Hustle and Flow was released in 2005. Starring Terrence Howard (the future star of the series Empire), the movie tells the story of DeeJay, a man working as a pimp and drug dealer who dreams of becoming a rapper. The film also starred Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Proud on The Proud Family) and Taraji P. Henson, who would later work with Howard on Empire. Initially, the film was called Hook, Hustle and Flow.
The film was co-produced by John Singleton, who also financed the film out of his own pocket.
Initially, Howard turned the role down as he didn’t want to be typecast as a pimp. However, after reading the script, he realised the character was deeply developed and layered.
The Well-Known Cast Of Hustle And Flow
Before jumping into the cast, the actors listed are just well-known ones. For the complete cast list, please consult the Wikipedia above or go to the IMDb page for the film.
The cast list is as follows:
- Terrence Howard as Deejay
- Paula Jai Parker as Lexus
- Anderson Anderson as Key
- Ludacris as Skinny Black
- Juicy J as Tigga
To conclude this post, Terrence Howard did thorough research when preparing for the role of DeeJay. He interviewed pimps and prostitutes over two and a half years to get an idea of how the sex industry operated. He also worked in a brothel for a month. Moreover, Garrett Hedland auditioned for a role in the film but was considered “too pretty.”
Finally, Paula Jai Parker met her husband while working on the film.
