Rosie Perez supports 'White Men Can't Jump' remake but is not involved thus far (original) (raw)

When the Oscars reunited White Men Can't Jump costars Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and Rosie Perez to present this past March, Perez was overwhelmed with emotion at the lengthy standing ovation they received. "Oh, my God — I almost burst into tears," she told EW during an interview for her latest project, the Apple TV+ bilingual drama series Now and Then. "I was so shocked, in total happy tears. But I don't remember what I said. My husband told me I yelled out, 'What?!' Which I don't think I did, but I was in shock. It was amazing."

The iconic trio joked and quipped on stage, showing that they still have the chemistry that turned the movie into a cultural mainstay. In the 1992 film, Harrelson portrays Billy, an ex-college basketball player who starts running hustles as a street baller. He joins forces with another operator, Sidney (Snipes), and the two enter a two-on-two tournament. Perez plays Billy's girlfriend (and future Jeopardy! contestant), Gloria.

Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, and Wesley Snipes in 'White Men Can't Jump'. Everett

White Men Can't Jump celebrated its 30th anniversary last month and is currently getting the remake treatment from 20th Century Studios, with rapper Jack Harlow in Harrelson's former role. Perez says that she believes the upcoming film will be its own version of the story — one with, thus far, no input from the original stars, which she is completely fine with.

"I haven't been contacted," Perez states. "The last time I spoke to Woody and Wesley, they haven't either, but I don't know if they've been contacted since," Perez states. "And everybody's like, 'Oh that's messed up.' No, it's not! The cast[s] of A Star Is Born, one and two and three, didn't have a cameo in all the remakes, you know what I'm saying? They worked and they've been great remakes. I was just watching the remake of The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Jude Law, Matt Damon and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, God rest his soul, and it was amazing. So, I have high hopes for the remake."

She adds, "I want it to work because if it works, it really cements White Men Can't Jump as a classic. And I wish everybody would be rooting for the same."

"We made it into an ensemble," Perez says. "It worked because the three of us worked. So if this guy [Harlow] is as good as they say that he is — and I hope he is, I've never seen his work so I can't judge — I hope that they get the other two cast members that will be as equally as good and that they have the same chemistry that the three of us had."

As for her old costars, despite how much she loved being on the Oscar stage with her friends, they ruined her fashionable entrance because Harrelson, a notable and outspoken weed smoker, and Snipes, had gotten high on the way to the ceremony. Typically among weed aficionados, caring means sharing, so we asked Perez if her costars had offered her a hit as well.

Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, and Woody Harrelson at the 2022 Oscars. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty

"That's funny — no comment!" she says, laughing. When pressed if they might have offered her some, she laughs harder and adds, "You need to call Woody and ask him."

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