Hires Promises a New Spin on Chris Tucker’s Classic Character in CBS’ Rush Hour
For Justin Hires, being cast as Detective Carter in CBS’ upcoming Rush Hour television series was a childhood dream come true.
“There were two reasons why I got into acting,” said Hires, who will star alongside Jon Foo, stepping into the role of Detective Lee, previously played by Jackie Chan. “One was watching martial arts movies, especially Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee movies. And the second was watching Chris Tucker in the move Friday. Doing a show like this combines my two first loves in one series.”
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Hires was 13 years old when the first Rush Hour film was released. Now he has the somewhat daunting task of stepping into the shoes of a character memorably played by Tucker, whose rapid-fire delivery and presence helped turn offbeat buddy cop comedy into a successful three-film franchise.
Hires said it was important for him to put his own unique spin on the character rather than trying to mimic Tucker’s interpretation.
“I’m a huge fan of Chris Tucker’s. When I first saw him in Friday, I had never seen a human being that funny in my entire life. I thought to myself, ‘If I could be half as funny as this guy, I think I could have a career in Hollywood.’ However, with this role, I thought it was important that I bring my own comedic style to this character. I didn’t watch any of the films leading up to shooting the pilot or throughout the series.
“There are times when I can look at the script and I know how Chris Tucker would deliver a line, because I’m such a huge fan” he said. “Sometimes I think if Chris Tucker would deliver this line this way, I’m going to deliver it this other way. I made sure that I brought my own comedic delivery, my own comedic timing to this role. Hopefully the audience will watch and enjoy what I bring to the table.”
A self-professed class clown throughout school (he boasts that he was named “Most Humorous” in both fifth-grade and twelfth-grade), he began studying acting in middle school. By 13, he was performing in Shakespeare in the Park productions, the youngest and only African-American member of the cast.
He graduated from Gibbs High School of the Performing Arts with a concentration in theatre performance and landed roles in Stomp the Yard and The Gospel while attending Clark Atlanta University.
He moved to Los Angeles in 2007and tried his hand at stand-up comedy, collecting as much mic time as he could as he honed his craft.
“Part of being a stand-up comedian is discovering yourself on stage,” Hires said. “When you discover yourself on stage, you develop your voice, timing, and delivery.”
Comedy clubs can still be racially segregated environments, with black comics playing to black rooms and white comics playing to white rooms. For Hires, it was important that his act could be enjoyed by audiences of all ethnicities and backgrounds.
“In the comedy world, you have the ‘Chocolate Sundaes’ and ‘Mo’ Better Mondays,’ those are the nights when a lot of African-American comedians perform” Hires said. “I heard Dave Chappelle talk about it a long time ago, about the importance of becoming a universal comedian. You want to make sure that your jokes work in a black crowd, a white crowd, an Asian crowd, a Hispanic crowd, and that’s they’re touching everybody the same way. I’ve always made it my duty from when I started performing to make sure that I was performing in front of an array of cultures every night.”
Hires said his stand-up experience was vital to developing his own style and helped prepare him for the challenge of stepping into an iconic role. His childhood passion for martial arts also was a major advantage. He earned a first-degree black belt in karate, and his martial arts experiences helped him through the fight and action sequences in Rush Hour.
“I do about 80 percent of my stunts,” Hires said. “Having that martial arts background and doing Stomp the Yard, which had dance choreography, those two experiences helped me prepare for the physical demands of the show.”
Rush Hour promises to be a breakout role for Hires, but he’s taking things one day at a time.
“I don’t know if the show is going to be a hit. I think the show is going to be a hit and I hope the show is going to be a hit, but my mentality is to just keep working hard,” he said. “I’m still writing screenplays during the day, I’m still doing stand-up comedy at night. I’m just taking it in stride.
“This isn’t an overnight success story,” Hires said. “I’ve been acting professionally for over 10 years. I’ve been training as an actor for 17 years. I think some people expect me to be more excited or nervous than I am. I’m one of those ‘We’ll see how the ratings are when it comes out’ types. Hopefully it becomes a hit. And if not, I’ll continue working even harder to accomplish my dream.”
Rush Hour premieres at 10 pm. EST on Thursday, March 31 on CBS.
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