Though "Barbershop" has an impressive ensemble cast, Ice Cube's character, Calvin, is at the center of the story. When it came to casting the film, the powers behind the camera knew there wasn't anyone better to capture the spirit of Calvin than actor/rapper Ice Cube.
Ice Cube was attracted to the project because he could understand the character's inner struggle. “I think Calvin's ambitious and doesn't realize he's sitting on something precious,” says Ice Cube. “He just wants better. That's a lot of us. We get to a certain point and we always expect more and don't really know how to be satisfied.”
ICE CUBE (Calvin)
What was the appeal of this script?
The same thing that "Boyz in the Hood" did for me. It was like the perfect slice of life for this world. With "Boyz in the Hood," it was a slice of life in South Central. I thought it presented a picture to the world that nobody else would've ever seen without that movie. I think "Barbershop" is the same way. A lot of people underestimate what the barbershop means to the community, but it's definitely like a teepee. It's where the elders and the youngsters can talk and they can be brutally honest about every subject under the sun. There's not too many places like that in the world and I just thought it was a hell of a movie to make.
Is it easier to do 'message' movies coming from such political music?
Yeah, I mean, that’s the beauty about films, that you can get your message across in a visual way instead of not just using audio. That’s what attracts me, creating on a three dimensional level and not just doing music, which I have fun doing, but this, movies are more of a challenge for me.
Are you trying to avoid being typecast?
I just want to do a lot of good projects. I just want it to be that when you see the Ice Cube name, it’s worth your time to check it out. I want to be a part of that, so this is one role where I was able to show a little range. Of course I want to show more in the future, but if a good script comes along and it’s a tough guy type of thing, then I’m going to jump at it. It’s all about being involved with good projects and being involved with projects that you’re going to be proud of. These movies are going to be here when I’m gone, so I need to be proud of every single one because you can’t erase them.
Is it getting easier for you to get attached to big projects?
It’s a mixture of both. I’m not quite on the 'A' list; I’m on the 'B+' list. It’s getting there. It’s getting easier to get involved in bigger movies with bigger directors and better scripts, so I’m starting to be offered. It’s definitely a progression. People definitely can feel what I’m trying to do with my career.
Why was this film set in Chicago?
Because all barbershops are pretty much the same, so I didn’t want it to be on either coast. I wanted it to be right in the middle and have the whole country feel what we’re trying to do, without it being an LA thing or a New York thing. It’s all about the barbershop. I love Chicago anyway. It was too damn cold, but everything else about it was cool.
What was it like working with this ensemble cast?
It was cool. Like I said, it was so cold that we all had to huddle around these heaters so it was kind of like a barbershop atmosphere in between takes. A topic would get tossed in the air and everybody would shoot at it. It was hard to sometimes get us from those conversations back on the set to the scripted conversations. I think you feel that in the movie. You feel the vibe that we had on set is the same vibe we had in the movie playing music in between takes, and just really having a good time making a movie.
What will carry this movie outside of America?
It's all about what you're into. If you like slice-of-life type movies, if you like to be a fly on the wall, which I do, this movie's going to appeal to you. It's not politically correct, it's just real. I think it's the same appeal that "Boyz in the Hood" brought to people. It was just seeing a world that they never knew existed.
Was the white barber a message?
It's basically you just can't judge a book by its cover. Everybody has a story to tell and everybody has where they came from. Not everybody's faking who they are. There's just a few little messages in there and I thought it was cool.
Was revelation a theme throughout the movie?
Yeah, definitely. It was just showing you how the barbershop really affected all of us and really what it meant to us. The way it was played in the movie is understated. That's just the way it is in the community.
Can you talk about what you think of "Friday After Next?"
That it’s funny as hell. I shouldn’t say this but I think it’s funnier than the first one, if you ask me. I think everybody came with their A game. Friday lands on Christmas Eve in the movie so it’s like a "Friday" movie wrapped in a Christmas present. It comes out November 22nd and it’s just a hell of a ride.
Are the film's characters still growing for you?
Yeah. There’s always new ones being added. Now only do we get Mr. Jones and Uncle Elroy and Pinky, you get Day-Day and new characters too mixed in. That’s what I think is so appealing about the "Friday" movies, that you don’t know what you’re going to get when you walk in there.You know you’re going to have a good time, but you don’t know how.
Did you think that "Friday" would be as big as it is?
No, not really. When I made the first one, we just figured the cool people would get it. There’s a lot of cool people out there. A lot of people get the movie, so it’s become this thing that you can watch all the time, and quote. I know some people who’ve seen the movie 20 times and that, to me, is better than getting an Oscar for the movie, that someone can watch the same movie over and over and enjoy it.
