‘Rush Hour’: Chris Tucker Couldn’t Pronounce This Dish in Deleted Scene
Between Jackie Chan’s martial arts stuntwork and Chris Tucker’s fast-paced comedy, the Rush Hour movies seemed to have everything audiences wanted. Both actors played to their strengths, and the result was three blockbuster films that hit theaters between 1998 and 2007. But at their heart, the Rush Hour movies are fish-out-of-water comedies. Perhaps never is that truer than during a deleted scene that challenged Tucker on the set.
‘Rush Hour’ captured unexpected chemistry between its 2 leading men
Like Lethal Weapon before it, Rush Hour focuses on a pair of mismatched cops who — during a particularly complicated and dangerous case — learn to work together and become friends. And much like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, the chemistry between Chan and Tucker elevates the material. On paper, Rush Hour isn’t anything particularly special. But the interplay between its stars makes the film a genuine crowd-pleaser by the end.
Chan and Tucker’s real-life relationship closely mirrors that of their characters, Lee (Chan) and Carter (Tucker). And just as the sequels develop the bond between the two men, the actors who play them too have become good friends. Perhaps that’s why audiences connect so much to the friendship between these two such different characters and the wildly disparate performers behind them.
Chris Tucker struggled to pronounce the name of a popular Jewish dish
While Chan’s stuntwork put Tucker at a disadvantage on the set, the actor — then best known for starring opposite Ice Cube in Friday — also found himself struggling during a particular bit of dialogue in Rush Hour 2. The scene in question sees Lee and Carter on a plane, with the latter offering Lee some of his gefilte fish. However, Tucker couldn’t pronounce the name of the Jewish dish, ensuring that this moment ended up on the cutting room floor.
Funnily enough, fans can still set a bit of it in the gag reel at the end of Rush Hour 2. And that must have made enough of an impression that director Brett Ratner circled back to the line on Rush Hour 3. At some point in that movie, Carter asks a flight attendant if they have gefilte fish on the flight. Although Chan is typically the one overwhelmed by his dialogue, it’s ironic that Tucker’s gaffe is one of the franchise’s most memorable.
Will Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan reunite for ‘Rush Hour 4’?
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan didn’t seem like a natural big-screen pairing. And yet, the two men led their franchise to a startling collective worldwide total of nearly $850 million, according to Box Office Mojo. And after all that success, it’s remarkable the series topped after the third film, which earned $258 million in its 2007 release.
A short-lived TV series attempted to reboot the franchise without Chan or Tucker involved. But more recently, rumors about a potential Rush Hour 4 have begun to recirculate. If the two stars were to return, their salaries alone would probably inflate the budget considerably. But with nostalgia all the rage, it very well could happen soon.
