Caffeinated Clint
If there’s one thing you can say about the ridiculously entertaining Fast & Furious movies, it’s that they’re ‘loud’!
Actor Tyrese Gibson, back as Roman Pearce for ”Fast & Furious 6”, talks to Clint Morris about the magical ingredients required to make one of these ear-piercing eye-popping spectacular films.
Is sound as important as vision when it comes to a film?
Oh yeah, absolutely – I mean, imagine watching a movie without sound!? It would be the most boringest shit ever! Sound sometimes makes them movie.
Especially these Fast & Furious movies, what with the terrific sound effects of the cars, and even the music that plays over the top of the action sequences.
Right!
You’re big on sound though. What about combining those two great loves of yours – music and movies? How about a musical!?
Hmmm.. yeah… maybe.. we’ll see about that. Ha Ha.
What’s great about these Fast & Furious movies is they put you right in the driver’s seat. Are they sticking cameras basically right at your nose, to get that effect?
Yeah, the camera’s are to your right, and they’re also on the windshield – which they’ve taken out.
Is that distracting? So there’s a camera in your view!?
I’m use to it now, but yeah.
I’ll be honest, while I’m challenged on Fast & Furious nothing compares to the work we’ve had to do on Transformers – every day something would be blowing up; working on those movies is just crazy. Ha Ha. That’s what Michael Bay does best.
So while I think Fast & Furious 6 is a challenge, I’ve definitely been challenged more action-wise on movies I’ve done in the past… like Transformers 3 with the 3D and action sequences.
Speaking of Transformers, there’s a fourth one in the works. Your co-star Josh Duhamel said recently he’s going to be putting in an appearance, does that mean you’ll be doing one too?
We’ll see what happens… it’s looking like an appearance might happen. I haven’t got that phone call yet, officially. We’ll see what happens.
Is it a cool feeling being part of two of the biggest film franchises in history?
Oh, absolutely man. It’s a childhood fantasy. I mean, I never thought I’d even be in movies, let alone these types of movies, like the big blockbusters you grew up with as a kid – Die Hard, Ghostbusters. I was so inspired as a kid, watching all the action and everything that’s going on in those movies, so to be doing those types of movies now is unreal.
You’ve obviously spent enough time on film sets, has it inspired you to pick up a camera and make something yourself?
We have a production company; we have a lot of projects coming down the pipe – there’s this really crazy one called Desert Eagle. Experience comes with truth. I think I know what it takes to create your own franchise and create something really special, so I’m working on that. Once you have the right people in place it’s a lot easier to make it happen.
You had a 3D movie set up at your company at one stage, Condition Dead.
Oh yes, yes.
Hopefully we’ll get you doing some 3D sometime. Meantime, there’s enough whizbangery in Fast & Furious 6 to hold us over. What’s it like being a part of such a huge ensemble?
It actually relieves me of the pressure to be in a cast with so many stars. I’m excited to be part of a movie where you don’t have to work every single day – because there’s so many characters, and they all get their moments and highlights. It’s a multi-cast deal where we do all the big stuff together, and then there’s moments where it’s just me. I like that.
There’s another Fast & Furious coming, is that right? Number 7?
I don’t know (for sure), but I think that’s the plan right now – and it’s supposed to be released on my daughter’s birthday, July 11 (2014).
Besides these big things, you’ve done some good work over the years in smaller films like Waist Deep and Baby Boy.
They showed Baby Boy out there? Oh bless man, thank you. Well, there’s a documentary I want you to see – which I think you’ll be interested in – called A Black Rose, and I’ve got a new album coming next year called Black Rose.
Where’s the name come from?
There was a poem that Tupac wrote called A Rose That Grew Up Through Concrete and so I used that and slapped a ‘Black’ in front of it, because I’m definitely not Pink (Laughs).
We look forward to hearing the new sounds! Sell the readers on this latest Fast & Furious movie.. is it the best one?
Well, it’s expected for me to say that but I’ll tell you the truth, it is. I know, how could you possibly top Fast Five!? From beginning to middle to end, that movie was really special, but this one right here makes the earlier one look like the opening act.
