FILM · 2000 · USA
Next Friday
58 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (58)
- #001
Chris Tucker did not reprise the role of Smokey in Next Friday because he had become a born-again Christian after making Money Talks (1997), and he chose to do the Rush Hour series instead. His absence is referenced throughout the film to explain the character's whereabouts.
- #002
The Cadillac used by the "Jokers" actually belonged to Ice Cube's bodyguard, Terry Crews.
- #003
Justin Pierce (Roach) committed suicide on July 10, 2000, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- #004
In Day-Day's bedroom there is a poster for the film The Players Club (1998). The Players Club was written and directed by Ice Cube, who also starred in it.
- #005
According to an earlier draft of the script, Michael Jordan was originally going to be in the gas station restroom instead of Stanley.
- #006
Comedian A. J. Johnson, who played the popular character "Ezal" in Friday, had agreed to appear in Next Friday based on a handshake deal he made with Ice Cube a month before the production. Weeks later, Johnson discovered that Next Friday had begun shooting and that he had not even been given a script. Ice Cube had rewritten his role as the character "Tyrone" for rapper Sticky Fingaz to play. In a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Johnson said Cube did this to avoid paying him the salary agreed for his participation in Next Friday, because Sticky Fingaz was paid far less than the agreed amount. Johnson said that during the shooting of this sequel Cube did not speak to him, did not answer his calls and banned him from the set. Johnson said he had not spoken to Ice Cube since 1999.
- #007
John Witherspoon plays Don 'D. C.' Curry's brother, and Don Curry plays Mike Epps's father in this film. In reality, Don Curry is only nine years older than Mike Epps, while John Witherspoon is 19 years older than Don Curry. John Witherspoon and Don 'D. C.' Curry also both appeared in the Adult Swim series The Boondocks (2005-2014) and Black Jesus (2014-2019).
- #008
According to a 2018 interview, Anthony Johnson, who played Ezal from Friday onward, was asked by Ice Cube to return for Next Friday. However, he was banned from the set, and the character Ezal was replaced by Tyrone (played by Sticky Fingaz).
- #009
Although Roach appears to be a terrible skateboarder, in real life Justin Pierce was a professional skateboarder.
- #010
Ice Cube and Mike Epps would later appear together in All About The Benjamins (2002), which was released eight months before Friday After Next. They also appeared together in several more films, including Are We There Yet? (2005), Janky Promoters (2009) and Lottery Ticket (2010).
- #011
Only four characters from the first film appear in this film: Craig, Mr. Jones, Deebo and Stanley.
- #012
Joker tells his girlfriend, "I'm gonna do you like 'American Me' baby!" Rolando Molina (Baby Joker) appeared in American Me.
- #013
Carmen Serano, Maria Arcé and Vanessa White's first film.
- #014
Ho-Kym was based on the Korean women working at a swap meet that Ice Cube visited.
- #015
Behind Pinky's you can see the cover of the album Bow Down by the hip-hop group Westside Connection, which included Ice Cube.
- #016
Michael Rapaport plays a mailman in this film, and five years earlier he had played a stoner in Higher Learning (1995), which also starred Ice Cube.
- #017
After John Witherspoon nearly runs over both Lister and Sticky Fingaz with a vehicle in one scene, Ice Cube calls Tommy Lister Jr. "Fake-ass Suge Knight." In September 2018, Suge Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in 2015 and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
- #018
Ice Cube felt this film was more like a Cheech and Chong movie than the first one.
- #019
Anna Maria Horsford did not reprise the role of Craig's mother, Mrs. Betty Jones, in this film, but she appeared in the third film, Friday After Next (2002).
- #020
Elroy Jones was based on several uncles Ice Cube mixed with.
- #021
Justin Pierce was hired because the producers enjoyed his work in Kids.
- #022
Some of the events in the film are based on real slices of Ice Cube's life.
- #023
Steve Carr did not know how to pitch a film. He flew to Arizona and met Ice Cube on the set of Three Kings. Carr was chosen to direct this film because he was a new director.
- #024
Ice Cube did not want to make a sequel to Friday, but the fans' reaction changed his mind.
- #025
Don Curry was not excited about performing the scene at the 56th minute in which a butt joke is made. He stopped looking at Kym Whitley during the scene because she was laughing so much.
- #026
Unlike the previous film, Next Friday featured several white actors and actresses.
- #027
After filming the 36th minute, all the dildos disappeared from the set.
- #028
Steve Carr liked how positive all the male relationships were.
- #029
The producers chased down the night the film opened, when all showings sold out. One of the executives told Steve Carr that he was having problems with the ushers at the front because they kept running into the film.
- #030
In terms of comedic value, Steve Carr liked the idea of the cul-de-sac because he wanted the area to be depicted comically rather than tragically.
- #031
One of the things Steve Carr enjoyed most in the film was pairing John Witherspoon with Don Curry.
- #032
Steve Carr had known Sticky Fingaz for some time and designed his first album cover.
- #033
One of the things that struck Steve Carr most about this film was that it appealed to both black and white audiences.
- #034
Lisa Rodriguez auditioned and appreciated her chemistry with Ice Cube.
- #035
Ice Cube had a dream that included David Bowie's song Fame and incorporated it into the script for Pinky's entrance.
- #036
During the filming of the 16th minute, Kym Whitley was spanked on the butt 20 times. She could not sit down for a week.
- #037
Tamala Jones thought Mike Epps was very funny.
- #038
Ice Cube did not try the vacuum cleaner until the 47th minute was shot on set. By the time the scene was over, Mike Epps's lips had turned so pale.
- #039
Mike Epps improvised most of his dialogue. The crew was laughing.
- #040
The producers had the most difficulty keeping Pinky's hair open during the fight scene. Powell's hair had curled.
- #041
According to Steve Carr, no actress was harmed during the making of this film.
- #042
Before this film, Tamala Jones had never played a crazy girlfriend.
- #043
Ice Cube suggested that this film needs to be rewatched so that more people catch the jokes.
- #044
Steve Carr credited Ice Cube with helping him learn how to direct a feature film.
- #045
Jacob Vargas suggested that Joker strip him down to his underwear. At that moment the entire crew was eating donuts.
- #046
Ice Cube believes this film pushes ghetto humor to its limits without becoming ugly. In his view, the humor sticks in the memory.
- #047
The film was shot over 33 days.
- #048
Steve Carr bought the same Brown magazine seen at the 15-minute mark.
- #049
The only reason Ice Cube decided to set this film in the suburbs was that Chris Tucker was not in the film and it introduced new characters.
- #050
Steve Carr disliked part of the soundtrack and wished he could have used other licensed songs.
- #051
Before appearing in this film, Amy Hill moved to Compton and went to a street vendor.
- #052
Ice Cube believed making this film was easier than the first because the producers had more time and money.
- #053
Don Curry gave a concert in the club during the filming of the 18-minute mark. The producers shot his scene in a single continuous take because Don was ready to get to the helicopter.
- #054
Ice Cube thought Mike Epps was very good because he did not try to fill anyone's shoes.
- #055
Ice Cube fought to keep the Jefferson theme song at the end because Kym sat on Elroy's back the way Jefferson did.
- #056
Ice Cube hoped the film would earn 60 million dollars at the box office.
- #057
Steve Carr does not smoke marijuana at all and does not defend it, even though he made this film.
- #058
According to Ice Cube's DVD commentary, there are three story gears. The first is meeting the suburbs and the new characters. The second is Pinky's situation and things getting worse. The third is dealing with the Joker brothers and trying to save the day.
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