2Pac
2Pac & Jim Belushi Interview On The Set Of ‘Gang Related’ 8 27 96
Jim: Well you don't know everything

Interviewer: Yes

Jim: Too bad, you don't even know what I give ya
get problems in relationship with this control issue

Female Interviewer: Not lately

Jim: Not lately, well you're not in one

Female Interviewer: No I'm in one

Jim: And?

Female Interviewer: It's fine, thanks.

Jim: It's going good?

Female Interviewer: And you?

Jim: Oh that was good. Good transition like I fell for that —[2Pac laughs] She's really good and how long you've been doing this?

Female Interviewer: Long enough.

Jim: A long enough? evasive answer. Good I'm gonna learn from you.
Female Interviewer: What about you? how long you been doing this

Jim: 20 years
any way

Female Interviewer: Okay, okay

Jim: Get back on track here

Female Interviewer: Alright

Jim: Did television series, doing animated 'The Blues Brothers ' series, gotta movie called 'Jingle All the Way' coming out with Arnold Schwarzenneger, where I played Santa Claus, very funny come out in November out here, there another movie from this company called 'Retroactive' just kind of a recite fire action movie, very funny, very funny role, very serious, funny, crazy, action, unusual piece I really like it. I did a little thing with Rob Lowe called 'the Peril of Walterwood'. I did little part in the movie called 'Gold in the Streets' [?].
And doing this. And 'The Blues Brothers Animation'. And the TV series.

Male Interviewer: How is it to feel to be..

Jim: The king? How it it to be the king?

Interviewer: How is it to feel to be [?]

Jim: IT FEELS GREAT
we just open up at the Atlanta house of blues
so don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge

2Pac: Close to the..
Jim: I'm just tryin to get some head

2Pac: Do you want me to sing it to you all?

Female Interviewer: Yeah

Jim: yeah mam I told you I was dancing on you
watch this control free

2Pac: Oh no

—[Jim laughs]

Female Interviewer: [?]

2Pac: Hi it's Tupac Shakur

Female Interviewer: Eva

2Pac: Tupac Shakur

2Pac: Tupac, how you doing
How are you?

Stranger 1: I'm Jessica
Stranger 2: I'm just Maria
2Pac: aight

Jim: Oh we're don't stand up 'cause she's from the [?]

2Pac: What's up!

Female Interviewer: Hey thanks ahaha

2Pac: [?] is jerk, he's jerk

2Pac: Alrighty then

Female Interviewer: So what's it being like working with Jim?

2Pac: One day you guys are gonna come out with an original question

Female Interviewer: It's not gonna be today

Jim: Is that the first, second or third answer?

2Pac: Yeah that's the first.

—[Jim laughs]

2Pac: There has to be deeper question than "What is it like working with Jim!" It's great, it's great, but I could never tell you what is like I mean it's like when you ask people those questions as a relates to what? What if you don't have no friends, you don't know what is like what if you never a done a movie so you don't how shitty your co-star work could be, so you don't know how nice it is to work with somebody who gives a fuck

Jim: Wait but I can answer that, I know how shitty it is

—[2Pac laughs]

Jim: Let me tell you in comparison he's great

Female Interviewer: In comparison to?

Jim: To , I'm not gonna z one in

2Pac: Citizen

Jim: You work for gossip com or you a journalist?

Female Interviewer: I'm a journalist

Jim: Okay..., names names, what's names
I feel like I'm in jail I gotta turn to my friends

2Pac: It's great, it's not like..

Jim: Stay on your immoral's

2Pac: Uha

2Pac: It's not like.. it's like a regular friend not soundin' corny
like "we're so close friends", but it's not like a regular relationship in the movies, where it's based on the movie. It's based on really, like I have a job to do, you have a job to do, what can I do to make your job better? And what can I do to make your job better?
I never had a co-star that really gave a fuck. What did it take to get me to do my job, and that's all I ever wanted long as you can take away these small things that you might able to handle that I can't handle, but there major things that I can handle that some people can't handle. I take care of the major things, you handle this little things that I just got.. I got like pet peeves that I can't get through a movie without. So he is been able to like to erase those hurdles so it makes it easy and that's a first. So now when I go to another set I can go "here's Jim's number call him find out what Jammy do"

—[Jim & 2Pac laughs]

Jim: For me what he does is, in the scene, he's so.. Tupac is so present and so alive with energy and music. That is like a joy, it just a.. you don't know just makes it just like eating a great pasta
—[2Pac laughs]
it's just a joy, but he is a liar

2Pac: Oh yes

Jim: He lies the whole time, I'm tired, I'm an empty, I got nothing left. Camera guy goes action, and he's like {snapping fingers}

2Pac: You know they got Tim Robbins on Tv just like boosting you up to make money, and he's like one of those confident guys. like on TV late Kevin, as this guy as this guy. I gotta shovel in my throat, we been doing this for 13 hours, I'm totally tired, he'll tell you a dirty joke that is just bring energy to the scene, you know that, that's a.. that's a [?]. He's not like.. he's not does he like acting tricks to get you ready, he just does normal people things like you know in the middle of the nights he's telling you dirty jokes that you only hear in college, you know what I mean?

Jim: [?]

2Pac: Not now

Jim: Okay I heard rumor last night

2Pac: Not in front of them, come on, don't it!

Jim: Alright I can't do it,

2Pac: You don't wanna be known in.., come on

Jim: Alright alright around the world

2Pac: Eurorussia is the dirty old American man

is the dirty american

Jim: I'm only gonna be known for autoshade man

—[2Pac laughs]

Jim: Today he used the skinny guy, he's doing the driving chasing, I'm running down the street chasing the bad guy

2Pac: We gotta get that, you know

Jim: We gotta do a scene in there about that
about "hey man I'm tired of chasing that bitch fucking guy"

Male Interviewer: Fuckin' bullshit I have distributed present that I have there

Jim: But we see settle or stupid

2Pac: nonetheless, I give him the credit

Jim: Okay
we gon' on the second answer

Male Interviewer: For new years, which is the decision you gonna make in new years about fitness we assume? Why you gonna change you [?]?

Jim:Where is "dead" where is "dead"?

2Pac: More pasta, and I'm starting doing like 300 push ups a day
starts January 1st

Female Interviewer: How many do you do now?

2Pac: I could do 300 at day like one day, but then in the next day I'm not interested in doing another 300, I fell like, well that's good for 3 days you know what I mean I had to get to the average just doing this. I really wanna push for the next generation of actors, people, rappers, entertainers whatever. We need to be more physically fit, not slim, not buff, just physically fit with ever you have exercise it, so that you can use it.

Jim: And also we're both you know.. we're real conscious that way because our instrument is us

2Pac: Us, yeah!

Jim: And you had to take care your buddy

2Pac: And you can use it. You could be fit in look and act tired, but you can't be tired and act fit. like I said I'm not on the kick let's be skinny, let's be fit right now I can outrun everybody at this table

Jim: For 50 yards

2Pac: Yeah, now marathon, I never knew what the hell they were doing in marathon anyway, the thing went in the Olympics when they gon' gang in times around, hey what the hell is that for?
these guys straight gay, get out of here.

2Pac: I won't run 50, it's a cop every 50 yards.

Jim: See that's all I g, gonna worry do 50 yards, seek that shit out right?

2Pac: sprints

Female Interviewer: What you get out off acting if you don't get out off music?

2Pac: Orgasms

2Pac: Nah I get..

Jim: I thought the musicians gonna lay much more than they really

2Pac: They do, they do, they really do. But I get another sense of, just like asking a woman what do you get out off motherhood that you don't get out off your career you know what I mean?
It's another satisfaction, it's a whole another joy it's similar,
because it's both creative, but it's fun, you do the same thing, at the high schools thing.

Jim: Went to the other night man, oh yah that's true 'cause I got a ban.

2Pac: So you used to saying that

Jim: I'm catching [?]

2Pac: One night he's at the house of blues, in the morning he's back on the set, you know one night I'm doing a video
in the morning, we're on the set

Jim: We're happened to be very fortunate people

2Pac: We rock and roll stars

Jim: We rock and roll stars with actors

2Pac: And actors

Female Interviewer: How do you prevent that fate that got you in?

2Pac: How do I prevent it?
To be perfectly honest; I'm [?] very conceited

Jim: I don't, I don't, I let it go

2Pac: But how the world prevent it, is by put me in jail for crime I didn't commit last year, that kinda humbles you out, but now that I'm out and free, it keeps me humble, it keeps my feet on the ground.

Female Interviewer: What's the greatest misconception of value?

2Pac: It's so many, I'd have it here to misconception and then I break it down. There's a lot though, but that I'm on sided that's the biggest when I'm within, 'cause I'm one sided.
All of us is a human beings is having dominant and a quiet side
I happened to be a Gemini

Jim: You too?

2Pac: Yeah

Jim: Yeah

2Pac: Gemini AND I'm young AND I'm black AND I'm from the hood, so it's just you got all these different facets. But I'm an artist, and I'm hungry for knowledge. So there's no pigeonhole for them to put me in. So they'd rather just make it look like I'm crazy that's the biggest misconception.

Female Interviewer: Where you live now?

2Pac: Where would I live?

Interviewer: Yes

2Pac: Um, like what country, or a state? what's the street?

Female Interviewer: [?]

2Pac: Los Angeles, gotta big house in Los Angeles

Male Interviewer: The name Tupac, why did you said your real name or...

2Pac: That's my real name, there's nothing artificial about

Male Interviewer: Do you know another Tupac famous ?

2Pac: There’s a gentleman by the name of Tupac Amaru who is a freedom fighter, warrior similar to myself —[Jim laughs]. Achieved a leader, and he was for his people. The British told him you know, give in, throw your guns down, throw your stuff down, threw everything down. He went in to talk and negotiate for peace, 'cause the Peruvians was beating they ass so he went and negotiate for peace, so he walks into the palace. They cut off his head, cut off his arms, cut off his legs, tie him to a stake and put him in front of his people like ‘see’…so that always taught me about giving up. People ask me what my name means, I don’t tell them like "Túpac Amaru" but I just say it means determined. Because I’m determined to never ever negotiate again. We are in a midst of war, nobody wants me to live longer than…nobody’s gonna give me the breath outta their mouth for me to live longer. So therefore I’m not giving anybody the breath outta my mouth for them to live longer. I just breathe deeply and go through this life myself without bothering anybody without pushing anybody else over. But on the same token nobody ever remove me from where I’m standing.

Jim: I like that man

2Pac: You like that?

Jim: That was good man…

2Pac: Now you gotta come up with one so we can make it like mix it and have a Donal Logue

Jim: The Belushi's about eating.

2Pac: —[laughs]

Jim: We have restaurants..

2Pac: Café’s

Jim: Café’s, cheeseburgers cheeseburger places.

—[2Pac laughs] cheeseburgers cheeseburgers!?

Jim: It's about getting up for work before 1 o’clock in the morning, driving home late and the big danger was, honestly…

2Pac: Sipping that diner remember you told me that story?

Jim: Sipping that diner, I was still walking….

Female Interviewer: This is Manuel guys.

Male Interviewer: I’m late guys.

Jim: Emanuel you missed it.

2Pac: oh you missed everything…oh we just finished telling the whole the meaning of life. Everything. So you were getting drunk and eating bread somewhere huh?

Jim: Haha!

Female Interviewer 1: We were just talking about food.

Female Interviewer 2: Um, what’s the biggest myth about fame?

2Pac: About fame? That all actors wanna be famous. People go “well you’re an actor? You’re suppose to want this” and like when people come up to you and tear all your clothes off, “Quit complaining, you’re an actor, you’re supposed to want this, you’re famous.” No our job is you gave me this jewel. Our job is to only…I mixed it up for ya.. but our job is to come to work, give you the best job we can give you. And then move away from the picture. We’re not supposed to suck your dick while you watch the movie or put my finger in your ass while you’re watching the movie or play my record and I’m fingering… you know. It only you buy that shit and that’s it.

Jim: On the back of a CD or on the back of a ticking at a movie theater, it explains what the contract is with the public. And the contract is to give your best for your performance. You don’t owe them anything else.

Female Interviewer: Just pay attention, you're [?] music, the soundtrack to this involved?

2Pac: oh but of course. you will never see me in anymore movies where I’m not directly involved with the soundtrack. I looked up power in the dictionary and I try to be down with that one. Just like we need to have a premier at the House of Blues.

Jim: We will.

2Pac: We gotta have a big premier at the House of Blues.

Jim: Oh absolutely man.

2Pac: Where we do our big debut. Where we do our song.

Jim: Yeah! Yeah! where we do one at the stage! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

2Pac: And singing that "Fly Me To The Moon" [?].

Jim:[Sings “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra ]

Male Interviewer: And how do you feel about working with more veterans. Did you learn something from Jim?

2Pac: Everyday, that’s the good part. I done a movie with a lot of guys my age, just recently I done a movie with Tim Roth, I learned a lot of thing about the craft and about acting and about responsibility. Doing this movie with Jim I learned a lot of things about life, like in general like fatherhood and he like comes in with facts about like little things from nowhere. Like oh ‘1965 this guy did a great song’ and he tell me that. I gotta go out and get the song now and find out who sung it.

Jim: And then we steal it

2Pac: And then we steal it. And the next day it’s the song you know.

Jim: It’s a high burglary

2Pac: we totally like separate spectrums but similar, both of us are dipped down to earth. Known for being down to earth.

Jim: We’re artists

2Pac: we’re artists. Yeah we bring.. we bring a freshness toward I think.

Jim: We love the street, I mean I love the street. I love being on the street.

Male Interviewer: (Asks question about downtown LA)

Jim: Well coming from you know driving in limousines and going to premiers and helicoptering to resorts and you know, all the girls and all the fun we have, which is a little step down from being in downtown LA. But it’s part of the craft, we will make that sacrifice.

2Pac: Yeah sacrifice.

Jim: Yeah we gotta make sacrifices.

Female Interviewer: You think your audience will change because I mean with the audience or there’s still safety within the message of the content stuff?

2Pac: I think that unless every kid in the world bought my album, my five million six million sales represent that it's not just kids that are my audience it's not just little black kids in the ghetto or suburban white kids that want to be black, it's America. I could step outside and you'll see America know me, not just American kids, it's all of America.

Female Interviewer: Swedish kids, Swedish kids too.

2Pac: Right, no doubt. Oh I love Swedish girlfriend, y’all get me to hook up a concert for me as you know. I could come out there, uni about to pay me to do a show.

Female Interviewer: Have you been to Sweden?

2Pac: No but I’ve been in Sweden a little bit you know what I mean [laughs].

Jim: [laughs]

2Pac: I don’t even know I wanna take this…

Jim: I got a taste of Sweden more like it to put it.

2Pac: [laughs]

Female Interviewer: You had a Swedish girl?

Jim: Oh it was guy what do you think?

[Both Jim and 2Pac laughs]

Female Interviewer: I don’t know I didn’t hear it.

2Pac: I did, I liked it out there

Jim: Oh it’s warmer.

2Pac: Love it

Female Interviewer 2: Have you been to Australia?

2Pac: No, I wanna go there too.

Female Interviewer 2: Any plans to tour?

2Pac: Our plan is as soon as they offer the money. I’d be out there.

Female Interviewer 1: On Sweden you goes for free?

2Pac: Now for Sweden you gotta action, I'm free, it just, yeah
In Brazil, you know you got action there WOAH, I just do a promo tour out there. Me and Jim just boost up the movie out there. You pay for the hotel?

Jim: We're there

2Pac: Get me action at the bar?

Jim: We're there.

2Pac: we’re in there.
You know how big this movie could be in Sweden?
alright..

Male Interviewer: What was the most challenging aspect of the movie?

Jim: Two more questions guys.

2Pac: The most challenging?

Male Interviewer: So far yeah.

2Pac: Everyday, getting to the spot.

Male Interviewer: to a specific scene that’s really tough?

2Pac: It's not like that, it's every single day we have to get to these intense spots that we left the day before because this whole movie is intense. It’s not like you could just walk away and have your regular life and come back to that same intensity…that to me is the hardest part to find. The hell we left off last night.

Jim: Yeah, we have to go some really deep places. Really hard places emotionally and it’s hard to let go of it you know.

Male Interviewer: [Inaudible Question]

Jim: Oh there is betrayal going on here, murder going on here…

2Pac: Deceit…

Jim: There is deceit.

2Pac: Lies…con games that you take home with you. I do.

Jim: Yeah

Male Interviewer: Does that oblige your own dark clouds?

Jim: What’s that?

Male Interviewer: Does that oblige you in a way to face your own self?

Jim: Well it's.. I don't think it's facing as much as...for me it’s going through it, I mean everybody you got go through your deceit, and it’s something you really don't wanna do, you kinda worked on that. Now I’m a very honest man, I’m very straight forward. It's taking me years to get rid of the bullshit I believe about myself. And then when you play a character that believes his own bullshit, who is deceitful, lies to himself about being deceitful, you gotta go to that place in you. So you gotta bring it out of ya. So you don’t wanna.. you don't wanna to stay there too long. You wanna put it back.

2Pac: But make no mistake, the darkness dwells within every man and no one knows how to reach any faster than the next man. Some of us just comfortable being honest about saying this is my dark side. And the other one of us put on masks or white sheets or suits or uniforms and exhibit their darkness behind closed doors.

Jim: Yeah, well what we do is we go to a..

2Pac: Yeah

Jim: And we go to it here.

2Pac: Yeah, show it to you.

Jim: But it's fun because you don’t do it alone. If he’s going there I’m going there.

2Pac: And yeah we both look like ‘Hey, you’re pretty dark’

Jim: What are you talking there? Yeah, yeah

2Pac: —[laughs]

Jim: we keeping even the theme of the movie we keep a sense of humor about it.

2Pac: Gotta keep a sense of humor.

Female Interviewer: Is there anything about your experience in jail that you could turn into a positive? As in then inspire you when running your next…

2Pac: whoa great question. Yes, in jail I was faceful of faith, I was faced with doing bankruptcy. I was just about to do it. A friend of mine said don’t do it, it will mess up your credit. Go to the bottom, don’t be scared to go all the way to the bottom, don’t be a punk. Fight it out, I fought it out, came out contract in shambles…everything in shambles. Virtually no movie career nobody would touch me with a fifty foot pole. And the rap world I mean, a rape charge or any of that bullshit will destroy you. Me knowing I didn’t do it. I kept my faith, I didn’t blow my brains out with a shotgun. And dropped-out, can none touch me, I feel like God his-self got his hands on me. So six million.. Only people that sold more records than me with a double album is The Beatles. And you know, I don’t wanna sell more records than The Beatles. Then I wanna kill myself.

Jim: —[laughs]

2Pac: I had the most expensive album on the chart this year. But I sold more albums than anybody. nobody can beat me at that. My shit cost [?] is this million dollar dream that I’ma push. It's everything. It's not stopping, nothing can touch me out here now.

Jim: and once you hit that bottom, you’re free.

2Pac: Where can you go?

Jim: You’re free.

2Pac: You’re shot, you go to jail. What can touch me? What actor can give you more truth than me right now? That’s how I feel so, that’s the positive.

Jim: We really appreciate you coming for lunch. Very kind of you to come and visit us.

2Pac: Try not to eat all the food, don't drink all the stuff, okay? I’m checking all bags before you leave. I know how pretty it is to see you. Everybody take your own tape recorder home.

Jim: Take care of yourselves.