Pac's
Movie Career
Above
The Rim
Release
date:
March 23, 1994
Director:
Jeff Pollack
Writer:
Jeff Pollack
Music
Score: Marcus Miller
Studio: New
Line Cinema
Avaliable
On: New Line Home Video
Length:
97m
Rating:
R (US), 15(UK)
Box
office sales: $16.9 million
Cast:
Duane Martin,
Tupac Shakur (Birdie),
Leon,
Marlon Wayans,
Tonya Pinkins,
Bernie Mac
Tupac
has a small part as a gangster. Basketball star Kyle Lee Watson has a chance
for a college scholarship. But a gang leader convinces Kyle that he should
play for his street team instead.
Bullet
Release
Date:
January 21, 1997 (USA), 8th Feb 1999 (UK)
Director:
Julian Temple
Writers:
Bruce Rubenstein and Sir Eddie Cook
Length:
91mins
Rating:
18
Cast:
Mickey Rourke,
Tupac Shakur (Tank),
Ted Levine,
Adrien Brody
Bullet
rips off two customers of his former prison rival when he returns to the
underground of New York. War is declared. Thug Immortal details the
controversial life, experiences and untimely death of Tupac Shakur, one of
Americas most notorious rappers, cut short in his prime. As told through
original home-video footage, interviews, comment from close friends, family
and Tupac himself, it’s the story that the media never knew.
Gang Related
Release
Date:
October 8th 1997
Director:
Jim Kouf
Writer:
Jim Kouf
Cast:
James Belushi (Divinci),
Tupac Shakur (Rodriguez),
Lela Rochon,
Dennis Quaid
James Earl Jones
Tupac
completed the film ten days before he was shot. He and James Belushi play
corrupt detectives who murder drug dealers for their money, but kill an
undercover cop.
Gridlock’d
Release
Date:
January 29, 1997
Director:
Vondie Curtis Hall
Writer:
Vondie Curtis Hall
Length:
87m
Rating:
R (US), 18(UK)
Cast:
Tim Roth,
Tupac Shakur (Spoon),
Thandie Newton
Tupac
Shakur and Tim Roth star as two band members trying to get big. They stumble
across the dead body of their drug dealer but get high on the stash while
stealing the rest. Cops and the killers coming after them. They are gridlock`d
Tupac
Shakur
"Shit, I knew a bunch of Niggas like Spoon."
Tim Roth on Tupac
T:
He was actually the straight man in the film. The solid guy. My character Was
all over the place and he Was like my dad in the film. He was constantly
having to watch my back because I am always getting myself in trouble saying
the wrong thing at the wrong time.
S:
That was on screen but were those positions in reverse in real life?
T:
A little bit. Yeah.
T:
I first met Pac before he was cast. He wanted to play the part of Spoon and he
said to them, if he hasn't seen any of my movies, don't let him see my movies,
and if he hasn't listened to my music, then don't let him listen to my music
and don't let him see my music videos. Let me meet him as I really am, not as
my public persona." And he walked in and I met this guy who was twenty
five years old and he knew the character. It was a guy who wanted to do a
great film. I used to quietly slide into his trailer during the day at some
point when no one was around. I would kick back and have a beer and he would
be sitting there writing, which was good. Good to see. He worked at it. His
success was not a fluke. He was a poet. There was this big tough guy
performance that goes on in him and I have never seen anybody so scared in all
my life. We were in a back alley shooting the stabbing scene and there were
rats running around. And he literally was terrified. He kept jumping up and
down shouting, "Did you see that, that was a rat!!" It was like
suddenly he was four years old and it made me laugh.
S:
You guys bonded during the filming?
T:
Yeah, the thing about working with any actor if you are working with such
depth is you have to bond real quick and you have to keep it there. As much as
I may have been pissed off with him everyday and he may have been pissed off
with me, we had to reveal a lot about ourselves real quick as if our
relationship had gone back years and we did that.
Preston Holmes
(Co-Executive Producer)
"Big smile, he always had a big smile. He loved kids and my daughter was
always with me and he had known her since she was a kid. He invited me to the
set of his music video which was like a rappers convention, I mean everybody
was in it. My daughter and her friend spent all day getting cute in these
little outfits and I was not going to let them leave the house dressed like
that. They wouldn't listen so finally I gave in. We got to the set and Tupac
took one look at them and said, "What are you doing dressed like that. Ya´ll
had better go home and put some clothes on." And he was serious. It was
typical of who he was.
Erica Huggins
(Producer)
I was blown away by Tupac´s ability to bring his natural rhythm that's so
prevalent in his music to the screen. He was a poet.
Damian Jones
(Producer)
Initially everybody was nervous about Tupac, given his reputation. But he
loved this film and by the end, everybody loved him.
Bokeem Woodbine
(Mud)
I really feel that in years to come music and cinema of today will be
considered a renaissance era of sorts and I think he was on the forefront of a
lot of that. People will look back and say that Tupac was a true renaissance
magician.
Jasen Govine
(Medical Security Guard)
I was nervous because it was my first scene in a movie and it was with Tim
Roth and Tupac. After we shot it Tupac came over and said, "That was very
funny" and then he smiled. I´ll always remember that moment.
Howard Hesseman
(Blind man)
Gridlock'd, the title, refers to a situation where there is not enough space
and too many people fighting for not enough space. This is what Tupac's death
seems to be about.
Juice
Release
Date:
January 17 1992
Director:
Ernest R. Dickerson
Writers:
Gerard Brown and Ernest R. Dickerson
Length: 95m
Rating: 15(UK),
R (US)
Box
Office Sales: $20.15 million
Cast:
Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur (Bishop), Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain, Cindy Herron,
Vincent Laresca, Samuel L. Jackson
Tupac
played the role of bishop in his first movie. Tupac got the part by mistake
when he went to an audition with a friend. Tupac was critically acclaimed for
his part as Bishop.
Poetic Justice
Release
date:
July 23, 1993
Director:
John Singleton
Writer:
John Singleton
Music
Score: Bomb Squad
Length:
109m
Rating:
R (US) 15 (UK)
Box
office sales: $27.5 million
Cast:
Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur (Lucky), Tyra Ferrell, Regina King, Joe Torry,
Maya Angelou, Tone Loc, Q-Tip, Keith Washington
Tupac
did not get on with Janet Jackson while filming due to her asking him to get a
aids test. Janet Jackson made her film debut in this love story as Justice, a
inner city poet on a romantic collision with musician Tupac Shakur.