It has been revealed that Ja Rule declined a role in ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’, which has not hindered the franchise from making a whopping $7 billion at the box office. The franchise has featured some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. But a few big-name celebrities were turned down for roles in the movie series’ early days. Rapper Ja Rule was one of them, but he had a pretty good reason to turn down the role — it would have put him in direct competition with the film’s star, Vin Diesel.
Ja Rule Turned Down ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ Role
Ja Rule says he has no regrets about turning down a lead role in ‘2 Fast 2 Furious,’ despite the franchise since raking in $7 billion: ‘I was the biggest artist in the rap game’ https://t.co/AfjAl3aq0X
— Insider Entertainment (@insiderent) June 8, 2023
Ja Rule‘s rap career peaked around the release of 2 Fast 2 Furious, and he was one of the most popular MCs in the world. He also had a brief acting debut in the original film, where he played a minor character named Edwin in a street race with Paul Walker and Vin Diesel’s characters. But the rapper was offered a more significant part in the sequel and turned it down. It’s a shame since it could have helped jump-start his acting career. The role eventually went to Ludacris, who has built a successful career in the industry.
2 Fast 2 Furious was a significant success, and it quickly spawned a second film in the series and a spin-off with Dominic Toretto’s character. The 2003 movie was about import tuner culture, a subculture that featured imported cars with loud stereos and even louder paint schemes. The film also explored street racing and illegal drag races. The cast featured Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Eva Mendes as Mia Fuentes, and Cole Hauser as drug lord Carter Verone.
Director John Singleton had a few other big-name actors in mind for the film’s lead role, including Denzel Washington. The actor was a two-time Oscar winner for his performances in Glory and Training Day so he would have been an instant draw at the box office. Unfortunately, he passed on the opportunity to take on the role of Brian O’Conner, which ended up going to Paul Walker.
Now the Franchise Has Raked in Billions
It’s unclear if Eminem was interested in a leading role, but he was approached to record a song for the soundtrack. The rapper decided against it because he was working on his own film at the time. He didn’t want his music to compete with the film and eventually made the right call.
Reggie “Redman” Noble was slated to take over the role of Tej Parker from Ja Rule, but he had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts. The role then went to Ludacris, who had a limited acting resume.
Bautista has remained choosy about his acting opportunities ever since, and it’s safe to say that the Fast and Furious franchise is probably not somewhere he will end up. That doesn’t mean he will never appear in a movie, but he is probably too busy taking his new action hero, Drax, on the road again.
