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O'Shea Jackson Jr. Talks 'Den of Thieves 2: Pantera', Ice Cube's Legacy and Nepotism in Hollywood
Jan 13, 2025
O'Shea Jackson Jr. opens up about making his father's critics "eat crow" through his impressive acting career and determination to forge his own path in Hollywood. In this revealing interview, he discusses his role in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and shares how he spent two years preparing for his breakout role in Straight Outta Compton. Jackson details his strategic approach to choosing diverse roles, from comedy to action, to showcase his versatility as an actor. The son of Ice Cube candidly addresses the challenges of being a "nepo baby" in the entertainment industry, revealing his mission to win the awards his father was denied and his drive to push the family name to new heights. He also shares exciting stories about working with Gerard Butler, his new wrestling podcast, and his memorable experience at WWE. Watch as Jackson discusses his evolution from USC student to acclaimed actor, his close relationship with his father, and how he's turned skepticism about his talents into fuel for success. This conversation showcases his genuine passion for acting, his dedication to his craft, and his determination to create his own legacy while honoring his family's name. #denofthieves2 #denofthieves #hollywoodnepotism #denofthievestrailer #actionmovies CHAPTERS: 02:35 - O’Shea Jackson Jr. Overcoming Typecasting Fear 06:29 - O’Shea Jackson Jr. and His Father's Legacy 11:42 - O’Shea Jackson Jr. Collaborating with Gerard Butler 14:43 - O’Shea Jackson Jr. Discusses WWE and CM Punk Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/SubscribeSU Watch the Best of Sway In The Morning! http://bit.ly/BestOfSITM Check out More From Sway’s Universe http://swaysuniverse.com http://twitter.com/swaysuniverse
View Video Transcript
0:00
big round of applause for
0:02
that that ominous feeling is warranted
0:05
Mike Muse that's the trailer starring
0:09
Our Guest that's here in the studio with
0:11
us today for the film denner thieves to
0:14
panta the sequel ladies and gentlemen
0:17
this young man for many reasons feel
0:19
like he's my
0:20
[Applause]
0:21
nephew speak on it his family is royalty
0:25
when it comes to our community and when
0:28
it comes to this culture I want to say
0:30
salute to them and all their many
0:31
contributions that came by way of his
0:33
dad and his mom cuz his dad would not be
0:36
who he is if it wasn't for his mom
0:38
there's always somebody there too yeah
0:41
um this man for many people saw him
0:43
first when he did Straight Out of
0:44
Compton and he played his own dad Ice
0:46
Cube give him a round of applause for
0:49
that the dinner thieves the first
0:53
episode if you will give him a round of
0:55
applause that for that Godzilla King of
0:59
when was in Godzilla I said he made
1:02
it he said Godzilla I made it yeah give
1:06
him Applause for that Gara of Harlem he
1:09
done that too long shot he's done that
1:11
too dang this man got it hey Heather he
1:14
been busy but I I I want to say probably
1:17
one of the most impactful projects that
1:19
he worked on that will be remembered
1:22
from time to time give it up for cocaine
1:25
pear man
1:27
[Laughter]
1:30
nuts what the hell was that that was a
1:33
crazy ass
1:35
movie welcome our guest today the one
1:37
and only Jackson Jr give it up
1:40
man OMG in the building man you guys
1:44
thank you up brother I'm good man
1:46
chilling um especially because New York
1:48
is cold as hell but I'm chilling
1:51
nonetheless you got the right clothes on
1:53
now that's the first thing I asked them
1:55
right yeah I I did not buy this in La I
1:57
was like where you get this jacket from
1:59
like you got a Whole New York fit on
2:00
right now he said I ain't buy it in LA
2:02
yeah no no you know people be showing
2:04
love when they come to La they get them
2:05
a pair of Chucks so I had to get me you
2:08
know my puffer on joint a real one got a
2:11
good one
2:14
official you
2:16
thought a real one is
2:19
crazy you can find you can find him
2:22
laying on the ground in Canal Street you
2:24
know it's New York I get it I get it I
2:27
know he he saying something else he
2:29
that's you know that's
2:30
that's that's that's a little different
2:33
hey man good to have you on the show
2:35
right and um I wanted to ask you this
2:37
man I I want to talk about the movie um
2:39
denner thieves to panta um you've come a
2:43
long way to me as a thespian you know
2:46
and and I would imagine coming into the
2:48
game um it it might be a little harder
2:51
for somebody who's the son of someone
2:53
famous right and then someone who
2:54
actually started off in hip-hop and then
2:57
he ventured off into Hollywood the whole
2:59
n but I feel like the kidss always got
3:01
to extra prove themselves right did you
3:03
did you feel that uh absolutely um
3:07
there's already an an a concept and an
3:11
ideology of what type of person I'm
3:12
going to be before people even meet me
3:14
because of how they might have views of
3:18
my father this that and the third you
3:21
feeling entitled not ready to work but I
3:24
come from a family that Prides
3:26
themselves on being ready to work and
3:29
yeah I mean a as a second generation in
3:32
any sense or form you have to you have
3:36
to mentally work harder for sure you are
3:38
giv blessings that put you in positions
3:40
that people don't get at certain points
3:43
the same way you did but it is a a
3:45
mental battle that you have to have with
3:48
when it comes to my father and his
3:51
fire his fire is external he would see
3:56
the environment that he's in and want to
3:58
get out and so that that helps his
4:01
eternal flame to push him to work and
4:04
get out of what he sees when you are
4:07
second
4:08
generation your external is great you
4:11
know there's nothing that I see that
4:14
like makes me feel like man I got to get
4:16
out of here so it's much more of an
4:18
internal Battle of wanting more for
4:21
yourself and when it came to Straight
4:24
Out of Compton I was going to USC
4:26
because I'm a writer that's what I
4:29
wanted to do that's what I I continue to
4:32
do to this day and in the middle of my
4:34
second year pops was like you know
4:37
they're taking this NWA movie serious
4:39
and I was like oh man that's good and
4:41
then he was like
4:43
no it's not what this conversation is
4:45
about um in a perfect world I would want
4:49
you to play me so I'm like okay uh
4:53
that's uh that's different he was like
4:55
you have to audition I'm like please
4:57
make me audition because if I aition I
5:00
don't get it mm that's not my fault I'm
5:02
just bad you know I'm not looked at it
5:04
as any certain way but then I didn't
5:07
know this at the time but when they when
5:09
he suggested it they they you know sorry
5:12
Gary but like Gary gray was like cube is
5:15
this a
5:16
joke said that he was like damn all
5:19
right he didn't tell me during that
5:21
because he knew that would have just
5:22
pissed me off but it's just little
5:24
things that I had to use to build my
5:27
fire I left school I you know it it took
5:30
me two years to get the part for a
5:32
Straight Out of Compton I left in the
5:34
middle of my second year I'm watching
5:36
all my friends graduate without me wow
5:39
on Instagram they're moving on doing
5:42
their own things and they're still
5:44
asking me what's going on with the movie
5:46
so now that fear of not knowing what to
5:49
do now that's building my fire I got my
5:52
my family dependent on me my my brothers
5:54
and my sister like man you got to get
5:56
this for us now that fire is is Building
5:59
in Me so now on top of that I get the
6:02
movie the movie crushes for a year I
6:04
didn't get a phone call not a script not
6:07
after that and so I'm like I'm looking
6:10
online and they're saying of course he
6:11
could play his dad like of course he
6:14
could do it like like my accomplishment
6:16
didn't mean so now that fire is
6:19
burning in me and so it's these little
6:20
things that you got to like fake make
6:23
yourself mad about to push you to get
6:26
people to to be wrong you know so I had
6:29
a meeting with my team of just like
6:32
every movie we take has to be completely
6:34
different from the last one we did so
6:37
Straight Out of Compton and then I did
6:38
ingry Goes West which is a dark Indie
6:41
completely different then I got denner
6:42
thieves which is action then we did
6:44
Godzilla which is sci-fi then we did
6:47
long shot which is comedy so it was just
6:49
like constantly showing versatility so
6:51
they couldn't put me in the Box because
6:53
it it is that is my fire is to just show
6:56
everybody and make them eat crow you you
6:58
doing an excellent job that o you it's
7:01
interesting that you brought this up
7:03
Sway and OA I love the answer you just
7:05
broke down for us um earlier today when
7:07
I was gathering some research for our
7:09
celebrity wire I saw that Melby who we
7:12
all were introduced to by the Spice
7:13
Girls her daughter Phoenix who's an
7:15
artist she was doing an interview and
7:17
she was saying that even when nepple
7:20
babies NE babies you know that have umle
7:23
babies
7:26
rightest it for everybody
7:32
listen but she was saying to your point
7:34
like even when they're doing great work
7:36
they still receive backlash that she
7:39
believes is fueled by misunderstanding
7:41
by jealousy and resentment and she was
7:43
saying this particular time in
7:45
entertainment history she feels like the
7:47
issue is poisonous yeah so I'm wondering
7:50
do you feel like we the public should
7:53
ease off on nepple babies if there's one
7:55
thing I've learned you can't tell the
7:56
public what to do they not you know
7:58
they're not going to carry anyway and
8:00
it's up to you not to care and that's
8:03
that's like I know it's way it's easier
8:05
said than done but the idea that you are
8:08
in a shadow is just the concept from
8:11
people on the outside looking in that it
8:13
does not exist the only thing that
8:15
exists that will exist when you are gone
8:18
and before you got here is that name and
8:21
if you could push that name to new
8:23
heights wherever Direction it is that is
8:26
your job when when I was was doing music
8:30
and then acting came along I had to make
8:33
a conscious decision
8:35
of like there's nothing I can do in
8:38
music that's going to take our name to
8:41
higher Heights than what my dad has done
8:42
it's just not going to happen but I know
8:44
as a kid I would see them not give him
8:48
roles that I know he could kill because
8:50
they just see Ice Cube and they don't
8:52
see my dad that I know so they typ cast
8:55
rappers all the time they're just not
8:58
they're not gonna make Little Wayne be a
9:00
doctor they're not gonna let Superman be
9:03
somebody that they saw throw $100 bills
9:05
in a club they're just they're just
9:07
that's their the people who are in
9:09
charge just don't believe in you like
9:11
that because they see you as something
9:13
else
9:14
so when I was a kid I know it's not like
9:17
the most prestigious award but I really
9:20
wanted my dad to win that MTV popcorn I
9:24
only won so I want won so bad as a kid I
9:28
was there uh and uh Adam Sandler always
9:32
won and I hated Adam
9:35
Sandler but then I do I do Straight Out
9:38
of Compton and Straight Out of Compton
9:40
has his success and it just happened to
9:42
fall on the 25th anniversary of the
9:44
movie awards and the first time my
9:48
family got that popcorn it had my name
9:50
on it wow and so I was like so that's my
9:53
job is I'mma get every award that they
9:57
did not want to give him while he in his
10:00
acting career so my mama's trophy case
10:02
can be filled to the brim that's amazing
10:04
old sh Jackson Jr is here we're talking
10:06
about denner thieves too um how did if
10:11
you if you can when you talk about that
10:13
that time period where people wouldn't
10:15
consider your father for certain roles
10:16
they they pigeon hold him and typ casted
10:19
him how did you see him get frustrated
10:22
no and that's the thing my dad doesn't
10:25
let he doesn't let it show he stays
10:28
exact the same the entire time I'm just
10:32
um his vengeful
10:34
son good for you I like that cuz I cuz
10:38
like you know while he's while he's
10:40
talking to me and giving me advice I
10:42
just hear my mama in the back of my head
10:44
like n this
10:47
like you know we got to we got to lock
10:49
in and so like it it's not it's not
10:52
necessarily something that bothers him
10:54
what he does is anytime you see him have
10:57
a heartwarming role or you know whether
11:00
it be the barber shops the Friday
11:02
whatever where you see him in a
11:03
different light besides cussing you the
11:05
hell out or threatening to kill you it's
11:08
because he had a hand and writing it
11:10
because he know he know what he can do I
11:13
know what he can do it's just so many
11:15
people out there the suits are so scared
11:17
of him that they just give him RADS
11:19
where he can scare the hell out
11:21
you but he he'll he'll tell you himself
11:24
I don't he don't always have bad days
11:26
like you know so it's just anytime that
11:30
they weren't delivering he going to make
11:32
it himself and that's the same thing
11:33
that I got to put into my mindset as
11:36
well o Jackson Jr is here dinner thie 2
11:39
panta the sequel It's in theaters
11:41
January 10th this is y'all how many
11:43
times y'all work together this your
11:44
second time yeah second time what
11:46
changed this time around on the set and
11:49
in your Dynamic your personal Dynamic
11:51
yeah well in the first one uh our
11:53
director Christian gigas he kept us
11:55
separate a lot okay he kept the
11:58
criminals quote I didn't think we was
12:00
you know whatever but it was cops versus
12:02
robbers and so with with that Dynamic he
12:06
kept us separate this hot ass New York
12:08
jacket with that Dynamic but I just look
12:10
so good you got to keep flexing so want
12:14
to put his jacket on
12:17
any we have to get him napkin the two c
12:20
dudes want to keep their New York
12:22
jackets so the the dynamic of the whole
12:24
thing really shifted because it's more
12:26
of a a buddy action movie in the first
12:30
one we were kept separate so that we
12:31
would only have our Dynamic within our
12:33
respected teams and then when we were
12:35
together it would cause a lot of tension
12:37
so with this one we we got to have fun
12:40
we got to have way more chemistry
12:42
together he was my neighbor for a large
12:43
portion of filming and so from there it
12:46
was really getting to know him we had
12:49
two three hour conversations about our
12:51
careers where we where he has been where
12:54
I plan to go I mean the dude do action
12:58
action action
12:59
action action action drama action action
13:02
so like just his experience on how to
13:05
handle the business from that type of
13:07
stardom is just uh been some of the best
13:10
advice and he he's been dropping gems
13:11
after gems huh yeah just you know you
13:13
got to listen real close because it's a
13:15
real hard Scottish accent oh is it yeah
13:19
yeah how to train your dragon he's just
13:20
talking into the mic really that's just
13:22
him he sings bro yeah that was that's
13:25
wild this man is a singer yeah he just
13:28
did a he just did a movie movie where he
13:29
plays Santa Claus yeah yeah he a Phantom
13:32
of the Opera yeah how to train how to
13:35
train how to train but like the dude is
13:37
so talented and there's so many actors
13:40
that get so much praise for their
13:43
American accents and this dude has been
13:44
doing it for over 60 movies so like he
13:47
got to get more love and he not here to
13:50
say it and he would stop me from saying
13:52
it but the dude needs way more respect
13:54
than what he gets I'm curious though sh
13:57
have you um been in a position or even
13:59
just like in your own time for practice
14:02
do you have any accents down yet look
14:05
not down I got a dialect coach for this
14:07
last one where you know we had uh we had
14:10
a little bit of a of a a French kind of
14:13
African English accent that I was
14:15
working with because we're in the film
14:17
you know we we do a little play from the
14:19
Ivory Coast you
14:22
know you know that time yeah so
14:26
please real
14:29
um check me out but um my dialect coach
14:33
Aaron she um she worked on Black Panther
14:35
and things like that but I I do want to
14:36
dabble that a little bit more because
14:38
that's what they look for in award
14:40
season okay oh sh I know you guys have
14:42
to go uh I'll be remissed if I don't ask
14:44
you about your your your affinity and
14:47
love for
14:48
WWE absolutely come on man we saw you on
14:52
Netflix doing your thing you got a
14:54
podcast yeah the no contest wrestling
14:57
podcast which is something uh something
14:59
I really cooked up because after the
15:00
strike I was very like I didn't like I
15:04
don't like going on strike and I know I
15:07
know that our our you know the the
15:08
contract that sag has is only for three
15:11
years and so I needed I needed something
15:13
to kind of bring in stuff outside of
15:15
acting so I always tell people that they
15:19
don't know your talent you don't really
15:21
know that it's your talent because it
15:23
comes so easy to you you don't think you
15:25
can make money off of it so I was like
15:28
all right what do I do
15:30
I'm on Twitter every day talking about
15:31
wrestling let's let's figure out how to
15:33
get this going and then it just so
15:35
happened that my boys Rich Eisen and TJ
15:38
Jefferson were like well we about to do
15:40
a show we would love for you to host it
15:42
and so from there you know we we came up
15:44
with a name we got CM Punk as our first
15:47
guest That's My Boy uh we just had
15:49
Bianca Belair and Dominic Mysterio Mark
15:51
Henry Eric bishof swerve so like it's uh
15:55
it's been a beautiful thing and um I'mma
15:58
put y'all on blast but I had to convince
16:00
y'all to let me go to WWE on Netflix cuz
16:02
I said it was going to be a good look
16:04
for the movie it was yeah they saw the
16:06
logo in front of the
16:09
millions I like your I love your hey but
16:14
would you think I Hulk Hogan got booed
16:16
out the building I was one of them I'll
16:18
show you the video really what was that
16:19
about me Eric Andre and W was giving it
16:22
to I love
16:24
it absolutely bro yeah I don't you know
16:28
but why though if you don't mind me
16:29
asking but why uh the hating okay
16:33
like the racism bro just the just it's
16:37
just hard to forget how detailed that
16:40
rant was and if you look up his rant
16:43
it's very you know it's very detailed
16:45
and you know that I'm I'm I get a lot of
16:48
people online who are like oh well you
16:51
know you he would be mad if he found out
16:53
about that whole generation yeah well
16:54
when I find out I'll be mad but like
16:56
right now yeah bro bringing him out here
16:59
what did you think was going to happen
17:01
in La uh you know we heard the music and
17:03
it was like
17:04
oh oh no no no no hold on and they let
17:08
him have it and uh that's a pivotal
17:10
moment in wrestling history and you know
17:12
I'm glad I was there and I was able to
17:14
show off the logo for denner Thieves 2
17:16
panta out January 10th give it up for
17:19
o thank Rob Butler man sending you much
17:23
love next time we'll catch him next time
17:25
cuz three is already going in production
17:28
okay Sor I'm sorry sorry I know too much
17:30
all right cool brother exist thank you
17:32
for coming through send my love to your
17:34
family brother absolutely I'm about to
17:36
call him right now tell Cube I said what
17:38
up we coming to La too soon I want to
17:40
yeah all right all right okay my man
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