Veteran Hollywood actor, Wesley Snipes, has revealed what it meant to play General Izzi in the newly released Coming 2 America.
Snipes teamed up with iconic comedian/actor, Eddie Murphy and director Craig Brewer for a second stint in the movie, a sequel to 1988 classic – Coming To America, after 2019’s Dolemite is my Name.
The quinquagenarian may not be your regular comedy actor but buried in his sword-wielding ‘daywalker’ character in the famed “Blade’ franchise is his background as a stand-up comedian.
“[General Izzi] was fun to do,” he told The Independent’s Ed Cumming. “People forget that I come from a stand-up, improvisational comedy background. At high school I did a lot of puppet theatre and street theatre. It was part of my roots, I just haven’t had a chance to do much of it. They made it very seductive to do action movies. People who do drama do not get paid the same kind of money, not even close. Not then and not today.”
Snipes added that the character ‘Izzi’ was inspired by Idris Elba’s warlord in Beasts of No Nation, though less brutal. “I decided to make Izzi the kind of guy who, even though he’s terrible, you want to go party with.”
“I think we’ll remind people of my range,” says Snipes whose who failed his first audition for the film, according to The Independent.
“But don’t just rely on one project. I’m past that. We just keep doing the work, and hope that over time the body of work will reflect the quality of our skills and abilities,” he added as he sets sight on other work.
The Demolition Man actor’s fascinating career hit the snag when he was sentenced to three-year behind bars for tax offences. He was released in 2013.
