Coming 2 America was a dream come true for many fans of the original 1988 film, and this even extended to one of the film’s stars -- Wesley Snipes. The actor originally auditioned for a role in the first movie but unfortunately, lost out on the part. So you can imagine how excited he was to land the role of the hilariously imposing General Izzi. Having been noted as a scene-stealer in the sequel, Snipes certainly made the most of his performance. However, he does believe that he missed out on one opportunity, and the film probably should have tried it.
As General Izzi, Wesley Snipes got to chew up more than his fair share of scenery, which allowed him some fun on the set. Co-stars Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall also got do this by reprising their “makeup” characters like Clarence the barber and Reverend Brown, and it sounds like Snipes has a bit of FOMO:
Wow. I would love to do something like this… Oh man, yeah, throw me in. I’d be another guy. Somebody else in a barber shop and [I’d] do two of them. Definitely. I’d love to do it with an accent too. Like, I do something in French, but everything I’m saying is complete gibberish. [Does a faux French run]. Stuff like that, and he was like, ‘He didn’t say shit!’
So based on his comments to Den of Geek, Wesley Snipes definitely wanted to join in when it came to creating an off-the-wall makeup character, and who can blame him? Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall really get to go all out with their makeup-heavy alter egos and, as Snipes indicates, the results are usually hilarious.
Given Wesley Snipes’ abilities as a comedic actor, it is somewhat surprising that he didn’t get the chance to create another role. His performance as D'Urville Martin in Dolemite Is My Name alone is more than enough proof of what he brings to the table. All in all, having him try a character of that nature could have added a fresh element to Coming 2 America.
Wesley Snipes still managed to make the most of his time on the Coming 2 America set in other ways, though. During the shoot, the actor actually took the opportunity to embrace co-star Paul Bates (Oha) and tell him what his work has meant to him. I think just about any of us would take a chance like that if we were in Snipes’ shoes.
Fans will just have to wonder if Wesley Snipes will ever get the chance to play a wild, makeup-heavy character at some point in the future. But if Eddie Murphy does get the opportunity to make that third Coming to America film he’s thinking about, there could be hope for Snipes yet.
Coming 2 America is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
