Jada Pinkett Smith Turned Down Movie Role Over Tupac Feud, Says Larenz Tate

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Larenz Tate reveals the real reason why Jada Pinkett Smith didn't co-star in "Dead Presidents."

Tupac and Jada Pinkett Smith's history dates back to their childhood. And even when they became stars in Hollywood, they remained close friends up until the rapper's death. In fact, their relationship was so tight that it appears that Jada stood by 'Pac's side, even when it came down to business. In a recent interview with HipHollywood, Power star and legendary actor Larenz Tate said that Jada turned down a role in Dead Presidents because it was directed by the Hughes Brothers.

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"We’re on set in New Orleans talking about that experience,” Tate said. “I said, ‘I talked to the Hughes brothers and you were supposed to be in the movie.’ And she says ‘I was.’ She was like, ‘I couldn’t do it because, at the time, I was really close with Tupac and Tupac had this beef with the Hughes brothers.’"

Tate explained that he had already known she had the opportunity to take on the role of Delilah in the film. However, this conversation took place when they ended up together as co-stars on Girls Trip. He added that Jada already knew it might make things weird between the two if she had worked alongside the Hughes Brothers after 'Pac's beef with them.

"She had a good relationship with Tupac and she didn’t want to get in the middle of it. She thought if she had done that movie, it would’ve been a little weird," he added.

Tupac's beef with the Hughes Brothers has been revisited on plenty of occasions but in short, there was a rift between them on the set of Menace II Society which resulted in 'Pac throwing hands. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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