Menace II Society 1993
Pinkett Smith’s film debut
as young single mother
Ronnie came thanks to
a recommendation from the late
rapper Tupac Shakur, who was set
to appear in the drama before he
was fired. Despite his dramatic
departure, Shakur wouldn’t let his
friend follow suit. “I was questioning
whether I should do it or not, and
Pac was like, ‘Look, just because
I’m not doing it...you should still do
it,’ ” says the actress.
Scream 2 1997
In Wes Craven’s horror sequel,
Pinkett Smith followed in Drew Barry-
more’s footsteps as the unexpected
murder victim in the opening scene.
The actress had only one request:
make her death as horrific as possi-
ble. The legendary director obliged;
her character dies in front of an
audience that—so meta!—thinks her
demise is part of their horror-movie
experience. “It should be really
dramatic, just painful to watch,” says
Pinkett Smith, whose bloody exit
was particularly draining. “It takes
a lot of energy to die in that way.”
Ali 2001
If it were up to her, Pinkett Smith
never would have starred opposite
her husband, Will Smith, in his
Muhammad Ali biopic. “I was really
terrified to take that role,” she
says of playing Ali’s first wife, Sonji.
Jada Pink
“I had never seen real-life couples
successfully have chemistry on
screen, and this was too important
a film for Will. I didn’t want to mess
it up.” But director Michael Mann
(with whom she’d reunite for 2004’s
Collateral) wouldn’t take no for an
answer—and she’s thankful for what
was a “very fulfilling experience.”
The Matrix sequels 2003
Will Smith famously passed on playing
Neo in The Matrix, but his wife, who
auditioned to play Trinity, saw what
her husband couldn’t. “I knew it would
be revolutionary,” she recalls. “I was
like, ‘Will, you’ve got to do this movie!’
He didn’t fully get it, but I did.” While
Carrie-Anne Moss ended up being
cast as Trinity, the Wachowskis
wrote the character of Niobe in the
sequels specifically for Pinkett Smith.
“I thought Carrie-Anne was the perfect
Trinity, and there was no way I could
do what she did,” Pinkett Smith says.
“And that’s the only time in my career
I’ve said that about losing a role.”
Magic Mike XXL 2015
While she hadn’t seen the original
Magic Mike, a call from star Channing
Tatum quickly got her interested in
playing powerful, seductive strip-club
owner Rome in the sequel. Tatum told
the actress that the role was origi-
nally written for a man, but he wanted
to turn it into a female character—
a notion that Pinkett Smith felt could
“empower the female audience in
→ Whether she’s a hovercraft pilot, strip-club MC,
or talk-show host, the actress, 47, has been
impressing audiences with her larger-than-life
presence for more than two decades. Now, ahead
of Angel Has Fallen (out Aug. 23), she revisits
some of her memorable roles. BY DEREK LAWRENCE
ROLE CALL
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