“Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”
When comedian Chris Tucker hilariously said these 11 words to actor Jackie Chan in “Rush Hour” he became an instant star. African-Americans had witnessed Tucker’s uncanny humor in the Ice Cube directed “Friday” where he delivered classic one-liners throughout the film. However, it wasn’t until “Rush Hour” took over the box office in 1998 grossing more than $141 million that Hollywood took notice.
Before the movie success, Tucker, like many comedians turned actors before him, began by doing stand up comedy. The 40-year-old actor is back on the stage and Indianapolis fans can see him at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre on Sept. 30.
“When you come to my show you learn a lot about me and really get inside my life,” Tucker said in a recent interview. “(Fans) are going to learn a little more about me, about what I went through, a lot about the people I met over the years.”
This year has been a good one for the Atlanta born comedian. Not only is he re-introducing himself to fans who miss seeing him perform on stage, Tucker is also making plans to head back to the big screen in roles unfamiliar to “Rush Hour” fans. He’s up to play a mental patient in the film “The Silver Linings Playbook” directed by David O. Russell and in “Neighbor Watch,” directed by Akiva Schaffer, Tucker may play a suburban dad who accidentally uncovers an alien plot to destroy the world. If this film doesn’t seem interesting, it will likely get a lot of laughs since it will also star actors Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. It’s also rumored that Tucker is up for the lead role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”
When asked if he’ll lend his unique voice to an animation film, Tucker said that is possibly in the works as well, especially since his mom wants him to do so.
“My mom keeps telling me that I need to do a kids movie,” he said. “My son is 13 now, so I do want to do some stuff he can watch.”
But, what fans really want to know is if Tucker will film another “Rush Hour” or “Friday”?
“I would love to do another movie with Jackie Chan because we had some great chemistry. Ice Cube was so great because he allowed me to do my thing and he was so supportive about getting all the young comedic talent together at that time,” he said. “He and Jackie Chan are great straight men. Maybe we’ll do something else again the same way. It was a great pairing; great chemistry with him too.”
