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Home · Entertainment

Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals Tupac Persuaded Her To Take 'Menace II Society' Role

Smith made her feature film debut as a single mother in the 1993 film, a role she almost passed on after Tupac was fired from the project.
Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals Tupac Persuaded Her To Take ‘Menace II Society’ Role
By Sydney Scott · Updated December 6, 2020

What would Menace II Society have been without Jada Pinkett Smith?

The actress and co-host of Red Table Talk recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about some of her previous roles, where she revealed that she almost passed on the opportunity to snag a role in the film.

In the 1993 classic, Smith played Ronnie, a young single mother. The actress shared that after friend and rapper Tupac’s dramatic firing from the project, she almost turned down the role.

“I was questioning whether I should do it or not, and Pac was like, ‘Look, just because I’m not doing it…you should still do it.’ I probably wouldn’t have done it without his blessing.”

Article continues after video.

Menace II Society was Smith’s feature debut, which led to later roles like Set It Off, Jason’s Lyric, and more.

Earlier this year, Smith received an Emmy nomination for her critically-acclaimed Red Table Talk series. Most recently, she wrapped Angel Has Fallen, in which she stars as an FBI agent. The film hits theaters this Friday, August 23.

TOPICS:  Jada Pinkett Smith menace II society tupac
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