Where Are They Now?: The Cast Of ‘Friday’ - Page 18
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In 1995, Ice Cube doubled-down on his transition into Tinsel Town by linking up with first-time director F. Gary Gray to create a cinematic classic, Friday. This past weekend marked the 19th anniversary of the film, so we decided to follow up with the cast and crew.
Written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh, Friday starred the duo and a cast of characters revolving around 16 hours in the lives of two unemployed slackers named Craig Jones and Smokey. The latter was played by then-up-and-comer Chris Tucker, and would go on to be a surprise box office smash. The plot found the pair experiencing the lives of family (led by the hilarious John Witherspoon), duplicitous schemers (Anthony Johnson and Bernie Mac, neighborhood hotties (Nia Long) and, of course, the local bully Debo (Tommy “Tiny” Lister).
The success of Friday would immediately go on to influence the popular consciousness, as slang, favorite lines, and the cast themselves all became things audiences needed to know. The film also spawned two sequels: Next Friday and Friday After Next, which found star Chris Tucker moving on for more PG-fodder. Since then, many fans have wondered when the original gang would come back for the fourth installment with Cube saying, “We’re ready to film the fourth Friday, but it is stuck in development hell.”
While we wait for them to get it together, and to celebrate 19th anniversary, we bring y’all up to speed with what the cast and crew have been doing since the mid-nineties.
Photo: WENN
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Michael Clarke Duncan
Uncredited originally, this hulking actor was but a bit cameo during Smokey’s retelling of how Red got knocked the f*ck out by Debo. In fact, Friday was Duncan’s second appearance on the screen, as his debut was made in 1995’s Renegade TV series as Shaka. After his brief appearance, the 6’5″, Chicago-born performer would go on to work consistently throughout the 2000s — earning an Oscar nod for his role as John Coffey in Frank Darabont‘s The Green Mile. Sadly, the cheerful actor passed away on September 3, 2012 after suffering a fatal heart attack.
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F. Gary Gray
Friday marked the New York City acclaimed music video director’s first time helming a big league project. Having already worked with Cube before in “It Was a Good Day,” Gray’s chemistry with the West Coast icon allowed the two to create a movie with an abundance of energy and charisma. If you look hard enough, you’ll even see him as a cameo in the scene where Craig, Smokey and Ezel all go into the convenience store to get some items. After Friday, Gray continued his ascension as a top-billing director by being behind the lens of such films as The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen, and will re-team with Cube to tell the story of the World’s Most Dangerous Rap Group — N.W.A..
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Terri J. Vaughn
Although she is best known as Cedric The Entertainer‘s wife and love from The Steve Harvey Show, in 1995, she played Regina King‘s friend in need of a hair hook-up, named China. It was a brief role which found her appearing later on when Craig fights Deebo in the front yard, but since then she has made great usage of her time in front of the camera. After Friday, she hasn’t taken a break much since the end of The Steve Harvey Show, appearing in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls movie and Meet The Browns TV series. She has projects in-production all the way until 2016, so homegirl stays busy!
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Meagan Good
Now entering into her second decade of acting success, the beautiful Meagan Good was but only a child when she made her cameo in Friday. In the movie, she played one of the kids waiting to buy some ice cream from Faizon Love‘s Big Worm character. After transitioning from kiddie fodder to adult roles, Good was exactly that wherever she went on screen (unless you count her NBC show as a failure). Since Friday, she has appeared in or starred in over 50 projects, most notably ABC’s My Wife and Kids and Californication. This summer will find her reprising her role as Romany Malco‘s luscious love in Steve Harvey’s Think Like a Man Too, which also stars Kevin Hart and Gabrielle Union.
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Bernie Mac
One of Chicago’s most funniest stars had already been a household name in the Black communities, but Friday was Bernie Mac’s first crossover step to the mainstream. After making millions laugh on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Mac played the lascivious Pastor Clever, who was looking to get a little “twenty-twin-twin” from Smokey for his cataracts. The role was in the vein of ones he’s done before, but his charisma and comedic timing couldn’t be denied. He followed up his time on Friday with work alongside The Wayans Brothers (Don’t Be a Menace To South Central), Spike Lee (Get On The Bus), and Brandy Norwood (Moesha). His work paid off as eventually he landed his own TV series (The Bernie Mac Show) and was starring in big box office movies like Ocean’s Eleven alongside Matt Damon and George Clooney. Unfortunately, on August 9, 2008, Mac passed away from sarcoidosis complicated by pneumonia.
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Tony Cox
Tony has been doing this Hollywood thing for most of his life with appearances in George Lucas’s Willow, and as an Ewok in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Younger audiences may know him best as Billy Bob Thornton‘s right hand hustler in Bad Santa. But, in 1995, Cox played the across-the-street neighbor to Cube’s Craig Jones, Mr. Parker. Despite his diminutive size, he was still able to layeth the smacketh down on the oh-so-hot, Mrs. Parker. A force in Hollywood, Cox went on to be in everything from music videos (“Just Lose It” by Eminem, “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace” by Snoop Dogg) to Fox’s sci-fi TV series Almost Human.
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Faizon Love
This hefty Cuban comedian had a pretty strong career leading into his role of Big Worm in Friday. The performance found him donning a shower cap with crisp curls, a gangster’s attitude, and access to an ice cream truck. While (** SPOILER ALERT **) he gets his money back from Craig and Smokey, no one ever hears from him again in the following sequels. Since Friday, he would go on to star alongside Robert Townsend in The Parent Hood, Couples Retreat</strong, and will next be seen in 2014’s Gods and Robots
Source: Amy Sussman / Getty
Paula Jai Parker
A Cleveland, Ohio native, Parker has been featured heavily in comedies and dramas for the latter part of two decades. In Friday, she played Craig’s schemingly childish girlfriend, Joi. Always thinking that he was cheating on her, Parker’s antics helped move along the story as Craig developed into a well-rounded man gaining responsibility for his life. Since Friday, Parker was featured on The Wayans Brothers show, and starred alongside Terrence Howard in Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow. Up next for her is the 2014 comedy, Taco Shop, where she plays Eve alongside Tyler Posey and Eric Roberts.
Source: Diana Ragland / Diana Ragland
Regina King
’80s babies had crushes on Regina King since her time on the television show 227, which was followed by a role in Boyz ‘N Da Hood alongside Ice Cube. In Friday, she played Craig’s sister, Dana, who did hair on the side, and was a constant jokester on set. Following her time in the movie, King went on to star as Cuba Gooding Jr.‘s wife in Jerry Maguire, and on the Fox TV series 24. Most recently, the talented voice actresses reprised her role as Huey and Riley Freeman in The Boondocks, which recently returned for its fourth season.
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Anna Maria Horsford
A born Harlemite, Anna Maria Horsford has been apart of some storied television series. From Amen to Tall Hopes, she has been a prominent character actress that always knew how to make a point and make people laugh. In Friday, she played Craig’s mother who wanted to know why that girl keeps playing on her phone. Her chemistry with John Witherspoon made plenty men feel like they were a better “macaroni” and she was there for the film’s final fight between Deebo and her son Craig. After Friday and its respective sequels, she went on to play security officer “Dee” on The Wayans Brothers, and Ms. Helen on BET’s Reed Between The Lines. The most recent appearance for her was on Tyler Perry’s A Madea’s Christmas.
Source: JLN Photography/WENN.com / WENN
John Witherspoon
Best known as the father who loves to coordinate, John Witherspoon has roots deeply embedded in comedy. From his time alongside Richard Pryor when he had his NBC TV series to Kid ‘n Play in House Party, Witherspoon has made audiences laughed for the latter part of four decades. In Friday, he plays Craig’s dog catching, bathroom stinking father who urges his son to “be a man” in the final act of the film. Since the popularity of the franchises died down, Witherspoon kept himself active by performing stand up on the road at venues and colleges, and starred alongside fellow Friday cast mate Regina King on Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks animated series. Up next for him is a starring role in Aaron McGruder‘s Black Jesus television series.
UPDATE: Rest in Power Pops.
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Tommy “Tiny” Lister
A former WWE wrestler who went by the name of Zeus, “Tiny” has had numerous guest appearances on TV (Star Trek, Matlock). In Friday, he played the hulking baddie Deebo who terrorized everyone in the neighborhood. After catching the epic fade from Craig in Friday and the film’s sequel, Tommy has consistently been working as a force in film. In 2014 alone, he has six films that are in post-production, with two more in the works, and will next be seen in the horrific The Human Centipede III (The Final Sequence).
UPDATE: Most unfortunately, the man we all came to know as Debo passed away in late 2020.
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Ice Cube
Friday was originally conceived by Cube and longtime collaborator DJ Pooh. The duo wrote the script and created all the characters for the film. With a history steeped in Hip-Hop and pop culture, betting on Cube’s success proved to be a hit as Friday would go on to gross $28 million at the box office on a $3.5 million budget. After Friday, Cube continued to create films and act in front of the camera, and most recently promised fans to bring the story of N.W.A. to the big screens.
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Nia Long
Smoking hot and extremely sexy on screen, Nia Long played Ice Cube’s love interest, Debbie. Having already proven to be a talented thespian, Long had appeared in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Made In America, and Living Single prior to her role in Friday. Since then, she has become a three-time NAACP Image Award winner, a gorgeous mother, and continues to light up the screens whenever she can. Most recently, she was seen in 2013’s The Best Man Holiday reprising her role as Jordan, and will next be seen in Paul Feig’s Spy.
Source: Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com / WENN
Chris Tucker
Other than setting out HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Tucker, already a celebrated comedian, had only appeared in Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper and Robert Townsend’s The Meteor Man. In Friday, he shined as Craig Jones’ best bud buddy, Smokey, who gets them into a sticky-icky-icky situation with the neighborhood thug Big Worm. Armed with the finest green from around the way, a quick one-liner, and an infectious sense of humor, Chris Tucker made the role his own and gravitated to the higher echelons of Hollywood immediately after Friday proved to be a success. He would later go on to renounce risqué humor in favor of family films, and then went into a hiatus shortly after the success of Rush Hour 3. He eventually returned to make a splash in David O. Russell’s The Silver Lining Playbook, and has made some brief comedy spot date appearances. Millions are still hoping to get him and Ice Cube back on the same page to film Friday 4, though.
Source: Instagram / Anthony Johnson
Anthony (A.J.) Johnson
Photo:Â Facebook
As Ezel in the cannabis comedy film, Anthony Johnson helped to keep the plot rolling as the neighborhood fiend with a dream of making some C.R.E.A.M. His antics at the store with Craig and Smokey, and later on with the latter during a rather dirty doo-doo scene helped to cement Johnson as a go-to funny guy. After his time on Friday ended, Johnson went on to star alongside Jamie Foxx in Def Jam’s How To Be A Player and Master P in I Got Tha Hook Up and Hot Boyz. Although he hasn’t been featured in any projects since 2010, A.J. Johnson could find himself returning with the rest of the gang in Friday 4: Smokey’s Revenge.
UPDATE: Rest in power.
What were your favorite moments or characters from Friday? Speak on it in the section below!
