Cedric the Entertainer reprises his role as Eddie in Barbershop: The Next Cut, which hits theaters April 15, and we’re hella pumped. However, according to the actor, The Next Cut is coming out in a much different era for Black films compared to the first two installments. Cedric claims the scope of comedians finding success in the Black Hollywood has diminished since the heyday of the ’90s and early 2000s, when everyone from Martin Lawrence to Bernie Mac and the Wayans brothers had something going on.
Now, Cedric says Black filmmaking is reduced to “one-offs”–one Black entertainer dominating the industry at a time. “It used to be–it was a time when there was a lot of people famous,” Cedric told Sway Calloway on VH1’s “Behind The Movie: Exploring Chicago with the Cast of Barbershop: The Next Cut,” which airs April 11. “Everybody [had] their own space. Now, it’s Kevin Hart.”
But don’t think Cedric was throwing shade at Hart. He’s more irked at the industry. “This ain’t got nothing to do with Kevin Hart. This is about the business,” he said. “He makes money. He makes good movies.”
And that’s exactly the solution to this problem, according to Cedric: good movies. Exhibit A: Ride Along (2014), which grossed six times more than its production budget and spawned a sequel that slayed, too.
“[Hart] and [Ice] Cube did well,” Cedric said. (The two starred in both Ride Alongfilms.) “That set everything else back up. That’s how the movie business works.”
Cedric continued, “It’s down to one guy at a time. If you make a lot of money, you can be who you are. If you’re not making a lot of money, it’s one guy at a time.”
Here’s hoping things surge after The Next Cut. If you can’t wait until April 15, check out “Behind The Movie: Exploring Chicago with the Cast of Barbershop: The Next Cut,” the inaugural episode in our Behind The… series. The special takes you to the streets of Chicago and explores issues young people face in the city, including gun violence–a central theme in The Next Cut. It airs Monday, April 11 at 10 p.m. on VH1.
Clip it in your schedule!
(Source: VH1)
