Spike Lee‘s classic summer film Do The Right Thing is celebrating its 25th anniversary today. Set in the director’s beloved borough of Brooklyn, much of the cast used the movie as a platform to launch rich acting careers and Hip-Hop Wired examines where they are now.
Do The Right Thing‘s Brooklyn doesn’t mirror New York as we know it now, but the central theme of race relations, the close neighborhoods and how summer brings out the best and worst of us remains a timeless backdrop. Lee has gone on to create other works, however Do The Right Thing is considered by most to be his crowning achievement.
Hip-Hop Wired looks back at the Do The Right Thing cast and finds out where they are now. Hit the following pages for more.
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Photos: 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Universal Pictures, Instagram, Wikipedia Commons
Spike Lee as “Mookie”
Lee’s role as pizza delivery man Mookie kept the focus on the streetwise kid, but like many of the other characters, he was just one of the moving parts of the story.
Nowadays, Lee is still running his 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks company out of Brooklyn and has remained a New York resident. His latest project, Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus, is slated for a 2014 release.
Danny Aiello as “Sal”
Aiello’s Sal may have been one of the most hated characters in movie history as the racist Italian pizzeria owner and center of the film’s brutal climax.
The 81-year-old veteran actor is set to star in the upcoming film, Reach Me this September.
Rosie Perez as “Tina”
Perez, a former Soul Train dancer, made her acting debut in the film. As Mookie’s girlfriend and mother of their young son, she was much more than just eye candy in the film.
Perez is still working, and slated to star in an upcoming ABC drama titled An American Education.
Ossie Davis as “Da Mayor”
Davis starred in this film and in the later Jungle Fever feature. The veteran actor may have played the role of a man who lost the respect of others who saw him as nothing but a drunk, but he ends up with some of the movie’s most poignant lines.
Davis passed away in 2005.
Ruby Dee as “Mother Sister”
The regal Dee’s role was significant in her familiar portrayal of Mother Sister, the neighborhood’s know-it-all.
Dee passed away this year on June 11. She was 91.
Bill Nunn as “Radio Raheem”
Nunn’s brooding portrayal of boombox-carrying Radio Raheem was unforgettable. Although his character’s arc ends tragically, his time on screen burned itself into the viewer’s memory.
Nunn, now 60, stars on the USA cable network comedy series, Sirens.
Giancarlos Esposito as “Buggin’ Out”
Esposito’s Buggin’ Out may have stole nearly every scene he was in, and was pretty much the catalyst for much of the racial tension that weighed heavily over the film.
Esposito, now 56, is one of the busiest television actors around. He’s starred in AMC’s Breaking Bad, NBC’s Revolution, and a host of other roles.
John Turtoro as “Pino”
Turtoro’s turn as the unlikeable Pino was another stellar performance in the film stacked with great actors.
Turtoro will star alongside Christian Bale in the upcoming biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings slated for a December 2014 release.
Richard Edson as “Vito”
Edson’s Vito may have been Sal’s son, but he broke with tradition by being friends with Mookie. His peacekeeping ways didn’t help matters much in the end, however.
Edson stars in the 2014 film, Dutch Book.
Martin Lawrence as “Cee”
Comedian Martin Lawrence made his major film debut in the comical role of Cee, the kid with the awfully bad lisp.
Lawrence has gone on to be a major headlining star himself, and he’s set to star in an upcoming FX sitcom Kelsey Grammar titled Partners.
Photo: PNP/WENN
Samuel L. Jackson as “Mister Señor Love Daddy”
Jackson’s appearance in the film as fiery radio DJ Mister Señor Love Daddy was another crowd-pleasing moment.
Jackson is been quite active in the past 25 years, starring as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and several major roles in top Hollywood productions like Django Unchained and others.
Photo: WENN
