PBD Podcast - Cuba Gooding Jr: Diddy, Assault Allegations & The Dark Side of Hollywood | PBD Podcast | Ep. 407

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

Patrick Bet-David sits down one-on-one with actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Gooding Jr., born in 1968 in The Bronx, New York, is best known for his Oscar-winning role as the charismatic Rod Tidwell in "Jerry Maguire" and his compelling performance in "Boyz n the Hood." THE MINNECT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP: Want your shot to win dinner with Patrick Bet-David? Win "The Minnect League Championship": https://bit.ly/4aMAar8 MINNECT: Connect one-on-one with the right expert for you on Minnect: https://bit.ly/3MC9IXE Connect one-on-one with the right expert for you on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3MC9IXE⁠⁠ Connect with Patrick Bet-David on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3OoiGIC⁠⁠ Connect with Chris Cuomo on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/4caZvfJ⁠⁠ Connect with Adam Sosnick on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/42mnnc4⁠⁠ Connect with Tom Ellsworth on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3UgJjmR⁠⁠ Connect with Vincent Oshana on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/47TFCXq⁠⁠ Connect with Rob Garguilo on Minnect: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/426IG0R⁠⁠ CHOOSE YOUR ENEMIES WISELY: Purchase PBD's Book "Choose Your Enemies Wisely": https://bit.ly/41bTtGD BET-DAVID CONSULTING: Get best-in-class business advice with Bet-David Consulting: https://bit.ly/40oUafz VT.COM: Visit VT.com for the latest news and insights from the world of politics, business and entertainment: https://bit.ly/472R3Mz VALUETAINMENT UNIVERSITY: Visit Valuetainment University for the best courses online for entrepreneurs: https://bit.ly/47gKVA0 TEXT US: Text “PODCAST” to 310-340-1132 to get the latest updates in real-time! YOUR NEXT 5 MOVES: Want to be clear on your next 5 business moves? https://bit.ly/3Qzrj3m ABOUT US: Patrick Bet-David is the founder and CEO of Valuetainment Media. He is the author of the #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller “Your Next Five Moves” (Simon & Schuster) and a father of 2 boys and 2 girls. He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pbdpodcast/support

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Get started for one dollar down and then only fifteen dollars a month. Offer ends April 12th. $49 annual fee applies. See Home Club for details. So what do you think about when you think about Cuba Good and Junior? I think about Oscar award winning. This guy was in Jerry Maguire, Show Me the Money, Boys in a Hood, As Good as It Gets, A Few Good Men, the radio. He's played so many different movies with so many incredible actors. And today in this interview we talked about the Diddy allegations. He told two stories of Tupac. The day Tupac got shot, he told the story

of what happened earlier that day in Vegas. I'll let him tell you the story. We talked about how he deals with alcohol and partying and what his escape is, when his father died, when his personal life, what his, he got emotional when his dad and if you don't know who his dad was, was a very famous singer. Everybody plays the fool sometimes. That's his father, right? And so learning more about him while we, you and I, watched his movie, there was a lot of interesting, you're going to see how this podcast, two hours, however long however long it is is gonna feel like five minutes simply because of all the stories

He told the amount of money he made for Jerry McGuire or how much money he made for boys and hood You will not believe how much money he made for boys and hood anyways if you're a fan I'm a fan if you're curious about a lot of these stories You're definitely going to enjoy this podcast with the Oscar-ward-winning Cubigan Jr. All right, so let me tell you why I've been looking forward to today's interview and sit down with the one and only Cuba Gooden Jr. There's a lot of different things to go through, but here's what's interesting about this. So obviously, we all know some of his work. You know it. Like if I tell you Cuba Gooden Jr., you're going to say, show me the money. Right? We all think about that.

Or hey, Rod Tidwell. Or maybe you go to Men of Honor Academy Award best supporting actor, I think for Jerry Maguire in 1996. But then you go a layer deeper, okay? And then you realize Boys in a Hood, 91, with Cube, Laurence Fishburne, John Singleton's, I think, directed the movie. Then you got Outbreak, which was really the first contagion epidemic movie that was done. I think that's also in the 90s. Then you got As Good as It Gets with Jack Nicholson. You got Minervaun.

You got Pearl Harbor. Then you got radio,on, you got Pearl Harbor, then you got radio, incredible acting for radio, you got Nicky Barnes in the house, American gangster, Blue Magic, right, with that one song that was, what was it, Anthony Johnson, I don't know who, the one song where the scene with Frank Lucas, the scene, the girl, they're making eye contact, phenomenal movie. Then you played Ben Carson out of all the people, right? TNT, Gifted Hands, phenomenal book.

I read that. Then The People versus OJ Simpson. And then I went a little bit deeper. I said, there's got to be more stuff here. You were a breakdancer. You apparently like to play ice hockey. Then you, still till today, you were talking about it right before this. Skating with the Panthers coach.

I'm like, what high school did he go to? So you go to North Hollywood High, Tustin High, Apple Valley High, John F. Kennedy High, Granada Hills. I lived in Granada Hills off of Chatsworth and Balboa. And you apparently served that class president, three out of five of them, and you became a born again Christian at the age of 13. Then I'm going and seeing a break dancer, entertainer performing with the single Lionel Richie at the 1984 Olympics.

You were in MacGyver. I used to watch MacGyver. It was a phenomenal show coming to America. Dancer for Paula Abdul. There's so many butler. You went into butler. Again, the list goes on and on and on. I know you're working on a bunch of different things right now Yeah, and then I got a lot of stories. I want to go through with you because

Your life the catalog of the work you've done the people you've done business with yeah The projects you worked on the good the bad the ugly if there's one thing that we know is You're one of the probably best actors we've had the last 20 years in some of the most favorite movies that people talk about till today, you've been in those movies. So it's great to have you on the podcast that I've been looking forward to talking to you today. Wow.

Well, I love you for that. How do I follow that up with? Thank you. And I did do a movie with Paul Hogan called Lightning Jack and after the movie, which was a Western I played a deaf mute. I joined a Team petting and cutting horse competition in the rodeo. So I do ride a little bit This background of yours and then by the way

And then so then mom's officer Vinny's like Pat. Do you know what song his father sang? I said what? Yeah Everybody plays the fool sometime, right So walk me back before we go through some of this stuff here What I want to find that is this like when did my son gets invited to the soccer? League by this France World Cup winner by this France World Cup winner 2018 I believe and we're there and he's going through the tryout and one of the guy comes up he's seen some of the interviews I've done in the past and he plays for Manuel he replaced Ronaldo

oh wow and the guy looks I mean this guy looks like a piece of steel like a piece of steel six four six five like a you know it's a lot on top of a body okay and he comes and we start talking great conversation together I said when did of steel, six four, six five, like a, you know, slot in top of a body. Okay. And he comes and we start talking great conversation together. I said, when did you know that you were going to make it to the pros as a soccer player? And he started telling me the story. So when did you know you knew how to entertain, you knew how to mimic, see body language, creative, your brain, creativity.

When did you know God gifted you with that ability? I mean, back in the day, you know, having a famous father and having and coming from a musical background of people, because not only was my dad the lead singer, the main ingredient, my mom, quick story about my mom. So my mom met my dad at the Apollo Theater and my mom was the headliner with her sister and another friend and they were called the sweethearts and one of the opening acts were the main ingredient but the headliner was the sweethearts and then thing one thing led to another my sister my mom's sister got pregnant and had my cousin Lenan and then my mom got

pregnant with my sister April. And so the group disbanded and their female opening act took their place as the headliner. And that opening act was the Supremes. Wow. So my mom always says this Diana Ross, she's responsible for her career because they had kids and the Diana Ross and the Spreems took the headliner and then my father went from an undercard to the headliner and then their careers were the rest was history. So I always had music in the house and I always had famous people coming over. You might know that my dad did some songs with the Jackson 5, produced some stuff with Stevie Wonder. So Al Jarrell would come by the house

and whenever they came by, my dad would say, watch my son do this. And I would either do a backflip or I would dance and they would, you know, I remember when my dad performed at Disneyland, because every night they'd have different performances at Disneyland, be it a Saturday or a Sunday and whatnot. And what would happen is my mom would get me and my sister and we'd go as the park closed and we'd go to the, well I'll tell you another quick story. He performed on stage in Disneyland and would always bring me up as a little young kid And I would do the lyrics of the song while he's singing. How old are you at this time?

Whenever whenever the first hit came out it was either it was probably everybody plays a fool It wasn't just the one to be lonely So I had to be seven eight nine and I would you know do the lyrics seven, eight, nine, and I would, you know, do the lyrics. But then the park would close, the general population would go out, and all the performers would take the rides, and you ride the rides every night, over. And I knew then I wanted to entertain people.

Because I was like, wait, you get Disneyland all to yourself? And whenever I say anything into a microphone, people applaud? I was like, I'm hooked. So that reaction, that immediate reaction. Immediate reaction, immediate reaction. So as life would have it, my parents had split in my first year.

So I was probably 13 at around this time. And so we got evicted from one house and we'd moved to the next city. And the first time it happened, my mom moved in with my grandmother in an area called Victorville, California. Very familiar. Right before Vegas, on the way to Vegas. That's correct. So I'm living with my grandma. My grandma's tough love says, you guys got to get out. So we go to Apple Valley, California. So I go to Apple Valley, junior high school,

I think first. And that was the first year transition because they went junior high school used to be, I want to say, six, seven, eighth, ninth, six, seven, eighth, ninth. And as the junior high president, we converted it to junior high school only six, seventh, and eighth. And that year, now you're talking eighties, early eighties, as a president, I got the body to agree to turn the ninth grade to the high school. So then I became the ninth grade president

based on what happened there. And then I got voted in as the 10th grade president, but we moved away. Right? So we moved from that house and we moved to Orange County. So we went from Apple Valley to Tustin. And that's where I, and then again, we stayed there for one year and then we moved to Granada Hills. And that's when I went to Kennedy Kennedy High School and do you remember where you live in Granada Hills? Yeah I lived at the 6 Pence Inn right off the freeway of the 405 freeway and and what is it Rinaldi? Yeah, oh Rinaldi yeah by the golf course. Right by the golf course yeah and we finally moved out.

And when I say moved out, it's because the checks weren't bouncing. And it was a motel. But I was going to high school in a motel in these three first years of my high school. So we moved to North Hollywood. But I refused in the middle of my junior year to switch schools. My sister switched because she was a senior. She's like, fine, I'll switch my last year. I go, no, I'm going to take the bus and I would take the bus from North Hollywood back to Granada Hills and do school until that summer. And then that summer, I

finally said, no, I can't do that. I have to get up at like six in the morning. And it was God's will I did that because when I went to North Hollywood High School as a senior and each one of these years and you can that was the other long-winded way of answering your question. Every high school that I was in I would be in the drama department and eventually leading up to the Kennedy High School drama department and they have this thing called the LAUSD, Los Angeles Unified School District's Shakespeare Film Festival, once a year. And during my 11th grade year, going to the Kennedy High School, I competed and I did

individual monologue and played Festi in Twelfth night, and won the competition of all the high schools in Los Angeles. And so what happens is, from each category, maybe there's 13 categories, each person that takes, you get a third place medal, a second place medal, then you have a first place trophy, and you perform in front of all the schools in the auditorium.

So you have, I don't know, 1,200 kids, and you go and they give you your medal, your award, you put it down and then you do your monologue. If it's a group of five of you, you do five. If it's two, two, if it's one, it's just you in front of this whole school. And I'll never forget, I'd done the monologue all day so much and I knew I'd already won. So I made my way through it. I'm skipping lines and everything, but I did a back flip at the end of it and the whole place stood up. It was my first official standing ovation.

Everybody stood up. Anyway, so I tell you that story because here I am going back and forth on this bus and then even that summer I had a job at the Northridge Fashion Center at the Bob's Big Boy. And I'm doing that job. I worked at Bob's Big Boy. Did you? I was at, Bob's Big Boy. And I'm doing that. I worked at Bob's Big Boy. Did you?

I was at the Bob's Big Boy Junior in the Northridge Fashion Center, right? So my mom and my sister say, why are you gonna do this to yourself? You're really gonna, you live, we live walking distance to North Hollywood High School. And I was like, yeah, but I'm the man at Kennedy. I won the festival, everybody knows.

I'll never forget the first day. Your orientation, you pick your classes and I walk into that drama class because I was in the drama class. North Hollywood High. At North Hollywood High School and everyone went, there he is! That's the kid that did the back flip! And they all went. Wow. So they knew because of the Shakespeare. They knew they knew they knew and I was like All right. My mom was right and from that moment on I was a Celebrity at North Hollywood High School so much so that I was doing

Little labner during the lunch breaks in the in the quad with all the crew and at night I was doing you know the highwaymen in Tom Jones, which was, you know, these are, you know, or I do a Shakespeare thing and play an old man and do all of this stuff. And one of the kids who's, who was, wasn't even an actor in the play, in the night play, he was working the lights on the stage, his mom came backstage, and she said, he said Richard Milburn is his name, Richard said, QA, you gotta meet my mom,

she's a huge fan, and I said hi, and she said, what you did on stage was amazing, do you know who I am? I go, Richard's mom, she goes, my name is Coralie Jr. of the Coralie Jr. agency, and to make a long story short, back in the day, Shirley Temple had one main competition and it was Coralie Junior. They had the blonde locks and they were little girls and Shirley Temple went to become this big star and Coralie Junior, what she became was a specialty act agent.

And the way she became that is she would go and do the little small parts of movies, not as big as Shalom Temple, and she'd see these little people, she'd call them. We'd call them midgets at the time. And they all were getting drunk and rowdy in this little area. And she said, you need to treat them better. They need to have their own hotel rooms in there. And so she became the agent for the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. Wow. True story.

So what Coralie did is she said, I don't have a lot of actors. I got female impersonators, sword swallowers, little people, you know, all of these variety acts of fire eaters, but I only have two 50 year old white male older gentlemen that I send out on every actor audition. So she said, you will be my third and I'm an 18 year old black kid, right? So here's what happened with Boys in the Hood.

I went on an audition and I picked up my sides and I sat in a room with all these other older white men and Jackie Brown came out and said, "'Okay Cuba, Cuba Gooding?' And I stood up and she said, "'Oh honey, you're at the wrong audition.' I go, "'Well I'm here anyway, will you let me read?' And she said, "'Sure, come in.'

So I came in and I started doing the thing and just became this old man and I started doing the whole thing. She laughed and laughed and she said, obviously this part isn't right for you, but I'm going to remember you. And she brought me back for John Singleton and Trey and Boys in the Hood. Get out of here. And that's how I got the role. It's a true story.

Wow. Wow. Let me ask you, did you play sports in high school? Were you athletic as well, or were you a swimmer? Oh yeah. Because when you watch Jerry Maguire, you don't, you know. Those are all my moves. And then also the break dancing.

Well I did the 1990 handstand, which is a handstand, but. You're kinda doing the Dion dance. Yeah, doing the dance and everything, yeah, yeah, yeah. So what, and who choreographed that, 1990, Hans Den, was it Hans Den? But... You're kind of doing a Dion dance. Yeah, doing a dance, everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what, and who choreographed that? Or actually she came on the set the morning up and goes, all right, I know you, because

I used to be her backup dancer too, Paula Abdul. She goes, all right, do this move, do that move, maybe do a 1990, let's do this and that, and do this. She goes, all right, you're ready. And that was her, my choreograph for the end zone dance in Jerry Maguire. Now were you and Paula friends or was that just like you worked together? We weren't friendly, but I had, I, you know, when she hires, when she does a music video,

I don't remember which one it was. There was a break in in a Beach Street. There was that area. Beach Street. But I wasn't in Beach Street, but I was in a couple of the break dance ones. Beach Street, Beach Street, ha ha ones. Oh, you got it. In my own way, in my own Middle Eastern way. But she remembered, she said, you were one of the dancers that were in my video. I said, I can't believe you remember that.

I don't know if she remembered it, but I remembered it. Now at this point, is Paula Abdul a big deal? Is she like the... Oh yeah, she's at the height of her, yeah. She had a handful of hits that were massive right at the time, yeah. Okay, so, Boys in the Hood, this comes your way. At this point, what work have you done to prepare you

to say, I can do this? What is your catalog and experience at this point where you have the confidence to go on Boys in the Hood? So before Boys in the Hood, which was 1990, right? So if it came out in 90 we shot in 89. If it came out in 91 we shot in 90. I had been on television doing guest spots for at least four years private before that. I was MacGyver's sidekick, Billy Colton, Bounty Hunter, in the last season of MacGyver. I'd done maybe 30 different guest spots in TV shows. I'd been on the stage throughout high school. So to me, I knew how to create a character. And there were, you know, it's so funny, as I'm talking through this stuff, I have to

give Coralie Jr. flowers and that. She gave me, I became a professional auditioner. And she would say to me, all right, here's the two things you need to do. Whatever you get your first audition callback on. And a callback was basically I walk in like with Jackie Brown. I walked in, I had gotten the sides and I knew it was a kid that grew up in South Central and he was a nice dresser. So I wore my Cavaricci pants. The Cavaricci were flared out like the, you know, like the tiger tamer in the circus black. And had a gold and black dress shirt that I buttoned all the

way up and it had a big bullseye on the heart of it. And I had black dress shoes and I walked in and I did the performance for her as Trey, right? I left, she called Coralie, Coralie said, you got your call back back remember to wear the same thing So a week or two later I came back this time It was Jackie Brown and John Singleton and I'm wearing the exact same thing and I did my call back, right? Then again, I got a second call back in the third and what I find out years Decades later was that the studio wanted Malcolm Jamal Warner to play Trey. They didn't want John Singleton, who was a first time director, to have some street kid

that no one knew be the lead in a Columbia. From Cosby. That's him. That's him. And they didn't want him, they didn't want to have the budget of this movie on the shoulders of this little black kid, this little Cuba kid, right? But every time I came back, I looked like Trey. And what John told me is, you are Trey Styles, you have this role. And I'll never forget, they called Corley and said, congratulations, he got it.

And the read through was on Friday. So I went to the read through for Boys in the Hood with me, Neil Long, Ice Cube, everybody. And Steve Nicolaides, the producer, comes in and he whispers something to John and John starts cussing and screaming. And he said, this is bullshit, This is this. This is that. And I'm going, what's going on? He goes, Cuba, come here. And so I get up and I over the

table and he goes, man, we got to put you on tape again. The studio wants to see one more audition. I go, you're kidding me. He goes, man, just go on in and do this thing. So I'm so upset. I'm shaking. And what scene is it? Look, I'm getting emotional again. Give me the gun tray. And you know that scene, give me the gun tray, the tears are going down. So they put a camera like this, and they put it on me,

and Steve Nicoletti just literally goes, give me the gun tray, and the tears just came down my face. And I say whatever the dialogue is, right? And then we do maybe one other scene and I go back in and I'm angry now. Because I'm like, all right, you know, I was just told I don't have the role and I'm here with all these people. And we do the end of the read through and Steve Nicoletti walks in the room, I think Frank Price, who was the head of the studio, walks in and goes, ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say, Trey Stiles. I go, for today, for today! I'm so upset.

Done. Yeah, yeah, but he said, you have the part. And I go, yeah, for today? What about tomorrow? And it was a big laugh and everything, but that was when I knew that I had, you know what I'm saying? It's like, in that moment, I knew no matter what anybody told me I can emotionally go where I need to go for whatever the role was

So so let me ask you this question though because for to playboys in a hood This is so you guys when did you guys start shooting in 89? Let's say 89, but it's if the movie came out in 90. I remember July. It's like the 7th of July 1990 but it might have been 1991. That's why I'm saying if you, when does it say it came out? July 2nd, 1991. 91. So we shot it in 1990. Okay.

Shot it in the summer of 1990. So 88 is straight out of Compton. So Ice Cube, right? 88 is straight out of Compton. And Cube, when did Cube do his, okay, so at this point. You mean his solo album? I can answer this for you. So I'll never forget. There's three moments that I'll never forget with Cube. The first time I go, hey O'Shea,

if you ever need any help with your role, he goes, hey man, come here. Hey nigga, listen, hey nigga, listen, listen. It's Cube, right? And I was like, ooh, sorry, I'm sorry, listen, listen. It's Q, right? And I was like, ooh, sorry. I'm sorry, right? That was the first moment. The second one was, and these didn't happen in this order,

but these are the things that I remember when he knocked on my chair and he came at me, and he sat in there and he goes, I can't do this cry shit, I can't. I am not built like that. And I said, what do you mean? Here's what he says to me now. I'm sitting there looking at him. I'm his acting coach sitting there Oh good, I got ice cube asking me for help because he's got to cry in this scene You know 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 Just say whatever you feel The only advice I can give you is if you're trying to cry, you're gonna look stupid just Just say whatever you feel when you think about the homies you lost and he looked at me and he walked out and We did the scene and you seen him. I don't remember any tears, but I I'm not supposed to cry during that scene and I'm trying to hold it back and I'm not supposed to cry during that scene and I'm trying to hold it back. And it was magic for these two kids who connected because now he wasn't scared because it doesn't

matter if he doesn't cry because he's not supposed to cry but the grief is in his face. And when I say, Amen, you got one brother left. That moment connected me, our souls, I think. And so the third thing he said, our souls, I think. And so the third thing he said, he said, hey man, you help me out here. I said, you want to hear my new cut? I got a solo album.

And he played the music to all of the songs, maybe played three of them. Today was a good day. All of those on that. Get out of here. All of those songs. And I was like, because I, you know, obviously no one had heard this music yet. And I was like, well, I love this story.

You're a killer. And at the end of it, you go, you know, what was I thinking about click, click, and then it goes back into violence. I go, that's you. Now, can you imagine if that guy had tears in his eyes when he was seeing he laugh, he laugh. I would have. So that's two.

The third thing I'll never forget is my nickname when I grew up was Cube. Cube, hey Cube, Cube. And you know how many times on that set I'd be walking to the set or I'd be sitting waiting between shots and one of the security guards, hey Cube. And I'd go, yeah. And he'd go, not you, Niko. That's the sound of fried chicken with a spicy history. Thornton Prince was a ladies man. To get revenge,

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Hey cube yes, not you, okay, all right got it. So what they call you They just never talked to me, but if they were saying cube they wanted to be it was ice cube Wow, it was the cube now. Let me ask you how feared was he at that time? Was he a guy that you felt his? Energy his alpha his toughness. It was felt because he Even when he smiled he his eyes would like his eat fur his brow You know I'm saying man. That was good cube. That was good. You know I was like

Yeah, yeah Yeah, there was a fistfight between a guy and a girl on set and his security broken not acting. It's an actual no no there was Shots there were out the helicopters in the movie were all laid in later, but we would have to stop and cut. Cause they're helicopters. Okay, all right, roll camera. But it's so funny when you see it, you see all the helicopter stuff and the lights, the windows,

but that's all laid in afterwards. Cause you don't want to mess up the dialogue when you're recording it. Wow. But yeah, that set, that set, So fight breaks out on the set, shootings happen. That was crazy. I'll tell you another quick story. Wow, but yeah, that's a fight breaks out on the set. Shooting's happening.

That was crazy. I'll tell you another quick story. I mean, we could talk an hour about Boyz n Hood. I'm interested. So when Boyz n Hood came out, it was a huge hit, obviously, right? Made almost $50 something dollars off a $5 million budget. Back then that was like $100 million, whatever. But then it went to HBO, an HBO premier. And back then, they

would go, they'd do the, and then they'd have the HBO logo, and they'd go, welcome to movie night on HBO, and then to be an actor from the movie. Hi, I'm Cuba Gooding Jr. Tonight, you're going to see a story of redemption of streets and life in South Central. And the camera pans up from me. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, boys in the hood, right? Well, this was in 19, I don't know, 92, summer during the riots that HBO decides to shoot on the corner of Normandy and Western and they got my black ass in a limo sitting on the street and you could see like all these

angry black people coming while they're lighting and they we did one take of the camera, two take it off, one guy grabs a microphone, another one grabs thing and then they're like and then and then they paid the nation of them to keep security But you can see as I'm driving away it with my publicist. They're just just raping this set and all the equipment Is that in the shot or no? No, no that probably used the first is like a story though, but that all I'll never forget that I was like, why are we here in South Central and they just got over the riots? I mean, it's still like powder keg. It's tender.

That's right by Great Western Forum. You know, my dad's, there was a 99 cent store right by Video 2020. My dad was the cashier for 15 years. Oh, is that right? At that time, yeah, he was the cashier at the 99 cent store. So Boyz n' Hood, so, okay, so for you, incredible job acting, convincing, obviously when we watch you, you became a superstar,

a star after this movie. Who is this kid, right? For us at least, for the viewer. That's so interesting you say that. So, Hollywood has lists, right? They got A lists, and they say B listsLists and C-Lists, but basically they have, now it's streaming in all these other ancillary markets and other venues to show products and that's why I say to my son all the time, I know I'm going to go off the

track a little bit, a lot, because I do that a lot, but my son Mason Gooding, who I call my new and improved model, I say for me it It was my job was to find the job and once I got it I knew I was on my way your problem is you're gonna get all this work your talents You're good-looking your job is to find people to watch it. That's him good-looking Yeah, you're looking six four muscles the whole thing. He's not a kid. He's 27 years old But I said your job is to be seen to do the role where they find you in it You know, he's in scream 5 scream 6. He's been in a book smart all these wonderful movies but um, see I knew I was gonna lose my train of thought but but um,

I was talking levels to a B, you know all these Superstar thank you. So you. So what the studio did at the time, if you had a story with a black actor in it, they would green light it if you went to Cuba Gooding Jr. or Wesley Snipes or just a handful of us, right? And if you, and that was one. The second thing was I got a three-picture deal. I I did boys in the hood for a very little money then they had me for a little bit more money for a film called gladiator and

I remember that and then after gladiator because the boxing class same guy with gladiator you guys played in a few good men Right both of you in different few. Yeah, that's right. Yes. That's correct Another good-looking guy. He played a few different movies. Yeah, and we yeah. Yeah, he did a What was the one David fit and Lynch? I think he didn't why I've seen him in a lot of different things, but okay I'm following so so so here I have a three-picture deal. What did you make by the way on boys? So the boys and it was $37,500. You made $37,500? Now I'm the hottest thing in Hollywood.

You know how much they paid me for gladiator? You know how much they paid me for gladiator? How much? $65,000. Get out of here. Now wait, it gets worse. You know how much they're gonna pay me for my third? $100,000 and they dropped me because gladiator bombed.

And I didn't work. Now, let's say, 92, 93, 94. How broke were you at this point? I was broke, broke. And I had, 94 is when I got married to my high school sweetheart and had Spencer. So now I had a young son at home, 95, 96. I had two young babies at home,

and I'm doing anything I can to make ends meet. And here I am doing, at the time, film actors didn't do television, but my agents called me. I can go straight into the Jerry McGuire story. So my agent calls me and says there's a TV movie because I had been doing a lot of film stuff and I had gotten that deal with the studio. So I thought, okay, TV is behind me. She said there's a TV movie and Laurence Fishburne is playing a Tuskegee Airman and they want you to play his co-Tuskegee Airman. And I was like, who are the Tuskegee

Airmen? And this is the theme of why I started taking real life characters. She said, read this book. And I remember reading this book and getting angry and saying, wow, I graduated high school. I didn't go to college, because I was acting as a professional, and I never knew that there were an all black squadron of fighter pilots in World War II. I didn't know that, they didn't teach me, it made me angry.

So of course, I committed to that movie, I did that movie, and another actor in it was an actor by the name of Alan Payne Malcolm Jamal Warner it was a whole crew crew of us and all of us went on our own paths in life but I'll never forget when the movie was done we were having a screening so so it's probably now you talking 1995, we're having a screening for one of the big generals of the government, the black general, and I believe it was George Bush's... Colonel Powell? Colonel Powell, thank you.

And we're screening him, Tuskegee Airmen, and he's... When you do an unofficial screening, we even went to the White House, we did all this stuff with it They always they see it first. So he saw it and said I'm gonna do an official screening and I want to meet these young fighter pilots and the whole thing So I had had an audition for a movie called the fan with Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes and And I was going to be... Baseball?

Is it a... Was it baseball? I think it was baseball. Is it a baseball-themed movie? I remember this movie. So listen to this story. I told you I was going to be all over the place, but this is going to tie it all in together.

So I wanted the role that John Leguizamo eventually got, right? But I saw this character as bald with a goatee and two earrings. I already had one earring because it was a break dancer. So I got my ear pierced, I shaved my head, and I put a goatee on, and I went and auditioned

for the late, great Tony Scott, who made me come back. One audition, two audition, three audition, just like Boys in the Hood, and eventually went with John Lake Mazzamo. And here I am, now it's 10 a.m. in the morning, there's a limo waiting to take me to my screening

with Colin Powell. And Reese Shapiro, my agent at time, calls and says, I got amazing news. Now whatever I'm about to follow with is a lie, but I don't know this. I'm a young kid. This is how these ages have hustled us. I'm telling you. She said, do you know who Cameron Crowe is? I go, the director, he wrote, say anything? Yes. He's having a read through at Sony at one o'clock today of his new script that he wrote. And it's a read through with Robin Williams

and Marissa Vina and he wants you to play the football player in this thing. I go, that's amazing. But today, is there a script? She goes, it's in the limo. I go, let me get this straight. I'm gonna read for Cameron Crowe. She goes, oh, and James L. Brooks,

who's producing the movie. I said, and I'm supposed to go from the press conference for Tiskegi Airmen, HBO, straight to Sony? She goes, that's correct. Wow. So remember, it's 10 a.m. So I get in there, Sean Suttles, my assistant. We drive to the press conference we do the press conference I

Start reading the script so 10 11 12 1 so I had three hours. So I read the script. I got I know who this guy is now remember Funny enough. I'm in a suit because I was gonna meet Colonel Powell, but I'm also bald with a goatee and two earrings now I wasn't gonna wear the earrings, but she said a football player like shaved shaved ball. Yeah So I put the earrings back in I go I meet Colonel Powell. It's crazy I remember somebody like one of the generals that goes that goes Oh, is this the statement we're making and I know it's for the next role I didn't want to explain to him listen

I got a big audition coming up in about an hour and a half. But anyway, we watched the movie. The movie ends or actually the movie started. I jumped in the limo and I start reading the script and the limo's drivers circling around Columbia Studios and it finally stops and I go, give me a six pack of beer. I know who this guy is. So we go to a liquor store, me and Sean, we put our music in the limo. Let's drink it. I'm going, you know, you know, in the back of this limo. And I okay, so now I'm relaxed in it. Yeah, right in it. I walk through the gates of Sony, I walk into that room. And there is Mira Savino, Cameron Crowe, James O'Books,

a bunch of studio executives, and a bunch of other actors that I can't remember. And no one's really talking to me, but Cameron Crowe goes over, hey, Cuba, that's great, I'm gonna sit you right here. We're just waiting for Robin Williams to show up. And I'm, but I'm cocky now, because I'm like, Cuba, you gotta be,

this is Rod Tidwell'm cocky now cuz I'm like cube you got to be this is Rod Tim was cocky and Remember when Mike Tyson fought the guy and he knocked him out And then the guy he fought was using a pizza slice and the pizza I can't remember what his name was but anyway Rob McNeely Peter McNeely. Yeah, thank you. So Robin Williams walks in, he quietly talks to Cameron Crowe, they kind of giggle, he says something to James O'Brook, he looks at the table, he goes, hi everybody, sorry I'm late, just came from Vegas, and he sits down and he goes, had the fights, and he looks

at me, I'm sitting directly across from him, never seen him before, and he goes, did you see the fight? This is Robin Williams, the only way Robin Williams, never seen him before, and he goes, did you see the fight, this is Robin Williams, only way Robin Williams, did you see the fight? And I go, oh you know he knocked that white boy out, he knocked that motherfucker out, and the whole room laughed, and Robin goes, ah! And he goes, you know what I'm saying,

you know what I'm saying, you feel, and I start, and camera goes, okay, let's start reading, this is great energy, we read the thing, at one point I'm standing on a table, you know, show me the money. I'm doing the whole thing in the read through. Three hours ends. Everybody's talking to everybody.

Cameron Crowe walks up to me and he says, I didn't know who you were before today, but now this is your role to lose. Robin Williams was reading this as a favor to me. I wrote this for Tom Cruise, and this as a favor to me. This is, I wrote this for Tom Cruise, and this is your part to lose. And that's exactly what I did. I went, whoa.

So I leave and Coralie goes, how'd it go? I go, I can't tell you what happened. She goes, I know they've already called. And he said that this is your part to lose. There's another read through with Tom Cruise. And it's two weeks from today. Get your mind right. I said, got it. Went and did the same read through with Tom Cruise and it's two weeks from today, get your mind right. I said, got it. Went and did the same read through with Tom Cruise, same energy, same electric, everything. And then the studio, isn't that funny? It's Sony. I think it's,

well, at the time it was called Columbia Studios, but they did Boys in the Hood. They also did Jerry Maguire. They were the two times they were like, no, you have to go with the bigger actor. And I remember every black actor in Hollywood, even Jamie Foxx says that's the role that he lost. Well, Cameron Crowe. Jerry Maguire. Yes, and Cameron Crowe tells the same story of,

no, when anybody saw Tom Cruise, they would freeze. They couldn't read and you have to dump, you saw what I did with him. When I finally, the last audition was me walking in, it was just me, Tom and Cameron. And he goes, and we were laughing and hugging and Tom was doing this thing, crazy thing. And he goes, you got it, you got the part.

And he goes, but I got to ask this. Like, like this is a true story oh my goodness if this happened today everybody beat me too but he goes you don't have problem with nudity do you and i pull my pants down i show my ass and go you think i got problem with nudity is this ass look like i'm part of this is homegrown blackness baby they laugh we laugh james laugh i laughed and then the rest of that question is it because there's a scene When I go oh yes, and they're interviewing you guys in the locker room. Is that the one you're talking about? Oh, yeah, yeah I mean we're all naked but I've seen all of us are naked and some of these guys are kicking the tip with their knees Looking around the room and they go roll camera, take the towels off.

So they take it around, take the towels off, it looked a little like a tub. We were in a room full of black trees. It was just like, you know, I'm just, they're like, yeah, just keep the camera a little higher than you normally would. But that scene. How do you do it in that moment, though?

I'm Rod Tillwell. I'm Rod Tillwell. You tell Tillwell how to do that shit when this what I do. Hey, hear me. This is me, homie That was my mentality. Wow. That was it. You couldn't there was nothing You could say or do anything to me in that moment because that was the character that I was portraying Let me let me ask you so Robin to Tom. Yeah, who was bigger at the time? Is Tom the top gun? I think Tom's always been. He's already done a bunch of stuff. Days of Thunder, yeah.

Whenever Tom has a movie come out, I'm the first to see it because I'm a true Tom Cruise fan. So when they told me it was Tom Cruise, I got angry. So you're going to put him with me? You know that's my guy. Watch this. You know what I my guy watch this you know I mean it's like It just is what was the Robins aura when you met him versus Tom's aura no no

Robin was all about the jokes Robin was all about saying the lines and making everything funny and if it wasn't funny he'd do two ten minutes of Why it wasn't funny which then it became funny like he Robin and I Did a movie that I that is again a part of my soul film called what dreams may come and Sick movie and and how I got that role. Here's an interesting story. So here I am Yep, there it is. I I just won the Oscar very interesting movie

I just won the Oscar let's say and then it was like February March, right? Here I am. I got the statue at home and I go eight months I'm going on auditions and meetings and I like to tell people I just couldn't find work. I couldn't find work It wasn't true. Steven Spielberg goes I want you to play Cinque in Amistad I said no, no, I just I'm showing me the money. It's too much of a like I tell him no He says well, I can make you act like it's safe and I go well We should find something else to do so that opportunity leaves itself and then a almost a year into it I say to my agent, send me every script

out there so I can read it. And I read this beautiful story based on this book of this man whose wife, I think his kid, one kid dies, another kid dies, then his wife commits suicide. And he's so sick-grieving that he kills himself to go to hell to bring her back, to bring her in heaven. And I'm reading the script and there's only two roles in there that are major. There's his son and then his best friend going up. And I was like, so I said, give me a meeting with the director. And I met with the director and the director's like, so why do you think you can play the

son? And when he said it, the idea came to me because I was going to say, can he have grown up with a black best friend? I said, well, Vincent Ward is his name. I said, well, no, Vincent, I came here to read for his, and then I went, well, this is why I'm saying I can play his son because his best friend's black. So I just assumed that I could get away with that now. But he doesn't recognize his son until he has to recognize his best black friend and then the black friend reveals himself as being his son. He ate it up. I got the role. Next eight months I'm with

Robin Williams. That's insane. But it took me to get in a room with that director for us to for me to finally be on screen again. Let me ask this question. He was almost here. Let me ask this question. After winning the Oscar. Why would Cameron have Robin come in to read with you? Robin is nothing like Thomas personality. Why is he doing that? Does it not matter who it is? Yeah, he goes, it's just a favor. You got to remember, think about it. I mean, think about it. It's kind of a naive question. Studio executives, they don't care which big movie stars in the room. They want to see movie stars in the room they want to see movie stars in the room So they're listening to this read through yeah But they're looking at Robin Williams and they're looking at Mira Savino and they're looking at the who had also had it on

Mm-hmm. I think she had it on maybe not at that time. She did I know she had you know It's not a fun fact. She handed me my Oscar when I won. She was the actress She had won the year before wow and then she gave was that intentional was it accidental like did they do it intentionally knowing that she's gonna give it to you Hand it to you. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no The one who wins last year Does the best supporting actress gives it to the best supporting actor at that time? But my point is There was Robin her and I in that room doing the read through, but it became, I don't know who played that part, Renee Zellweger or I can't remember which one.

Yeah, it was Renee Zellweger. No, but I'm saying, I don't know if she played the sister in that read through. Oh, I don't know. Yeah. Dorothy Boyd. So now Tom, so that's Robin. You've never met Tom before. You've never met Tom before.

Before, before the read through, unless you got to remember all of these are blurring in my head. I did a few good men. Oh, I'll tell you my few good men story. This is so embarrassing. So this is when I first met Tom. I'm casting a few good men. And I could tell you how I went to that audition. I'll do a quick little thing of it. Rob Reiner, now it's callbacks. And as you know, I'm wearing the same thing as a military guy. And I walk in and I do my screen test, and I nail it for one of the people who do the cold red on the kid, the Indiana kid.

That weekend he watches Boys in the Hood. He comes back after, on Monday, and my my agent says he wants to see you audition again. I come in and audition again and he goes, hey man, so anyway, I saw that movie Boys in the Hood. You know, that's like Stand By Me. We had the dead body and we had the railroad tracks and we had all of this and I'm getting nervous. He goes, alright, never mind. Just read it again. So of course I read it again and he casts his assistant to be the black guy so I lose the role. Fast forward to their film in the movie and all of us black actors had kind of, especially at that time, knew each other. And this T.E. Russell, dear friend of mine, had gotten a one-day role

to be on the witness stand but he can't do. Because he's conflicting with a bigger role. So I called Coralie and I said, Coralie, get me that part. So she calls the casting director and they go, of course, Cuba Gooding Jr. We know who he is, but it's just one day role. She goes, he doesn't care what the pay is, he just wants to be in the movie. So I go on the set and I sit on that stand and I'm looking at,

who's who in a few good men from Demi Moore, Rob Reiner, Tom Cruise, the spacey, not Kevin Spacey, Kevin Bacon, to all of these, right? Kiefer Sutherland. All of them, they're all staring at me. Oh, and I'm on the line, and this is all I had to say. This is all I had to say. Couldn't say for four hours. Four hours, they broke to lunch, came I'm on the line. And this is all I had to say. This is all I had to say. I couldn't say it for four hours. Four hours.

They broke to lunch, came back. I still couldn't say this word. Corporal Carl Edward Hammacher, Marine Barracks Rifle Security Company, Winwood, Second Platoon, Bravo. I couldn't say it. I will never forget that damn line. I can relate to them. You can put that on my grave stone.

Corporal Carl Edward Hammacher, Marine Barracks Rifle Security Company, Winwood, Second Platoon, Bravo. But I couldn't say it. I just couldn't say it. I couldn't say it. I can relate to you can put that on my gravestone Come on call every hammer community barracks rifle security covered with respect between Bravo But I couldn't say it just could say it could say and even the worst thing Tom Cruise they care Okay, we're breaking for lunch and he goes No, so Thomas now putting more pressure Thomas kind of like you got this gonna be all right Yeah And every time I look around the room and I make eye contact people are looking at me like you stupid Who's given the look who's like running out of patience? Anybody know what would the hair Kevin the Pollock is it Kevin Pollock? He's looking at me like you stupid who's giving the look who's like running out of patience anybody would hear Kevin the Pollock is it Kevin Pollock he looking at me like

mm-hmm he's like I mean like better you mean motherfucker better you than me but I'm just still just like and and I'm trying to and I got mine I got my little Kurt little mustache and I got my hair all clicked and yeah Wolfgang Bodison is the one who actually got the main role but there I am and I might even my lips look swollen in there. I'm so upset. I'm so upset. I am literally so upset because I can't say these words. So now, can you imagine, fast forward, what year was that? What year did it say? A few good men. It says 92. 92. Yeah, so fast forward three, four years later, Tom Cruise hears about this Cuba Gooding Jr. kid, boys in the thing, and he probably laughs at myself, yeah, I saw him, understand, he's

ass and not the good kind, he's horrible. So I walk in as Rod Tidwell now, and we do the read through and like I keep saying the rest is history by the way Tom Cruise yeah how many movies can you and I say where this guy absolutely crushed it he's been nominated four times born of 4th of July I was gonna say born of July. The Maverick and there's one other one. Rain Man I mean everything that he's done people gotta understand how is he never won an Oscar? Well, you gotta understand, you need a sounding board. If you had two idiots talking to each other, it just looks like a beaver's and butt head.

But if you got one straight man and an idiot, people can laugh at the idiot, because especially you have an intelligent somebody who's gathered. You need somebody to bounce off of it. And he's been that guy I mean think about it the closest he's ever got to winning an Academy Award was Tropic Thunder, but it wasn't the Tom Cruise we know he he went into this the fat bastard get whatever character We don't negotiate with terrorists And by the way when that came out out, nobody, everybody's like, who is that guy at the end? Everybody was Googling.

Yeah, they didn't know it was him. Because they didn't know who that guy was. That's right. And like, is this who I think it is? And they're like, wait a minute, it is. And by the way, do you know the story of he approached and he says, I'm taking hip hop dancing classes. And he pitched this to Ben.

Did you know the story that he went to Ben? No. Pitched it saying, for the last 30 days, I've been taking hip hop classes, I'm going to play this part, it's my part, trust me. And Ben's like, what are you talking about? He went and pitched it to him, he's like, holy shit, Tom, what did you do with this? Okay. So you- And look at how he came in, he probably came dressed exactly like that when Ben saw him. By the way, how come he hasn't won? How come he hasn't won?

I think it's just that. I think they want to see him disappear. I mean, you think about Leonardo DiCaprio. We almost could say, why didn't Leonardo DiCaprio win? He just won, right? But I mean, you saw that role? Yeah. I mean, they had to give it to him for that. I mean, I don't like the cold.

I wish I could play ice hockey in a warm arena. I wish it wasn't on ice. But it's to see him cold and stick his body in that horse and fight the bear and all that stuff, I mean, he deserved it. He deserved it. But when you think of leading man and you think of the Jack Nicholson's and the Daniel Day Lewis's of the world, you can't deny them because they keep flipping the script. You know, it's like, it's like people question, I was going to say Muhammad Ali, because I'm looking at the boxing gloves. Michael Jackson, you think

of Michael Jackson. Oh, you're, you know, Jackson five. No, okay. Oh, wow. Off the wall. Yeah, but you can't run. Oh, I'm bad. Yeah. Okay. Well now it's really over every time every five years It was before fall you're waiting and then all of a sudden it's this new butterfly. It's this new thing Well, that's what we do with every role and when you see a real leading man You don't expect him to go into somewhere else You think he gives a shit if he ever wins again or not? 100% everybody gives a shit. People say they don't give a shit. We, we, like, I'll tell you the one reason why I probably won't do the whole award circuit thing ever again.

It has nothing to do with my talent or me wanting the accolades from my peers. But I had two films come out and I bought the hype from my publicist. This is why I had, I still don't have a personal publicist for going on two decades now, but they convinced me to do all of the Tonight Show circuits and all the press for Fighting Temptations. And it came out, let's say in September, then literally the next month, interviews were like, well, here he is again. Oh, I get it for the Oscar campaign for radio, because they came out literally within two months of each other, those two movies. And the backlash I started to get from the role of radio was, oh, he's just

trying to win another Oscar. And they were right. They had me on every other Oscar thing doing that. I did look at that and I went, they're right, it's gross. I didn't even think about that, but you're right. Let the work speak for itself. It's so funny to segue to bad press. But it's funny about these years of this last few days, you know, the darkness of my career, of my dad passing away and then the accusations and all of these things in the press and reading these headlines that are just simply not true that The PDD think just simply not true this it's ridiculous but if I

Allow those things to identify who I am and I say well That's what it says and I'm explaining myself to you then I lose I have to be who I am no matter what the headline is, no matter what the narrative is in the media. And at the end of the day, you can just hope that people can still go and see your role and say, there he is. That's the character. That's Rod Tidwell. That's James Robert, Radio Kennedy. That's Carl Beshear, that's Dory Miller, that's that Tuskegee Airman who died for me and gave me the freedoms. That's the character that I want to follow, high or low. And even the dark ones, that's the Nicky Barnes, that's OJ Simpson. The biggest

compliment I ever got, even though it took me a while to look at a white Bronco without crying, it's just because it's, you know, these are, you know, when you're, when you're doing emotional scene, you're grieving, you get, you, like, I break out in a hodge. Your body doesn't know that you're really grieving. Your body thinks you're going through it. So you never kind of let that go. People would come up to me after that show aired, the first 10 episodes, they said,

it's so funny. I saw a picture of OG and I forgot what he looked like. I just had it in my mind that it was what you look like in that show. That's what we want. That's what brought me back to North Hollywood High School in the morning playing Little Labner and in the evening playing Twelfth Night, you know, Festy. those characters and those kids cheering two different people. Imagine being the first person to ever send a payment over the internet. New things can be scary and crypto is no different. It's new, but like the internet, it's also revolutionary. Making your first crypto trade feels easy with 24-7 support when you need it.

Go to Kraken.com and see what crypto can be. Not investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss. See kraken.com slash legal slash ca dash pru dash disclaimer for info on Kraken's undertaking to register in Canada. What role changed you? Was there any role like where, like in Austin Butler plays Elvis Presley afterwards.

You're like, he can't stop talking like that. Like, he can't get rid of that, right? Or right now, my kids were going through Godfather. My oldest son is all about movies. I'm going to New York for him to go through one-week camp, and I'm going to take him there to go to his 12 years old. He's all about movies. He's obsessed with movies.

And we're watching Godfather, and he changed the thumbnail to his iPad now to Godfather And you're seeing Pacino where he goes from the role his wife You know the wife in Italy blows up and he's coming back and he sees that his dad's dying Flies back in Sonny's about to get killed Sonny doesn't have the temperament to be a boss His younger brother Fredo is not the older brother, Fredo, was making too many mistakes. He's too controlled, being bullied by the guy in Vegas, the owner that runs the casino, and then he realizes, this is my job, right?

And you wonder, a job like that, a role like that, you go in it, right? You go deep, do you leave it like Daniel Day-Lewis, last set of Mohicans, I'm gonna go out there and live in the wilderness for six months to really understand what this is really all about, because he really goes into it, right? And yeah, you know three Academy Awards, you know Lincoln all these different things that he's done

What what role did you go so deep into where you're like dude this? Permanently changed a part of me. Well, probably OJ I mean I stop and seen it like it's it's funny because even when I was going on the tour, because I made a deal with Ryan Murphy. I said, I don't want to make a political statement based on what you think he did or didn't do. So let's just do a thing. Let's do a take where I do it, where he's guilty. Let's do a take where he truly believes he's innocent.

And then you decide and you use the takes you want. And that's how we shot that character. But again, it's, I was dark, man. I had just gotten separated from my wife. I was living by myself. I couldn't, the sun would drop and I'd look out out my windows and I'd go, and we now know it's depression. I would have to go to a bar or to a restaurant around people and just sit and talk to people

and we'd talk, tell stories and all that stuff. But I couldn't be by myself because it's almost like I could, you know, I'm looking at all the footage and all the court stuff and then the autopsy photos and all that stuff. I mean, it really imprints scars on your soul. The other, I mean, so many of them did that. Outbreak did that. I'll never forget Carrie Fisher. So here's a funny story about Outbreak.

When we started Outbreak, Arnold Copelson, who's the producer, big mega producer, he was in competition with Robert Redford and Jodie Foster because they had a Ebola virus big studio picture so he brilliant producer he was flew the cast to Northern California and we started shooting trees we didn't have a script we just started shooting and because we started shooting trees. We didn't have a script. We just started shooting. And because we were shooting, they abandoned the end zone or whatever it was called, the hot zone or whatever. And so now he stopped for three weeks, wrote the script and then

we shot it. But because, and so you can imagine the script was never where it needed to be, but Dustin Hoffman had a real close relationship with Carrie Fisher. So Carrie Fisher flew out to Ferndale, I think Ferndale or California, Northern California, and she sat with Dustin Hoffman in his trailer rewriting the script and showing him video footage. And I'll never forget, Dustin runs into my trailer and goes, you got to see this, you got to see this. And I literally looked at a black and white video of a soldier, because the soldiers at the time kept dying from some weird brain disease when they went in the jungle. And they had this young soldier, he

was healthy, but he had this early signs. So they said, you're going to die. They told the soldier, you got about eight, ten days. We want to record it so we can figure it out. And so I literally watched this soldier deteriorate, this young blonde, blue-eyed kid, I'm assuming he's blonde and blue-eyed, but that's what he looked like in the black and white footage in this room, and slowly dry heaving, and literally it went time lapse for 10 days until he deteriorated and died. And because of that, they figured out that when they lay in the brush, even if they put it on their arms or whatever, the lice from the mice would go in their ear and eat their brain, and that's how they died.

So then because of that video, they have their helmets, and they sleep on their hardhat helmets that keep them off the grass. So he saved people's lives. But that's another thing that, I can never unring that bell. That's a part of my psyche now. So when you're shooting OJ,

because if you're saying personal life, 2014, 2017 is, I think if I read it correctly you're going through the divorce or got finalized my father You're separating your father passed away. And when are you shooting this when you're shooting OJ? Well, so so OJ came out in 2016, right? So I got separated in 2013 so I'd been on my separation journey 13 14 14, 15, 16, right? And then we got, you know, we were the bell of the ball. Every Emmy, every, at one point, there was OJ's documentary that won the Academy Award. So people were going, congratulations on your Oscar. I was like, I'll take it. There wasn't a war we didn't win with that. And then my

dad dies. So now here I am. Now I can tell myself I did the right thing, right? I fought the good fight to play a dark character. And then now I'm back in the darkness all over again. You know, and then at some point there's the pandemic and there's, there's all of these things that was like, it rains it pours when one thing after the other after the other. And I believe that changes you, it changes a man. You know, by the way, were you close to your pops? Were you guys close?

Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, that's my dad. We fought like cats and dogs. He used to tell people I had to name first. Right? Cuba Gooding Jr., Cuba Gooding Sr., you go, I don't know how to put Sr. I'm Cuba Gooding. All right dad. What do you even like it right now when you're in the car and radio or you somewhere the song plays do you go anywhere? Oh man I mean I'm not

gonna get emotional but but there's this song that he sings. Don't you worry about a thing, don't you worry about a thing mama, cause I'll be standing on the side when you check it out. When I hear that song, I put the song in my playlist and every once in a while I'm going through something dark and the song comes on the radio. I go, thanks dad. I'm telling you, I'm telling you, any bad thing, bad press thing happens or something, I read it and all of a sudden I'm in my car driving and that song, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and I go, thanks dad. There he is. I'm telling you, I connected with him in death more than

I did in life. And now, and it's so funny, cause I'll be standing on the side when you check it out. Well, when I die, no, but I think it's cause whenever anything's there, he's there. He's standing there. He's standing there. He's standing there Yeah, I believe that man, yeah there's a song that I listen to Papa and If I listen to this song Papa thinks by Paul Anka If I listen to the lyrics man, I'm gone. Yeah, you know and I can play this But okay, but my dad's voice. I know. Do you understand? I know. That's what I'm saying. So this is a song that I hear. I hear his voice singing that song.

Do you try to avoid hearing the song? Saying don't you worry about the thing. No, I just know when I'm or even I'm gonna go do something. I had a big interview, a big two-hour interview last week and I got in the car and turned it on and I was like, oh there he is, there you go. Does it take you to a happy place? Yes, every time, every time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Was he your call? Like when you're going through tough times and you need somebody to just kind of lift

you, was he your call? No, you don't listen. You interview, you don't pay attention. I told you when he died is when I got close to him. Got it. You know, and my dad was old school. Remember from the Harlem, you know, grew up that way. He grew up a street guy. Everywhere he laid his hat was his home type guy. So everything was a hustle with him. And then when he passed away, his, the community, especially in New York City, they came and said, we got you now.

And so now I got that community as my support system. Let me ask you, you know, for me, I wrote a book called Choose Your Enemies Wisely. And I'm talking to Brady, and one of the things I said to him, I said, you know, anybody that I see that somehow, someway makes it to a high level that is able to tolerate the kind of pain you need to get to that level. There's three things in common. They have experienced unconditional love from one person. You need one person to give you unconditional love, right?

The other thing is you need somebody that no matter how much you ever do, you will never win them over. That's right. That that person, no matter how many Oscars you win, no matter how much money you make, no matter how, you know, sports, accolades, everything, and you need to choose your enemies wisely because the right enemies will drive you, the wrong ones will destroy you. That's right. Those three.

The Iagos will destroy you. Right. Was your father the one that, was it an element while he was alive? 100%. Nothing was ever enough? Was it kind of like a- Okay, so I'll tell you a quick story. So I was, which will bring us to the firing squad, which is funny enough. My dad would say to me all the time, you're not a singer, you can't sing, you're not a singer, you can't

sing. Right? So even happy birthday was hard. Happy birthday. Because I was always insecure about my voice. So he passes away, right? And my reps call me and they say, okay, so we got an offer. So have you heard of the musical Chicago? I said, of course, says, so they've offered you to re-instated this is in 19, this is in right before the pandemic, the year before the pandemic. So 1718, they're going to do it on the West End shit stage in London. And I went, but I can't sing. And my agent, of course, remember this agent, oh, don't worry about it. You don't sing, you, you, you, what do you say? You, you talk the words. Is everybody here?

Is everybody here? You know, it's like that thing. So I go, well, if they'll give me a vocal coach for at least three months, then I'll do it. So in walks Eric Vitro into my life. And three months becomes six months, six months becomes nine months, and then I go on a plane to London. And I step on that West End stage after three additional months, so probably a total of a year. And I wind up doing eight shows a week, six days a week for five months playing Billy Flynn. And I'm telling you,

I don't know who that was. It had to be my father. I flew back to the States. I do it for another six months on Broadway and another six months on Broadway playing Billy Flynn in Chicago. And before all of this, Tim Shea, writer, producer, director of Firing Squad, offered me a movie called Freedom, which I did in the mid-2000s. And it's a slave picture. And he says at the end of the movie, the last scene, because they did the director, I think it was Vincent Ward directed? I can't remember. No, not Vincent Ward. He did Watch Dreams May Come. But he says, you're finally going to find redemption. You're by this, you're all this, the people, you've finally made it to the north. And you've got all these slaves and handlers. And I just want you to sing Amazing Grace. I go, excuse me? Now remember, this was years before Chicago or anything. He goes, I just want you to sing Amazing Grace. I go, and what do I say? I don't know the words. He goes, don't worry, we're gonna have the words on cue cards. And

sure enough, I come out of the trailer, I come into this riverbank with all of these extras, 200 people, slaves, horses and everything, and big cue cards. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. I was lost and now I'm found. And I, Amazing Grace, and it's almost like, it's, no, the moment it rhymed, I have a few good men. Like, here I am back on the scene. I can see the actors look at me going, this boy, he's supposed to be doing this. We finished that day of filming, I go into the sound editing room. The director has me in there. He's got a vocal thing. They're trying to get me to sing it. They're doing all the tricks with the...

whatever. The movie comes and goes. Fast forward to last year. Tim Shea calls me and says, I got this script. It's a true story about three Americans who are overseas. They got mixed up in drugs and they're put to death via firing squad I Want you to play one of the prisoners? I? Said well, I Tim semi-script my read it and I read it and I break down. I'm crying Because the way these guys did it is the guy

They sing Amazing Grace with guns in their face. But this time I can sing, baby. When you were performing, were you, was it kind of like a level of safety to know the insecurity was gone because he's not here? Or was it more like, I'm going to show you that I can sing? What was it like for you to know now performing without him saying, you can't sing, stop singing, you don't have a voice, stop singing? RG I always have a laugh that's always boisterous. I always sing along louder. Or if I need to get

a retention, I laugh. And so, when I finally, what I say to people, go let God, I didn't have any more tension in my diaphragm. So, when that note hit in the Broadway play, Eric would just keep saying, I need you to relax. You gotta let it go. Both reach for the gun the gun stop and I just I literally and I just at one point it finally it was one of those things where my body was like relax and I think that was my dad both reach for the other

and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and we bought and he looked at me on the the thing and I'm sorry I blew your ears I apologize I probably I hope you knew that's coming but But on the piano he goes, there's your voice. And I believe that release, that personal tension, soul release, opened up what I always had. You know, years ago, when I'm trying to find out what I want to do in my life.

And- You're a little late for that, you found it. Well, no, in my late 20s, I am very good as an insurance executive and I'm making very good money. But I love art, I love movies. My therapy is early in the morning, going to the movie theater, watching movies

with 80 year olds, because that's when they go watch movies, right? Senior citizens watch movies early in the morning. On a week. And that was my therapy. So I would come back to the office, suit and a tie, but I got popcorn all over the place. That was my therapy, I love movies.

Even in Iran, when you're coping through things, we watched a lot of movies. That was the most, coping mechanism, therapy, that's what it was. So my wife, at the time was my girlfriend, for my gift, she gets me a one hour session with Aaron Spicer, okay? I a one-hour session with Aaron Spicer Okay, I don't know if you know Aaron Spicer is he's an acting coach Aaron Spicer if you want to Google him

He's he worked with I think Just happen Aaron Spicer acting coach. He worked with JLo he worked with Will Smith. Can you hear me? Yeah, I hear you. I hear you something's doing something. No, it's fully fine So, okay, so I'm with this guy and I sat down with them and I said hey, here's what I'm thinking about I want to find I have a creative itch and I don't want to be 60 years old looking back saying hey Why don't you go pursue the creative itch? Right? He says, okay. What do you want to do? I said I want to act He says What do you do with lag time? I?

Say what do you mean? He says, well, as an actor, you're not working 80% of the time. 100%, you're on the set 17 hours, you're actually in front of the camera 45 minutes. So he says, and forget about even when you're working on the set, because at least you're around people. That's right. But what do you do when the rest of the six months out of it,

you have no work, you got paid, you're doing nothing. Can you manage your level of creativity to not be self-destructive? Because that's when a lot of guys lose. So he said, maybe you wanna consider funding movies, maybe go on a different route than doing this because your brain is constantly going. For you, how did you, when you're saying,

the boys in the hood and you do the second one, gladiator, and then they drop you, you make $36,000 and $65,000, the third one was supposed to be $100,000, but they don't pay you. Now you don't have a job, you're not doing anything until 94, 95, then you get in the call for Jerry Maguire and you did something in 94 for a few good men, all the stuff that you're doing, right? How do you manage your lack time? Are you able to find a way to not let your creative juices go to a place where you become self-destructive or is that where you lose?

Well, let me plainly answer, it's an everyday struggle. It's just like when they say in AA, you do one drink at a time, same thing. I don't know if you knew this, but Sammy Davis Jr. was an expert markman with the six shooter. And he could do all the things because that became his hobby. Oh, I skate like the wind. And at one point, I used my money and built an ice rink in my backyard in the Hollywood Hills next to the sunset sign. Because I practice, I skate, I skate, I skate, and that became my outlet. Boxing was another one. I was in the wild card gym for 10, 12 years under Freddie Roach and all of his trainers

there, Troy Bodine, Steve Petromali, these are people that were in my life and I, the one thing just like studying a character, when I'm not filming, I'm in the gym, I'm on the ice, I'm doing, you know, and it's funny now because you can see my fingers don't touch anymore. It's like so many broken knuckles and stuff. So I don't go to boxing gyms anymore. But Chris Chelyos, his dear friend of mine,

I had a beach house and in his beach house he had a dry sauna and a stationary bike. And I said, what is that? What are you doing with that? He goes, I watch my games in there and that's how I station my bike and I lose the weight. So now whatever city I am, wherever I said, what is that? What are you doing? He goes, I watch my games in there. And that's how I station my mic and I lose the weight. So now, whatever city I am, wherever I am, all over the world, I find the spas and I do an hour and a half steam

shower, dry sauna, shadow boxing workout. And it's funny, I've been doing this now for at least 10, 12, 20 years, something like that. And I've been in, from Russia to London, when I was on the London stage, they just knew I had my routine. But it's that fanatical pit bull mentality thing. When you're not working, you gotta get a newer routine.

There's the military thing of, you, as soon as you wake up, you get out, you make your bed. To this day, I make my bed. It's funny, because even today, I was in a hotel around the corner, because I didn't want to go from, so I started to make the bed. No, no, no, it's a hotel room.

But it's these little things that you program, because it's true. I don't mind as a devil's playground. And we as actors, we constantly study behavior. I constantly am watching. I constantly am seeing how people do things, because you're always, you know, and if you think, it's so funny, it's like the hardest parts of my day when I'm dealing with something, be it loss or be it a darkness, are the mornings. Because that's when I wake up, I'm fresh, my mind is the first thing it wakes up, and

it doesn't go to the happy places. It goes with all the things that I have to solve. So now I'm solving with that, and I'm trying to work all of that stuff out, and now I'm up. It doesn't happen every morning, but it happens a lot of times. Do you still drink? Yeah, I have drinks every once in a while. Every once in a while. It's not like drinking, drinking. No, it's casually.

Especially, best beer in the world is in the locker room after a game. That's it. You have two, it's now. The first one, you're working out, extreme workout in your body, it's like, whoo. Yeah, because sometimes when you're talking to certain people who drink or alcohol or whatever it is that you're going through, I was in the army, we drank for a living. And you're either drinking because you like it,

you're either drinking because you're addicted, you're either drinking because you're escaping or coping with something. Trying to numb your feelings. That's right. What's your reasoning? I think there's a sub that it depends on when you're talking to me. But for the most part, I have a rule never drink to feel better, drink to feel even better.

So if you're going to celebrate something and you have a drink, but if you're doing it because you need it, then leave it alone. You know, I've been doing this intermittent fasting thing where I drink green tea. I Don't have food. My only food is until 6 p.m and then I can eat or drink whenever I want in the evening and What it does is in the morning everything I mean, you get there's no holding back in the morning But my body's now used to knowing like I don't know what time it is, but I'm not hungry yet But if 30 minutes you got it's 534. so right at around 6 o'clock you're gonna feel well what will happen is I'll get the girl right right now I won't if we talked

to eight which I can't cuz I gotta go to the next thing but if we kept talking I would get the Gertrude tape but I probably wouldn't feel the hunger because my adrenaline is going but you're talking about a normal day that I'm gone helping my girlfriend pick up her kids from school I look it's 530 I'm hungry but it's it's because of this regime that I put my body a couple questions here for you with acting so you played with Nicholson yeah Cruz Fishburn De Niro yes Denzel Dustin Hoffman Morgan Freeman Cube Demi Moore Ben Affleck, this is just a list of people that you work with.

Who was the one on set where you were like, holy shit, this guy's on a whole different level? Well, there's one I was working with and one I wasn't working with. The one I was working with, to just cherry pick out of that. I mean, there's just so many. Maybe Dustin Hoffman, only because Dustin was a teacher. Dustin Dustin taught I learned so much with just a little stuff little prodding stuff. He said there's a scene where I play major salt and we go into a news station, we take

it over and I got the gun out and I kicked the door and I go everybody remain calm, remain calm and screaming the papers flying, everything. And Dustin's just going through and he goes, where's, honey, I need the keyboard. I don't keep it, major assault. And then I put the gun in and then we get to live and then we broadcast. So we've been doing it about eight, nine, 10,

hey man, hey man, let it go. I go, excuse me? He goes, no man, do the opposite. I go, yeah, all right. He goes, no, do the opposite. So we do another take, kick the door in, I'm just yelling and screaming. I'm telling you, man, you just try, why not just a take, do the opposite.

So I, screwing with him, go, oh, I'll show him. So they go, action, I kick the door in, I go, calm down, everybody scream and yell, everybody with major salt, please. Ladies, please, everyone. That's the take they use in the movie. And I went Wow, because it was the opposite of what you think would happen. Here's a man that lives in chaos

He knows what a gun does the sight of a weapon does to a human So the fact that he's got appointed everybody's gonna freak he's got to be and it was that lesson and I went Wow and He's got to be and it was that lesson then I went wow and Anything I did on set if it was too emotional I made a comedy if it was too funny I brought something dark to it back and forth back and forth that was my lesson the other Guy that I never work with but I had three encounters with that went. Wow. There's a movie star and that was Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood came to the set, he was Dustin's friend, and Dustin said, you wanna meet him?

I go, I can't. I can't believe I said that. But by the way, if I was hired to act next to him, then he wouldn't have been Clint Eastwood anymore, he'd been whatever the role was. But that's the guy that took my breath away. Why is that? Just the way he looked, the way he stood,

the way he stood still, and everybody was buzzing around him. It was almost like he was the way he looked the way he stood the way he he stood still and everybody was buzzing around him It was almost like he was the Sun and they were all the planets around him and I thought that's presence That's real present still doing with moving at the movies at this age and is what? 93 years old born in 1930 can you imagine his birthday is coming up in three weeks? No, I first yeah, but I directed one time. He's directing and starring still. And when you're a director, everybody comes to you for every question under the sun. That's a love of the game though. Did you ever do anything with Tupac or no? No, I saw him right before he passed too. Yeah, that's crazy. Never worked with him

though. What did Tupac pocket? He did gang related poetic justice. He did Jews And he did a couple other they did a basketball with Jim Belushi. I really did the one thing What did he do Kenny Oh above the ram? Mm-hmm poetic justice with Janet Jackson, which I thought it was great. Yeah Bullet, I think is oh, yeah Gang related album, soundtrack was actually good. I don't know if you've listened to the Gang related soundtrack. Not in a minute. Yeah, it was a really, really good soundtrack.

Cuba, with all this stuff that's coming up with Diddy and you're on one end, 50 Cent is calling out Diddy and here's what he's doing and all this stuff and they got the back and forth. I got Shug on here. Look at this example. Look what happened. Yeah, yeah. And I got Shug on.

Yeah, exactly. No, no, no question about it. What do you think is going on with all the stuff with Diddy, with Little Rod, with, you know, all the stories that everybody's hearing about? You mean in terms of what? I mean, you know, being raiding his, you know, his house being raided. I mean, that's crazy. That's the craziest thing I've ever...and then, hey, how about me?

I wake up in the morning, I turn on the station, actor, Cuba Gooding Jr. I was like, excuse me! Pull me into this! I think, I think whatever he'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. It's funny because my lawyers said, you 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. And it's so funny. So I'll tell you a little story about who my girlfriend is. She gave Robert De Niro three grandkids. Her name is Claudine De Niro She married his son Raphael. They separated and we've been together for a while

But she at one point ran Naomi Campbell's publicity. She had one point ran P diddy's publicity right when he started doing the white party thing. He had just gotten freed from indictment found not guilty. Did he, did he, did he, did he, did he? And he said to her, I'm gonna die running with these niggas, man. I need you to help me with the white folks in the switch.

And so she changed, helped change, cultivate his new image. So they had a friendship for years. But I had never met him till probably 2019, 20, just casually Claudine and I, he invited us to his house, the pandemic was starting to ease, you know, and hadn't seen him since that night where this guy with this picture that says that I had my shoulder on him and all this stuff, making it look sorted. Well, that picture, everyone in the room, there's probably 300 of us on the deck of P. Diddy's,

I'm going to show you, on P. Diddy's boat, New Year's Eve. I went from one ship, happy New Year, so I hung out with Tyson and next ship, there's Drake. This ship had P Diddy. He had his guy, his videographer, they're listening to music. And he says, hey, Cube, listen, you want to hear P Diddy's new song? I said, yeah, sure. Sit down next to him. They didn't use this angle, which is, which to me makes, makes me laugh because I go, Oh, I get it. You used, you made it look the way you wanted it to look. But that, and if you hold it, you know how you hold it and it does the thing where, can you hear all the people?

If you tap it or something, it's a live picture. You see what I mean? It's like, here we are just listening to music. Finished, took the thing off, said whatever I said to him, left, That was it But this guy who's suing him Going after the money man. I'm sure and by the way, I don't know pity that he's life I don't know what he's going through. I don't know what the police are gonna find out on all that

Are you guys close? Are you guys friends or we were acquaintances just like I just showed you two three times I've seen him so it's also did he you've only seen him two or three. That's what I'm saying That's what I'm saying. So why would they include you all of a sudden in some I think because of the darkness of the other grab grab grab of the cases that I Already had went through a lot of that stuff is 18 or 19, right? Those are from five six years ago. That's cases. Yeah A lot of that stuff is 18 though, 19, right? Those are from five, six years ago, the cases. Yeah. And that was, was that at the peak of the Me Too movement?

Or was that pre-Me Too movement? That is Me Too movement. That's right, that's right when it kicked off, yeah. That was crazy. Yeah, so it's gonna be interesting to see what happens with Diddy. Oh, 100%. Yeah, but I did not know that you guys

only hung out two or three times. That's it, man. And 50 was with you for your birthday, for your 56th birthday, I think you guys were hanging out together in Miami.. That's it man. And 50 was with you for your birthday, for your 56th birthday. I think you guys were hanging out together in Miami. Yeah, because we were in St. Barts on that boat. But then in Miami, which is where I run around now, yeah of course I ran into 50 and he was promoting his champagne.

I've seen Drake a hundred times around town. He loves Miami. Yeah. 50? I'm big with the rappers. How do you feel about 50? How's 50 like? You know, it's so funny.

I got a call from 50 who reached out to me and said, we gotta uplift our black entertainers and let's work together. I said, great. So we'll see. I try not to voice any of my opinion when it comes to the rap songs because just like everybody else, I'm into that music, man. Are you following the Lamar and Drake thing?

No, I just heard about that. I mean, that's like a whole... Somebody just got shot today outside of Drake's house. I heard. I heard. So I mean, it's like drive-by shooting in a gated community. I mean, that sounds a little crazy. Yeah, Drake security guards seriously injured and shooting at Toronto's Mansion guard was shot inside Drake's home and had serious but non life-threatening injuries while the asylum

Fled in a vehicle. Yeah, I say to them just like I said to Tupac when I saw him in the lobby that hotel in Chicago He's a man. Help me man. Give me some advice. I said, hey man, just remember your artistry first I know you're getting caught up with all this madness, but you're an artist now. He said, hey man, help me man, give me some advice. I said, hey man, just remember your artistry first. I know you're getting caught up with all this madness, but you're an artist now. He said, thanks Q, he hugged me and he went off. How old was he at the time? Well, two, three weeks later he was gone. Oh no shit. I saw him, and here's the second time I saw Tupac. This is a true story. Now I don't like the whole conspiracy thing, but that day he was in a convertible like Rolls Royce.

He was at the stop site and I was on a hockey tournament. So I was in Vegas as well, playing hockey and the guy had his fight. And I jumped out of the car and I ran up to his car. Pop, pop, it's cute. And all three cars, all these cars, boom, boom, boom, boom, with the guns. No, no, no, that's cute, but good, man.

That's cute, but good. And I go, oh, sorry, sorry, man. He goes, you good? I go, I'm good, I'm good. I'm sorry, guys, cars with the guns. No, no, no, that's good, man. That's good. Good. I go. Oh, sorry Sorry, man. He goes you good. I go. I'm good. I'm good. I'm sorry guys got in the car So that happens that day when the sun's out and at night they get shot. There's no cops around That's a true story. I was involved So in the morning few hours later, he's gone. Yeah Yes And so where were all those undercover cops that pulled the guns on me when I tried to approach him sitting in his car Convertible, what are you saying? I'm just saying it's weird that they were gonna blow me away and I'm Academy Award winner

It's all I'm saying. Yeah, cuz that's 96 and 96. You're like Every one man. Yeah, you're the man. I don't care get away back up. That's crazy. Yeah, by the way What do you pay you for Jerry McGuire? I forgot to ask you earlier. Was it what was that your big baby? No. Yeah at that point 600 grand What's the biggest you made for a movie? Oh snow dogs, you know, I should never I can't talk hell about snow dogs That's a good 13 million total that year. Wow, get lot of money. Get out of here. Good for you.

You know that money's gone. I already spent that money. Really? Yeah, 13 million dollars? I understand. I'm assuming you made some good investments. I made some investments, yeah, but yeah, that money. Hey, final thoughts before we wrap up.

How do you feel about some of the stuff that's going on in Hollywood right now? I think you commented, some of the stuff that's going on in Hollywood right now? I think you commented, yeah, like even the DEI stuff that they're doing and forcing some things if you want to win an Oscar, be nominated, you have to be able to qualify for these all these things or else the movie cannot be going. Oh, you're talking about diversity. Yeah, all that stuff. And you're a black man, I'm a Middle Eastern.

How do you feel about saying, well, in order for a movie to be nominated for XYZ a third has to be this and a third has to be that and third Has to be this and that how do you feel about yeah? I think that's crazy I think the idea that is crazy to implement in Hollywood because you know it's almost like It's almost like you say all right cube I'm gonna have you work at my house You're gonna be the gardener. I'm a pool man. And me and the pool man say, you know what? We need more money. And you go, you're right.

I want you, you know, from now on, here's the set of rules. But yet, but I don't need you to work today. Matter of fact, I got another gardener that's coming in. There's, in other words, all I'm saying is, you can set rules for diversity, but until we as people, minorities get the opportunities afforded us based on our talents and exposed, and I'll bring it back to hockey, okay? People come up to me all the time say, man, you play hockey? Black people don't know hockey. And I say to them, we invented hockey. People don't know this, but the runaway slaves went up through Nova Scotia, through up England

in America into Nova Scotia. There's a book called Black Ice. And the black hockey, the black slaves got with the Indians and they created black hockey leagues of the Maritimes 1895 to like 1900. And these rules that they did, and even the goalie, they had a black goalie that stack his pads. That's how they adopted the rules of the NHL today. Right? So here you're looking at the NHL as an all-white sport, but we were at the genesis of it way back in the day, you know you think of

Hip-hop it's like how many years from now 40 years now. They say I mean, what are you doing as a black guy? You know, you know, that's the white man's music. Do you know what I mean? It's like so I I think of the DEI and all of that as any positive step you can get, but we need the tools, we need the inner city kids to have the same. It's funny because you talk about, when they say nepotism, and my son, Mason Gooding, he has an opportunity, and let's be honest, because he has the exposure of who I am. So how you get around that, I think you just have to, you know, I mean, I guess I really have to get to this end of the day and say I don't have the answers. Did you feel like you being black hurt you in making an ad hoc?

Did you feel you had a disadvantage? I always looked at every, I always look, and I do this to this day, I look at the positive side of things I knew that when Coralie sent me to those auditions and I was surrounded by those white guys and I had something they didn't Have and I put myself she put my me in that position to be Seeing where she wasn't looking for me and I've always been that way in my life when I the ice hockey the rodeo horseback ride, motorcycle ride, anything where I know that I'm not going to blend in and I stand out, good or bad, I know that there's opportunity there. And that's what I try to look for in every area of my

life. It's the right mindset. You said something from Christian movies are coming up I think you're clear Exact words were I think Hollywood is just waiting to see what's gonna happen Let me see if I can find this which is yeah here You said you can't deny the shift with what is happening with faith-based movies That's right. Hollywood isn't going to come and say what are you doing? They're going to say let's see if it works if it works Then we know if it's the right way to go

That's a Hollywood works right now. Everybody is as quiet as church mouse But it's because of the reactions that we're getting from the audiences all across the country from Hawaii to New York City So we'll let the film speak for itself and this is based on a few movies you commented on Sound of Freedom Jesus Jesus Revolution, Ordinary Angels. What are things going on with movie making? I'll tell you right now what's going on. You have a destruction after the pandemic. You had the perfect storm of events happen, right?

You had the streamers that all came out of nowhere. You had every studio now shuttering their theatrical distribution business because they didn't have one, they didn't have product, and people were afraid to sit in an audience with other people, right? But who was never afraid? Other than Floridians. But who was never afraid to go and sit amongst the congregation? Christians. Christians, I don't care if we had to wear a mask or if we didn't wear a mask we went to church. And what Hollywood keeps forgetting that these people get, we get up every Sunday, put our best clothes on and we listen to the pastor and the pastor

says see this movie, that's what we look and after the end of the movie we tell our friends, we buy tickets and we go to that. And I think there's a bunch of these examples, but the most obvious one, which always makes me laugh, is the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Yes, Barbenheimer made a billion dollars. Even Top Gun made a billion dollars. But what was there? Oppenheimer, you mean?

What did I say? You said Barbenheimer. The phenomenon that was Barbenheimer meant Oppenheimer and Barbie. I got it. You mean what did I say you said Barbenheimer that phenomenon that was? Oppenheimer and Barbie I got it and then a third movie would be Top Gun got it. What were your other choices? Especially with Top Gun you only had Top Gun so it made a billion dollars Of course, there's not a lot of competition because there's not a lot of product ready in but you look at Barbenheimer or Oppenheimer and Barbie, what was the other one that made quietly a hundred million dollars that nobody talked about that starred Caviezel?

You see what I'm saying? But Oliver doesn't want to talk about that that weekend. Now they say it in hindsight, oh yeah, and Sound of Freedom, boy, what a phenomenon that was. And it's made this much money because it doesn't fit in their mold. It doesn't fit in their narrative. They need a narrative to follow and then and then they'll follow it. Once they get it, floodgates are open. I think so as well. Brother, this was

amazing. When is the movie coming out? So, Firearms Plus winner August 2nd, 2024. 2,500 screens across the country and eventually more than that. We are looking forward to watching it. I appreciate you for coming out. Where can people find these? Is there anything else you want people to go to? Are you working on a project? I have another film coming up too. I have another strong one, but I'm not supposed to show you the poster even though I brought it with you. I'll show you, but you can't put it in the poster. No, you can show it to me. I just won't say anything. Here we go. Do you know about Arab or no? Angels have fallen, warriors of peace, and I play the archangel Warriors of Peace and I play the archangel

Baldasar, I'm either Baldasar or Getty, I'm blanking right now, but I'll show you, I'll even show you this over there. So, you know, steal the image and put it up there. I don't get in trouble with the director, you know, this, that's my bread and butter. Get that next job with me, get me that poster. But you'll see, you can say the people in the poster you see with me, but but you'll see you can you could say to people in the poster you see with me, but All right, let's see that very Tarantino esque. Oh, okay Randy Couture. Yeah, I saw that Respect this one's this one's violent y'all this one's violent, but it has again. It's got that uplifting Denise Denise Richards. Yeah, it's got that uplifting feel story and killing demons. The poster. Hand to hand.

Look, look, you see that? Barry, you see that? No, don't tell nobody. Don't tell nobody. My man. Again, appreciate you for coming out, man. Thanks, man. Really enjoyed talking to you with your story. And by the way, I was going to tell you, though, I started my own insurance company because I watched Jerry Maguire. I wrote a 16 page

Letter to the entire company executives eventually that was the reason why I ended up leaving a company if I don't watch Jerry Maguire I don't send that 16 page proposal if I don't send that 16 page proposal I'm still probably in the same company Wow And so ended up one the best things me watching Jerry Maguire changed my life. God's will. My man. God bless you brother. This was great, love you too.

This was fantastic. Call me if you need me. My man. I'm out!