Casting What-Ifs
Martin Lawrence as Pookie; Oran "Juice" Jones as G Money; Tupac Shakur as G Money; Vivica A. Fox; Michael Wright; Vanessa Williams
In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:46Read transcript
- The best what-if was already mentioned: Martin Lawrence was cast as Pookie and had the job; one view says he would have been better than Chris Rock.
- According to writer Cooper, Martin Lawrence opted out after his mentor Robin Harris died, and Chris Rock was the backup.
- A garbled passage concerns someone turning down Ice T's part; Michael Wright is named and would have killed the part, reuniting later for Sugar Hill.
- Vibica A. Fox (transcribed form) auditioned for Selina and Keisha but did a 90210 episode that year instead; she would have been great as Keisha, as Set It Off showed.
- The Vanessa Williams married to Rick Fox would have been a great girlfriend for Nino.
- Allen Payne was a replacement: Orange Juice Jones was cast as G Money, filmed scenes and was fired, per research; his "Walking in the Rain" is called very 80s.
- Tupac Shakur auditioned for G Money but was judged too young-looking to have grown up with Snipes.
- Tupac could be both aggressive and vulnerable, as Birdie in Above the Rim; it would have been interesting, though Allen Payne was perfect.
- A case that Tupac should have been cast, rewritten as the best friend's younger brother, and would have been better.