Jada said that her lifelong friend, rapper and actor Tupac Shakur, was the one who told her to take a risk and participate in the movie. Tupac was slated to play a role in the film as well, but it did not pan out. She revealed that Menace II Society could have happened without her. The movie was Jada’s feature film debut and her breakout role, but without the push from a close friend, she would have missed out on the opportunity.Įssence Magazine reported that the actress spoke to Entertainment Weekly in April 2019 and reflected on some of the films she’s appeared in throughout her career. Menace II Society was released in 1993 and eventually became a cult classic, specifically within the African-American community. Jada Pinkett has been acting for over 20 years but she almost passed on the role that put her on the map. Who inspired Jada Pinkett Smith to take the role in ‘Menace II Society’ Her role in the 2017 comedy Girls Trip was the number one comedy film of the year and noted as one of her best works. In 2014, she joined the FOX crime drama, Gotham, as Gotham City gangster Fish Mooney, where she remained for two additional seasons. She was an executive producer and starred as a Chief Nursing Officer in the TNT medical drama, Hawthorne, which ended after three seasons. Jada continued acting through the early 2000s and beyond and transitioned into television.

It was the number one movie in the country on its opening weekend and went on to gross $274 million worldwide. She had her first commercial success starring opposite Eddie Murphy in the 1996 comedy, The Nutty Professor. Some of the films she starred in during the height of her career as an actress include Jason’s Lyric, Scream and Set It Off. She hit her peak in the mid-90s, starring as the love interests of the many Hollywood hunks.

Jada pinkett smith menace ii society