Over 30 years ago, moviegoers were introduced to White Men Can’t Jump – a sports comedy about a pair of basketball players from varied backgrounds. The two eventually find common ground through their shared love of the game – and desire to hustle folks on the court for cash. That classic story is now being updated for a new generation, as 20th Century Studios has produced a reboot that will soon be available to Hulu subscription holders. The OG flick was anchored by the performances of Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes (who was down for a sequel). And the revamp features new leads played by Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls and, thanks to a new featurette, you can get some insight into their characters and the funny bond they share.
CinemaBlend received the exclusive behind-the-scenes clip above, which features interviews with the two leading men along with director/producer Charles “Calmatic” Kidd. In the footage, the filmmaker talks about putting his own spin on the great sports movie. From there, his two leads discuss the dynamic the main characters possess. There's also plenty of footage from the movie that shows the actors hooping it up and busting each other’s chops.
The stars make some interesting observations, with Sinqua Walls – who plays the role of Kamal Allen – noting the “weird admiration” that his character has for Jack Harlow’s Jeremy. As Walls mentions, Allen feels that way because Jeremy has a clear mind and knows what he wants out of life. Harlow also discusses the titular white man’s tendency to trash talk, which the rapper admits he’s also prone to. Walls also emphasizes that the mismatched pair do share several key attributes.
White Men Can’t Jump Has Screened, See The First Reactions To Jack Harlow’s Remake For Hulu
In the movie, Kamal is a former high school basketball phenom whose road to the pros was disrupted due to personal circumstances. Meanwhile, the ultra-calm Jeremy is a true b-ball savant, though his hoop dreams and personal hang-ups prevent him from growing up. But as heavy as all of that might sound, there’s definitely plenty of humor that can be mined from their interactions with each other.
There’s a reason why the on-screen chemistry between the two leads is so strong. It’s because the actors playing them forged a solid friendship off camera. Sinqua Walls recently appeared alongside his castmates and director at a press conference for White Men Can’t Jump and, while there, he weighed in on the bond he has with his co-lead:
I think why people are responding to the chemistry that we have or the friendship that we have is because we generally just let each other, like, Jack and Sinqua, be Jack and Sinqua. We didn't try to force or try to infuse. We just let each other come to each other naturally. And then, you see the progression over the film. At the end, you see, like, how we were having inside jokes. And how, like, Jack will say something and I pick up on it and I'm laughing and I'm still trying to stay in character.
As the Teen Wolf alum later explained, Jack Harlow actually reached out to him before they got on set in order to go over lines together. Harlow, during the press conference, reflected on their first day filming, and he described it as a true “feeling out process”:
I agree, the first day was definitely a feeling out process. I think the very first scene we shot, it was almost weird. Like, I don't know what we were on, but we were just feeling each other out on that first take. And it low-key got real 'cause we were just like, yo, who is this guy? And, but after that, it was really smooth, you know? Great chemistry. I think everyone sees it.
Some may argue that White Men Can’t Jump shouldn’t be remade but, like myself, some may be curious to see what a modern take on it looks like. Such a production becomes even more appealing when you have capable stars like Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow at the helm as well. While the featurette gives one a nice sense of what to expect from their interactions, know that this is only a small taste of what’s to come.
White Men Can’t Jump hits Hulu on May 19 as part of the schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
