I understand that Jada was not available for this, being in such high demand, and eventually being in the crappy Inkwell
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Poetic Justice
thepoet21 — 13 years ago(May 03, 2012 10:45 AM)
I understand that Jada was not available for this, being in such high demand, and eventually being in the crappy Inkwell movie, but Jada was made for this role.
First of all, Jada would have been better because she and Tupac were friends and even connected at one point. Their chemistry would have been off the chain, and much more realer.
Jada also just played ghetto girls really well without having to imitate them. Janet was trying to imitate the friends she had at the time that she was trying to study and dance with in her videos. Jada wouldn't have had to pop her gum, excessively curse and try to hard, like Janet.
Janet didn't really associate with people like Q-Tip and Tupac. She really didn't like Tupac, as a matter of fact. With Jada, these were her people, she knew Tupac and probably knew Q-Tip as well. Janet is like the upper middle class yuppie at the hip hop party, trying to hard to fit in.
As far as drawing people to the theaters, well, Jada was already on the come up, she would have been fresh off her role in Menace to Society and A Different World. Maybe she wouldn't have attracted as many white suburban types as Janet, but then again, she might have, but not as many, but some.
I really believe that this part was written for Jada Pinkett, but she just couldn't be in the movie because of her schedule. She would later make the movie Jason's Lyric, playing a character somewhat similar to the character in Poetic Justice. However, if she passed up the Inkwell flop and made this, this would have been more of a classic and not the gimmick novelty flick that has people saying "Look at Janet acting ghetto, when she isn't". All this did was try to further promote her "Janet" CD, which is long forgotten. To me, Jada didn't really arrive but if she made this, she would have. Janet should've just stuck to music. -
oxblood — 10 years ago(June 13, 2015 01:10 PM)
They may BE from the ghetto but whatever "ghetto" they had in them (if they ever actually had any; I doubt. Papa Joe and Mama Kate had those kid's manners down on lock), got up and went a long time ago probably before they were even adults. The Jacksons were never street kids. Papa Joe had those kids doing dance drills in the basement every night, especially the boys.
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TrangPak2 — 11 years ago(April 19, 2014 09:44 PM)
Nope!
The fact that Janet didn't seem to fit in with the cast actually fits her character who is emotionally isolated after experiencing so much loss. Lucky and Justice are not suppose to get a long and the real life struggle between the two actors trying to relate to one another fits their roles. Also Janet and Tupac look extremely hot together.
Jada tends to over act and chews the scenery, she lacks subtlety and she and Tupac look like homies from the same hood. It would not have worked with any other actress but Janet. Maybe Thandie Newton if she could mask her accent. She also looked great with Tupac and she has the same "trying to fit in" quality that Janet has. -
oxblood — 10 years ago(June 13, 2015 01:02 PM)
I agree with you. JJ had no real acting instincts or chemistry with the rest of the cast. She's a beauty and knows how make appropriate faces and looks that's about it. She hasn't been very good in Tyler Perry's movies either. Jada is a real actress. But a good part of the lead cast of this movie is like a roster of anything but actors. Janet. Tupac. Joe Tory. Q-Tip. Tone Loc. Probably because rappers, comics and athletes make up a larger demographic of black entertainment than actors.