The Friday franchise has an appeal that spans multiple generations. Seeing Craig trying to survive one day after getting fired led to some funny and sobering moments. But those sobering moments seemingly extended beyond the set. Actor-comedian Faizon Love recently spilled he was underpaid for participating in the original film. After getting wind of the news, Craig himself Ice Cube felt it was necessary to respond to Love’s claims by revealing his take about what transpired during the filming of the cult classic.
The High Note star felt the need to defend the film’s legacy from his former co-star’s claims. It all began when Love revealed he was only paid $2,500 for playing the standout character Big Worm in the original Friday. After the news went viral, fans began antagonizing Ice Cube about the revelation. The Ride Along star didn’t like the narrative being spun so he took to Twitter to reveal some details about the 1995 comedy.
I didn’t rob no fuckin body. The 1995 Friday movie cost $2.3m to make. Shot it in 20 days. Fazion worked 1 day, maybe 2. All the actors got paid scale to do the movie. They could’ve simple said “No” but they didn’t. So miss me with that shit… https://t.co/2K1dUFZ489December 29, 2021
The rap legend seemed fed up with moviegoers coming after him for issues usually handled by the studio. As the 21 Jump Street star mentioned, Love and other cast members could’ve turned down their roles if they felt the pay wasn’t enough at the time. Faizon Love’s pay on the cult classic seemed to align with its production budget, scale minimums, and the shooting schedule.
At the time Friday was filmed, comedies featuring predominately Black casts weren’t as prevalent. The budget for the flick wasn't super high and New Line was only going to pay what they felt the cast was worth, which was enough to make a low budget comedy. Fortunately for everyone involved, the comedy became a commercial and critical success as well as a cultural phenomenon. It went on to gross $27 million and spawned two successful sequels.
For Faizon Love’s part, he admitted to being happy about the part as it was his first Hollywood gig. Love did reveal he was asked to participate in Next Friday but turned down the offer. He alleged New Line Cinema was only willing to pay him $5,000 despite the first film’s success. But there was no love lost between the comedian and Ice Cube as he took to Instagram to clear the air.
This misunderstanding was just the latest news to plague the beloved comedy. Within the last year, two original Friday stars – Tiny Lister and AJ Johnson – passed away unexpectedly. While Johnson’s cause of death was never revealed, Lister died from complications related to heart disease after it was initially suspected COVID-19 claimed his life. Their deaths followed the passing of John Witherspoon in 2019.
It seems the dispute has been rectified between Faizon Love and Ice Cube now. With the drama now over, fans of the original Friday can relive their favorite lines and scenes by streaming it on HBO Max and Peacock.
