During a recent interview with VladTV, director Allen Hughes detailed the close relationship between Tupac and Jada Pinkett Smith. Hughes directed the Hulu docu-series on the late rapper, titled Dear Mama. He also previously worked alongside Tupac on the film Menace II Society, which featured Jada Pinkett Smith.
Hughes reveals that on the first day of rehearsal, he’s not sure “which one ran to who,” but it was like the “seas [had] parted.” He continues, “He threw her in the air like a rag doll, and he just kept catching her.” The director went on to describe the duo's passionate embrace, adding, “They weren’t tongue kissing, but it was just in the rapture of love.” Another Menace II Society cast member, Tyrin Turner additionally recalls the pair's bond. He remembers them wrestling each other during rehearsal, "in a fun way."
People Were "Mystified" By Tupac And Jada Pinkett Smith's Relationship
The two met in high school, and remained friends over the years. “Keep in mind again, no one knows about Baltimore School of Arts," Hughes explains, "no one knows they ever knew each other, so everyone was just mystified at the intense bond they had.” Jada Pinkett Smith has been outspoken about her relationship with the late rapper. She told MTV in 2019, “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘Pac.” She revealed, “I think about him every single day.”
In his memoir, Will Smith described feelings of jealousy he had toward Tupac for the bond he shared with his wife. “Though they were never intimate, their love for each other is legendary – they defined ‘ride or die,’” he explained. “In the beginning of our relationship, my mind was tortured by their connection. He was PAC! and I was me,” he continued, “’Pac was like Harry [Smith’s younger brother] – he triggered the perception of myself as a coward. I hated that I wasn’t what he was in the world, and I suffered a raging jealousy: I wanted Jada to look at me like that.”