How Chris Tucker’s Improvisational Style Complicated ‘Rush Hour’
From 1998 to 2007, the Rush Hour movies made Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker one of the most popular — and unlikeliest — big-screen pairings around. The action-comedy series became a pop cultural sensation, with 2001’s Rush Hour 2 among that year’s biggest movies. And it was all rooted in Chan and Tucker’s real-life friendship. But Tucker’s improvisational background initially made getting the two actors work together a real challenge.
Chris Tucker’s stand-up comedy background affected his movie roles
From his stand-up comedy and into his movie career, Tucker is well-known for his fast-paced delivery and high-energy presence. It’s part of why he contrasts so well with Ice Cube in 1995’s Friday. That film gave Tucker his star-making turn, paving the way for films like Rush Hour. And indeed his comedic style suits the big screen well.
After all, actors like Eddie Murphy similarly translated their stand-up comedy persona to movie roles. In fact, Murphy even turned down Rush Hour at one point. Tucker has openly said Beverly Hills Cop is the film that motivated him to become a movie star himself. But his tendency to improvise made it difficult to co-star opposite Chan in Rush Hour.
The actor’s performance style in ‘Rush Hour’ complicated the movie
Despite his A-list status in Hong Kong, Chan wasn’t initially a cross-over success in the states. In fact, he didn’t begin to get mainstream Hollywood attention until his 1995 martial arts comedy Rumble in the Bronx hit U.S. theaters in 1996. That film’s success led New Line Cinema to pair Chan with Tucker in Rush Hour. But Chan’s difficulty with English and Tucker’s fast-paced line delivery were an odd pair for director Brett Ratner.
“Jackie tries to remember the last word of Chris’s lines, but that word usually never comes because Chris says his dialogue differently from what’s written,” Ratner told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in the wake of Rush Hour 2‘s release. “So I usually cue Jackie. Then I’ve got to make sure Jackie’s responses make sense. So there’s a lot of rewriting on the set.”
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan reunited for 2 ‘Rush Hour’ sequels
Eventually, Tucker and Chan learned to work together. And it worked out well for everyone involved. The two actors earned epic pay increases, particularly for the Rush Hour sequels. Tucker even negotiated a $20 million salary for Rush Hour 2. And another sequel followed in 2007, earning $258 million according to Box Office Mojo.
Since then, a short-lived TV series attempted to reboot Rush Hour without Chan or Tucker involved. But the series will likely remain dormant at this point until Chan and Tucker reunite yet again. Rumors continue to circulate about a potential Rush Hour 4, but nothing is official just yet.
