Wesley Snipes Teases Hilarious 'Coming to America 2'
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Wesley Snipes can't wait for fans to see Coming to America 2. ET's Nischelle Turner spoke with the 58-year-old actor about his latest movie, Cut Throat City, but first touched on his role as General Izzi in the upcoming Eddie Murphy-starring sequel.
"I am the big brother [of Vanessa Bell Calloway's Imani Izzi]. I am also the one that is making sure that everything in the whole region is under control," Snipes teased. "My name is General Izzi. We can make it hard or we can do it easy. It is up to you."
Murphy had previously told ET that the sequel is "funnier than the first one," and Snipes confirmed just that while talking to ET.
"You're going to have to wear a diaper! You're going to have to put something or some pad underneath because you're going to just leak all over yourself. I am telling you," Snipes said, before sharing how the set was filled with laughter.
"There was a couple of times where we were in a couple of scenes where the laughing, it just, kicks in," he recalled. "And there was some funny people on this particular production. A lot of talented people… and a lot of the older, or the original cast, has rejoined. So very interesting things you're going to see with this one."
Being a part of the Coming to America sequel means a great deal to Snipes, who shared that he originally auditioned for the role of Darryl Jenks, played by Eriq La Salle in the original.
"I think it was myself, Eriq La Salle, and I want to say Mario Van Peebles were the finalist in getting that role -- and I didn't get it," he shared. "I remember [being] in my bathroom, in front of the mirror, and the Denzel Washington tear running down my face. So sad. I thought my career was over. How could I lose that opportunity to work with Eddie Murphy?"
"And then it came around again," he added. "So when I saw all of them, and I was on the set, and I walked in and I saw the production design, I was like, 'This is why I do this. This is why I'm in this business right here.'"
While fans will have to wait a little longer to see the sequel, viewers can see Snipe in his latest movie, Cut Throat City, out now. The movie, directed by RZA, also co-stars Ethan Hawke, Eiza González, Kat Graham, Shameik Moore, Tip T.I. Harris and more.
The story follows four boyhood friends in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward who return after Hurricane Katrina to find their homes decimated, with no jobs and no help from FEMA. Out of options, they reluctantly accept an offer to pull off a dangerous heist in the heart of New Orleans.
For Snipes, being part of the film was a "no brainer," sharing that he's known RZA for a long time, bought his records and "trained under the same martial arts system."
"It was a no brainer to try to support [RZA]," he expressed. "To think about supporting him and then the opportunity to work with this ensemble of other talented artists, these youngsters out there, young bucks out there...I wanted to see what they do, how they do, and if they can do what they say they can do."
As for how they fared, Sniped joked to ET, saying, "I think they came up pretty good…They're skill masters on the rise, you know. Maybe not all of them are black belts just yet, but they comin' up in the ranks."
Cut Throat City is out on VOD and digital now
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