Cedric the Entertainer might owe his career as a comedian to The Kings of Comedy, but when it comes to his film career, he credits his role in Barbershop as his cementing factor in Hollywood.
According to Atlanta Black Star, he admitted to the FAQ Podcast that he was initially asked to read for the role Anthony Anderson played, a thief named J.D. who nearly ruins the barbershop.
But Cedric wanted to play Eddie, the wise-cracking old man who spends his free time in the barbershop talking about the topics of the day.
“In my mind I knew I wanted to be this old man because I…just used to do all these old characters. I was like, ‘I know that old man.’ So when I was in the read they was like, ‘Yo, you want to do the old man?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do the old man.’”
He said that the amount of money he received for the role during the first film wasn’t nearly as much as what he was able to get for the second, but credits the role for uplifting his career
Because of how he was able to make Eddie such an integral part of the film, Cedric was able to ask for much more pay the next time around.
“This was one of those things, like a choice, knowing a character is for you, and it has changed my career for sure,” he said. “The first Barbershop, that was one of those things that change your career. The first Barbershop I got like $150,000 and the second one was way, way, way over there.”
He can currently can be heard as part of the voice cast of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on Disney+. He also stars in The Neighborhood on CBS.
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