Ice Cube showcased his range as an actor when Friday dropped. The iconic stoner comedy dropped in 1995 and boasted a star cast including Chris Tucker in the supporting role of Smokey, the late John Witherspoon as Willie Jones, and Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr. as Deebo. Unfortunately, in recent years, both Witherspoon and Lester Jr. have passed away, along with several other members of the cast, such as Bernie Mac, Reynaldo Rey, and Yvette Wilson.
During a recent appearance on GQ, Chris Tucker reflected on his first “co-starring role,” praising director Gary F. Grey and recounting his experience alongside several of his cast mates. “Tiny Zeus Lister, I don’t know if I mentioned him when he passed away. One of my good friends, the legendary Tiny Zeus Lister, who played Deebo. Casting him as like, the big villain coming like the shark from Jaws,” he said. Lister Jr. passed away at 62 in 2020 from hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Chris Tucker Looks Back At “Friday”
Along with Tiny Lister, Tucker also reflected on working alongside the talents such as Witherspoon, Bernie Mac, Rey, and Wilson. “The legendary iconic John Witherspoon,” Tucker continued, “and Bernie Mac. Those guys, comedy legends and gods, man. You had Reynaldo Rey, and Yvette Wilson. So many legends that was in this movie that passed away. I’m so, so honored to have worked with them.”
Chris Tucker only appeared in the first Friday film before Mike Epps took over in the supporting role as Craig’s cousin, Day Day. However, fans have undoubtedly hoped that Smokey would return to the screen. During a recent interview with Audacy’s V-103, he said that he’d be willing to join the cast of Last Friday as long as the script’s to his liking. “I love that they did two more after the one I did. If it’s possible, if it comes together right, I would try to do it. I’m a perfectionist, I’m sorry. If it ain’t gonna be great – I don’t believe in ‘some movies are good, some are not.’ Nah, I’m going all the way; I want it to be great.”
