Ice Cube may be recognized as one of the best rappers turned actors, but he apparently struggled to tap into his emotions for one of his famous roles — until he turned to Cuba Gooding Jr.
The veteran actor stopped by Patrick Bet-David’s PBD Podcast on Wednesday (May 8) and recalled a moment while shooting Boyz N The Hood where Cube admitted to struggling to shed tears for a scene.
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“He knocked on my trailer. He sat in there and said, ‘I can’t do this crying shit. I’m not built like that,'” said Gooding Jr., who played Cube’s childhood friend. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ Now I’m his acting coach. I got Ice Cube asking me for help ’cause he’s gotta cry in this scene where I say to him, ‘You only got one brother left.’
“I said, ‘Cube, the only advice I can give you is, if you’re trying to cry, you’re gonna look stupid. Just say whatever you feel when you think about the homies you lost.’ He looked at me and walked out.”
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The Jerry Maguire actor also recalled shooting the emotionally-charged scene: “We did the scene and you seen him. I don’t remember any tears, but I’m not supposed to cry during that scene and I’m trying to hold it back.
“It was magic for these two kids who connected because now he wasn’t scared. It doesn’t matter if he cries ’cause he’s not supposed to cry. The grief is in his face.”
Check out the clip below, which begins at the 23:50 mark.
In the same interview, Cuba Gooding Jr. also addressed the allegations against him in a lawsuit filed against Diddy earlier this year.
In late February, a producer named Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who worked on The Love Album: Off the Grid, accused the Bad Boy boss of sexual harassment as well as drugging and threatening him over the course of a year.
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Approximately a month later, Rod added Gooding Jr. as a defendant in the suit.
Per court documents obtained by HipHopDX, the producer claims that he feared Diddy would “groom him to pass him off to his friends.” This apparently came true when the mogul introduced him to Gooding Jr., who allegedly “began touching, groping, and fondling Mr. Jones’ legs, his upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks, and his shoulders.”
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Alongside an image of the alleged encounter, the filing adds: “He rejected his advances and Mr. Gooding Jr. did not stop until Mr. Jones forcibly pushed him away.”
During the PBD Podcast interview, the Hollywood veteran shared his thoughts on the ordeal as well as his recent inclusion in it.
Speaking on the PBD Podcast, the actor said: “I think whatever [Diddy’s] dealing with, he’s on his journey, man. I think that God has got him on a path where — I can’t imagine that he’s stupid enough to do whatever he’s doing and keep it on his premises.
“I think that the raid and all of that stuff, only time will tell — who was involved, who had been a frequent guest in these places and areas.
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He added: “It’s funny because my lawyers said, y’know, ‘Every outlet in the world wants to talk to you,’ and again, I’m like, ‘I’m not defining myself from some headline in the press,’ so I stay quiet.”
The 56-year-old then said that the image being used against him as evidence has been misportrayed and he was simply listening to a new song by Diddy at the time and not trying to impose himself on Lil Rod.
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“That picture — everyone in the room, there’s probably 300 of us on the deck of P. Diddy’s boat on New Year’s Eve,” he claimed. “This guy who’s suing him [is] going after the money, man.
“I’m sure, and by the way, I don’t know P. Diddy’s life. I don’t know what he’s going through […] We were acquaintances, just like I just showed you. Two to three times I’ve seen him.”
