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Hello! I'm Kelcie Willis here with Robert Miller. We're bringing you guys an exclusive
to Residence Hall Studios and Housing 12. We are here with Will Packer, producer of
"Ride Along" and the star of Ride Along Ice Cube. Welcome guys!
Ice Cube: Thank you Will Packer:Thanks for having us!
Robert: Okay well, I guess the first question is Cube you've played in a variety of roles
everything from "Three Kings" to "Are We There Yet?" to "Ride Along". How do
you choose which roles that you like the best to do?
Cube: I just really look at the project from an overall standpoint. Who's putting the project
together, because a good script is not all you need. You need great producers like Will
Packer here. Great directors great co-stars, great studio to push the movie cause you can
do a great movie and if the studio doesn't get behind it to push it, then you just have
a great movie that people see on Pay-Per-View so it's really all about seeing if the project
has a great chance to get off the ground, and then last but not least, "Can be effective
in the role?" and "Will I be able to convey what's being asked of me?" and those are some
of the things I think about before I take a role.
Kelcie: For both of you, what led to your involvement in this movie specifically - "Ride
Along"?
Will: Well you know what I can say actually that it was Cube that brought me in because
I had done a film called "Think Like A Man" and I had worked with Kevin Hart, and also
Tim Story, who directed this film. Tim Story had also directed "Barbershop" with Cube.
I got the script from Cube's team, and read it and loved it. And had the opportunity to
bring guys that I had just worked with on board to this film. Because Cube also produced
this film with me. So it was a chance for me to work with somebody whose work I've admired
from afar but we hadn't had the chance to work together yet. It was a chance for me
to show him how I execute a film project. It's our first time and it definitely won't
be our last, and it really was about the material. I saw the potential in the material, and I
knew if you put these two people together, first of all Cube's track record is crazy
when it comes to working with comedians - up an coming comedians work with Cube and all
of a sudden they're no longer up an coming. I knew that this would be another one of those
opportunities to have great chemistry and the script was about two guys that are kinda
opposite in a way, that's always a good formula for comedy. I thought that if we executed
it well it could be special and I think it is.
Robert: What are most excited for people to see in "Ride Along"?
Cube: The chemistry between me and Kevin Hart. That's really what these movies hang they
hat on - chemistry. We knew the chemistry in "48 Hours" we knew the chemistry in "Lethal
Weapon". Will: "Bad Boys"
Ice Cube: Everybody's trying to capture that...the two actors playing off of each other and giving
you a whole lot of fun, a whole lot of laughs and we deliver. Kevin is crazy, and it's hard
to keep him in control, and my character is trying to, but it's a hard task to do, so
I think that's what we hang our hats on, the chemistry, the new duo that's funny and ready
to do it.
Kelcie: It seems like - you kind of touched on it a little bit but - it seems like you
play more of a straight-laced character. How would you describe you character in the movie
overall?
Cube: He's kind of a tight-*** a little bit. He really is focused on handling his big case.
He's on this big case. He's taking care of his sister, in a way he's been watching for
her for a lot of years and he just don't see her with somebody like Kevin Hart. He sees
her with an Atlanta Hawk, and Atlanta Brave, and Atlanta Falcon. Not a mascot, you know.
That's really kind of his angle is that he sees his sister with somebody bigger and better
than Kevin Hart and Kevin Hart ain't having it because he's the man. He wants to marry
my sister and I try to put him through hell and back on a ride along.
Will: Successfully. He succeeds.Trust me.
Kelcie: It seems like there's a lot of room for improv in a lot of the scenes just looking
at the trailer and a lot of the banter. Was there a lot of improv going on and how did
you guys balance that in shoots?
Cube: You know, it's measure. The script was great, the dialogue was right there on the
page, so all you gotta do is add a little bit of sugar and spice to it. A little salt
and pepper to what's already there and voila! Some but not a lot but when we did go we had
fun with it and this movie is measured it's nice. You have great script but also us the
flexibility to go off script if we need to make it that much funnier. So we did all those
things required to me to pull it off.
Robert: You've had, obviously, a legendary music career, and then on top of that now
you have "Friday,""Barbershop," this movie. What is one aspect at the end of your career
that you really want to be remembered for?
Cube: Just somebody that kind of let my creative juices flow. I didn't really let the industry
kind of pigeonhole me into being what they wanted me to be. I always looked at what I
did as - even the music - as a form of entertainment that everybody can enjoy, and with movies
you can even go that much further. to me that's what it's all about it's about spreading your
wings, showing your talent, and that's what I've been trying to do over the years and
not letting nothing stop me.
Kelcie: For the two of you, you just mentioned that you guy both have a hand in producing
the film. What kind of angle do you take as a producer versus a writer or an actor or
a director when choosing what films to get involved in?
Will: A lot of people don't really know what a producer does and the producer is kind of
like the coach on the football team. You directors, your quarterback has the ball in his hands
every play, he's out there trying to make it happen, and the coach is responsible for
putting together the team around your quarterback and including your quarterback, to make sure
that you can win the game. For me as a producer, it's about - Cube talked earlier about "the
right combination," and you have to have that right combination. You gotta have the right
actors, you gotta have the right material the studio, director - all of that is what
makes a project work. Sometimes you can have everything lined up right and it still doesn't
work. It's just the nature of the movie business, but that's exciting to me. I see that as a
challenge, and I enjoy this side of the business because I get to be creative. A lot of times
people don't think of producers as being creative but you actually - you are creative because
you have to help get the material to a certain place. It's all about reaching out to the
right actors. Obviously we already had Cube, we brought in Kevin. We needed to have the
right talent around him, to help what they do be even better. For me it's about the challenge
of putting together the right team. That's exciting to me.
Cube: Producing is where all the action is, to be honest. It's exactly where you wanna
be if you're a creative person because you want to be in those meetings when they talking
about the wardrobe and the set design and you want to be in there when they're talking
about hiring this actor or that actor. You want to be involved in all aspects of the
movie or film or on stage or whatever you're doing and being a producer is the vantage
point that you really want to be able to have a say in every aspect of the movie. Sometimes
even more than directors. Most of the time more than directors. On this movie, being
with somebody like Will, I was able to kind of take my producer hat and put it to the
side a little bit and really worry about just acting and delivering the part. That was a
luxury that I had on this movie that we had great producers who was doing their thing.
Sometimes you don't want too many cooks in the kitchen. So you gotta also know when to
take a back seat or when to get in where you fit in and actually take the rein when you
have to. We've al worked together and developed a great chemistry on how to work together
so I can't wait til we get to the next movie cause we'll be that much better.
Robert: So would you say given the option between acting and producing - say you had
the option of just acting in a movie that's well put together, or producing a movie, but
you're not in the movie. Is that the route that you would go?
Cube: I would probably go the producing route. Because it's just...as an actor in a movie,
it's cool, you have fun, but you're pretty much a tool for somebody's project - of their
vision, of how they see it, and you have to really become part of a team on that level,
but I'm always itching to know what's going on in the meetings. So producing is probably
where I would get the most satisfaction to look at the project and have to most satisfaction.
Kelcie: Just as a closing, what do you expect fans to get out of the movie "Ride Along"?
There is a special screening tonight for The University of Georgia campus. What do you
want people to get out of the film?
Cube: I just want them to laugh so hard that they hurt they self.
Will:There you go.
Cube: Snot bubbles - laughing - fall out in the aisle.
Will: Pee a little bit. Just a little bit.
Cube:Defintely. Jsut have a good time. The movie is one of those movies where from the
opening scene you know "oh okay this is what you go to the movies for." This is what you
pay your money for - is this kind of experience and enjoy the ride.
Will: I couldn't have said it better!
Kelcie: Well, thank you so much!
Robert: Yeah we really appreciate it.
Will: Thanks for having us guys.
Kelcie: No problem! And for everyone else who can't make the screening, "Ride Along"
will be in theaters January 17th, 2014.