By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — Unless you lived on the West Coast, you might have lost track of Chris Tucker the past seven years.
That’s because until the new film “Air” opened recently, Tucker had largely confined his activities to doing occasional comedy tours and spearheading the various activities of his charitable foundation.
But the opportunity to be in a film about the development of the Air Jordan shoe line, as well as portray someone he has known for years, brought Tucker back to the big screen.
He plays Howard White, one of Nike’s few Black executives at the time, who puts his job on the line and champions the venture when others at the company are at best reluctant to go forward with it.
Tucker told the Los Angeles Times that while he usually prefers playing fictional characters, the chance to portray someone he has known for years was too good to pass up.
Add to this the facts he has owned multiple pairs of Air Jordans, and Jordan told director Ben Affleck it was critical that White”s role be a central part of the film, things were set for Tucker.
The comedian is best known for his participation in two great film comedy franchises.
Both the “Friday” and “Rush Hour” films have been blockbuster successes, but fans have been waiting for years to see additions to either series.
On that score, Tucker doesn’t have much good news beyond the fact he is open to appearing in any new versions.
He said the “Friday” franchise currently has no script written and no immediate plans to move forward with it.
He also said he remains close with “Rush Hour” co-star Jackie Chan, but that both would have to be satisfied with all the parameters before moving foward with a fourth film.
For now, Tucker is content to concentrate on his community activities, while enjoying the new attention he is getting from “Air”
But more importantly, the impact of Howard White in the creation of a global business enterprise is now documented on the big screen.
