Pop Smoke is getting praised for his acting role in his upcoming debut movie.
The violence in the rap world this year has claimed many talented artists, and one of them, Pop Smoke, is still being mourned by fans. Come next year, his supporters will get a chance to see the multi-talented artist on the big screen when the film ‘Boogie’ premiers on March 5, 2021. The film was produced by Focus Features. Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah, was tragically shot and killed on February 19, following a home invasion by four men.
Deadline confirmed the release date, which will be just a few weeks after the anniversary of his death.
“Boogie” centers around a gifted basketball star, whose name is Alfred “Boogie” Chin. He’s from Queens, New York, and his dream is to make it to the NBA. Conflict arises because his parents want him to focus on getting a scholarship at a prestigious college. The lead is played by Taylor Takahashi and shows how the youth navigates through life’s challenges. The movie is Eddie Huang’s directorial debut. Pop Smoke’s role hasn’t been revealed.
Huang shared about his experience with Pop Smoke during the filming. He described the rapper’s effort as outstanding. “Pop shows up to the audition—Palm Angels head to toe—and he’s just a kid, but he has the voice of 50 Cent and Paul Mooney. You can tell he’s weathered, he’s an old soul,” he said. He added that it only took two takes before his charisma came to life.
“He can turn emotions on a dime. He could be funny. He can be mean. A lot of actors just don’t have the depth of emotion and experiences,” he said.
The director went on to say that Pop Smoke gave him a thousand percent effort. He said he had a great work ethic and that he never quit even when there were 16-hour days and overnights shots.
“Kids were coming on the bridge to watch us shoot the scenes. We would play Pop’s record. All our actors, the extras, the kids on the bridge watching us shoot scenes, everyone was doing the Woo dance. It was pretty special,” he added.
Fans will be eagerly awaiting the movie’s release.
