Ice Cube
The
“Fist Fight” Interview
with
Kam Williams
Ice
Cube in a Mellow Mood!
Cube made his feature film debut in 1991 in Boyz n the Hood, and proceeded to parlay his critically-acclaimed performance into an enviable career. He has become one of the most bankable names in Hollywood as a writer, star and producer.
His production company, Cube Vision, has been making memorable films for over two decades. And his movies have cumulatively grossed over a billion dollars at the box office. Here, he talks about his latest outing in Fist Fight, a comedy co-starring Charlie Day.
Kam
Williams: Hey
Cube. How you been, brother?
Ice
Cube: I'm
good, good. How about you, Kam?
KW:
Great, thanks. What interested you in Fist Fight?
IC:
I
thought it was a great concept based on a funny premise. And when
they started filling in the pieces with Charlie Day and Tracy Morgan,
I just knew we were going to have a great time and hopefully shoot a
funny movie.
KW:
In this
film you play a teacher who is sort of like a bully. Did you ever
have a teacher like your character, Mr. Strickland? And were you
either bullied or a bully when you were a kid?
IC:
In my
neighborhood, you were either one or the other. Going back to my
memory bank, there were teachers who were no-nonsense and
intimidating. Most of them were coaches or gym teachers.But a few
were classroom teachers who just didn't take no mess. I just went
over the top with it, because we were having fun with the comedy.
KW:
Growing
up, was there a spot where kids would settle their differences after
school?
IC:
There
wasn't just one spot. But it had to be out of sight of teachers, like
behind a building, which is where most fights took place. There was
never one particular area where we always got down.
KW:
Who
came up with the idea of flipping the script by having the after
school fight be between two teachers instead of two students?
IC:
Well,
the script was brought to us by [director] Rich Keen and New Line
Cinema. I don't know exactly who came up with the concept, but that's
what made it funny to me. It's unusual to have two teachers going at
it, instead of two students. That unique premise was one of the
things that hooked me.
KW:
How did
you and Charlie Day go about generating the bully-nerd anti-chemistry
that the story called for? How did you know how mean to be without
going over the line and ending up looking cruel?
IC:
It's a
dance. We had a mutual respect for each other's skills. And when you
have that mutual respect, you're more giving actors. You'll make sure
he shines where he's supposed to shine, and vice versa. The key is to
not get in the way of the character, and to be honest and true with
it. Still, real personalities creep in every now and then. It's all
about knowing the script, and understanding its ebbs and flows. So,
we worked well together. I think we're going to end up doing a few
more movies together.
KW:
Well,
you already set up the sequel to Fist Fight in the closing scene.
IC:
Yeah,
without a doubt! Without a doubt!
KW:
You
guys had a terrific supporting cast: Dennis Haysbert, Dean Norris,
Christina Hendricks, Kym Whitley, Jillian Bell and Tracy Morgan. Was
this Tracy's first film since the accident? I don't remember seeing
him in anything.
IC:
Yeah,
this was his first movie back. It was great to have him. I'd worked
with him before in a movie called First Sunday. It was cool to see
him again, to be able to hang, and to just have him here. That
accident it was in was horrible. It was great to have him around
again.
KW:
I've
interviewed him several times, and he's one of those rare people
who's just naturally funny.
IC:
Yeah,
he doesn't have to tell a joke. All he has to do is talk. He's just a
funny dude. God blesses some people with a gift.
KW:
Fist
Fight was Richard Keen's first full-length feature film. It's pretty
impressive considering it was a directorial debut.
IC:
Without
a doubt! He did a great job. And he's the one who really sold me on
the movie. He cut together a trailer showing what the movie would
look like by cutting Charlie and me into pieces of other movies. That
sold me. I said, "Dude, if you make this movie that you're
showing me, then I'm in." and he definitely went above and
beyond expectations.
KW:
He
certainly was able to keep it exciting by setting the film in a high
school on Senior Prank Day. That way, all sorts of surprises could
pop up during lulls in the action.
IC:
Yeah,
it's cool, because people think it's just a fight, but there are a
thousand other things going on. [Chuckles]
It's nice to have a lot of surprises in a movie like this.
KW:
What
message do you think people will take away from Fist Fight?
IC:
I think
it's really talking about the school system, and the underlying
problems that the society's facing when it comes to educating kids.
Do we just coddle them or do we really try to hold them accountable
for what they learn?
KW:
What do
you think of the Academy Awards nominating a half-dozen black actors
after none the previous two years?
IC:
I don't
really know what they're going through, but I'm pretty sure the
nominees deserved it, and that's all that matters, that our work is
recognized. We don't want any quotas. Just recognize good work.
KW:
Last
year, it was unfortunate that your biopic, Straight Outta Compton,
was only nominated for Best Original Screenplay. And your
scriptwriters were all white.
IC:
It
ain't no thing. At least I don't make movies for no Oscars. i make
movies for the people.
KW:
Finally,
what’s in your wallet?
IC:
What’s
in my wallet? [LOL] Not too much. An I.D. card. That's it. [Laughs
some more]
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Cube, and best of luck with the film.
IC:
Take it
easy, Kam. Catch you later.
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