the Last Friday then, oh yeah, I’m with it,” he said. “You got a last check? If Cube said, ‘Faizon, there’s no money. I need you to do this.’ I would have to do it on GP because it was that character that brought me into the game heavy.”
During Witherspoon’s funeral, Ice Cube addressed the holdup with the film, saying, “I really apologize to my friend for not getting the next Friday movie made,” he said. “It’s not my fault. Some dumbass people in Hollywood at New Line Cinema, if you wanna … you can email Toby Emmerich and Richard Brener if you feel like I feel. Yeah, you punks had two scripts and you didn’t wanna do them. That’s the real. We were tryin’ to make that movie for years and we couldn’t get it done.”
Dave East Responds To Faizon Love's 'Fake Crip' Diss On 'Smoke Champs'
Meanwhile, Faizon Love made headlines earlier this year when he called Dave East a “fake Crip” and dragged Compton’s Most Wanted co-founder MC Eiht for working with him. During a recent interview with Smoke Champs,East took the high road when speaking about the topic.
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“Never spoke to him in my life,” he said in part. “But that happened a few times with a few people. N-ggas wake up with me on they mind. But I’m like, ‘Damn, Big Worm? I fucked with you, bro.’ I watched ‘Friday’ all the time. C’mon, man. Shout out to him though. I’m a firm believer in good energy, positive vibes. I’ll see him when I see him and however that go, that go. It’s a small world.
“But I’m not going to badmouth that man on no podcast, no camera, no nothing. I don’t know why he had my name in his mouth. Shout out to him.”
