Ice Cube Responds After Actor Says He Made $2,500 for Friday Film

Ice Cube is setting the record straight after being accused of low-balling actor Faizon Love to appear in the original Friday film.

On Wednesday (Dec. 29), a Twitter user reposted a headline from an article where Faizon Love, the actor who played the role of Big Worm in Friday, stated he only made $2,500 for being in the cult classic movie. The poster tried to use the rate as an example of Cube being a dirty businessman. “Yo it’s wild how @icecube act like he for the people and whole time been robbing his own people,” the person tweeted. “Pay them people @FAIZONLOVE @christuckerreal #RipAjjohnson.”

After catching wind of the post, Ice Cube clapped back. “I didn’t rob no fuckin body,” the rap legend typed in response. “The 1995 Friday movie cost $2.3m to make. Shot it in 20 days. Fazion worked 1 day, maybe 2. All the actors got paid scale to do the movie. They could’ve simple said ‘No’ but they didn’t. So miss me with that shit.”

Cube also addressed reports that Chris Tucker did not reprise his role in Next Friday because of money issues. “We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday but he turned us down for religious reasons,” Cube added. “He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore.”

In the Comedy Hype interview at the center of the fuss being made, Faizon was not upset with the rate he said he received for his memorable role. “See, it wasn’t really about the money then,” said Love. “I got to say I’m working, pay my rent, I ain’t out in the street doing no bullshit.”

Love said he turned down a $5,000 offer to play in the Next Friday film and took a higher paying gig. Even still, Love said he would not be above playing in the proposed final film in the franchise. “Now if I do it again, they talking about the Last Friday then, oh yeah, I’m with it. You got a last check?” said Love. “If Cube said, ‘Faizon, there’s no money. I need you to do this.’ I would have to do it on GP because it was that character that brought me into the game heavy.”

Faizon isn’t the first actor to reveal he was paid a small comparative amount for acting in the original Friday film. John Witherspoon said he only made $5,000 for the first film before starring in both follow-up movies.

The fourth and final film in the Friday franchise has been in the works for over a decade. In 2019, Cube said he was hoping to put out Last Friday the following year. Over the summer, it was reported that Cube and Warner Bros. were at a stalemate over the future of the franchise.