Nick Cannon has been behind the camera lately, but the actor could be stepping back in front to portray Richard Pryor in an upcoming film about the iconic comedian.
With all of the controversy surrounding cast selections for numerous biopics including the Aaliyah and Whitney Houston movies, Cannon has actually received the green light from the legend’s son, Richard Pryor Jr.
While Pryor Jr. initially disapproved of the 33-year-old actor, he’s since had a change of heart.
“I am actually very excited about it now. He changed my mind by how he is delving into it,” he told the Huffington Post.
Although Cannon hasn’t officially landed the role in the Lee Daniel’s directed motion picture, he’s been hinting at the possibility for weeks.
In an interview with TMZ, he gave ambiguous answers when asked about playing the late stand-up comic.
“Here’s the thing. There have been a lot of people out there who’ve discussed playing this role. I never want to jinx anything because you guys know how movies work. If it’s not in production, it’s not real. So all I’ll say is that I’m doing the work right now. I’m doing everything that I need to do to embody it when the opportunity is right,” he explained.
Pryor Jr. has noticed his efforts.
He pinpointed Cannon’s use of his left hand instead of his right, the growth of his hair and the fact that he’s picked up smoking all just to emulate his dad .
“He’s looking into who my dad really was…his childhood and he is interested in talking to me,” he revealed.
While the Drumline star has been trying to be hush-hush about his potential new role, he hasn’t been as obscure when posting on his social media sites.
He put up a side-by-side photo of himself and the legend on his Instagram page. He also has uploaded pictures of just Pryor, captioning one “#TBT I’m feeling his spirit. I hope y’all ready for the next level in my career. #GameChanger #Pryor.”
