INTERVIEW: Gerard Butler & O'Shea Jackson Jr. On 'Den Of Thieves 2', 50 Cent, Kobe Bryant, California + More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club
Episode: INTERVIEW: Gerard Butler & O'Shea Jackson Jr. On 'Den Of Thieves 2', 50 Cent, Kobe Bryant, California + More
Release Date: January 10, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Guests: Gerard Butler, O'Shea Jackson Jr.

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1. Introduction and Personal Updates

The episode opens with Jess Hilarious welcoming long-time guests, Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr., returning after seven years since promoting "Den of Thieves 1."

• Jess Hilarious [00:50]: "Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson. Welcome."

Discussion on Current Events:

Jess inquires about the recent wildfires in Los Angeles and how they are affecting O'Shea and his family.

• Jess Hilarious [00:58]: "It's been some time since you've been here before. Last time you were up here promoting Den of Thieves one."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [01:04]: "I'm literally talking, waiting for updates right now. There was some starting near the Valley area, so I'm just checking on my daughter and things like that. So, you know, little on edge, but nothing I could do from here except worry."

• Jess Hilarious [01:21]: "Is there an evacuation plan? Like if this goes, go this route or go this or."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [01:25]: "Yeah, but as much as you can. I wasn't expecting some of them to be as close as they are when I got up, but yeah, so I'm just trying to be a helicopter dad right now as much as I can."

2. 'Den of Thieves 2' Production Insights

The conversation shifts to the highly anticipated sequel, "Den of Thieves 2," delving into the reasons behind the seven-year gap between the first and second installments.

• Jess Hilarious [01:39]: "Now let's talk about Den of Thieves 2. 7 years. Why did it take so long to shoot part two?"

• DJ Envy [01:44]: "Cause O'Shea is a nightmare, and he's such a princess. Trying to get him to...[laughs]"

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [02:47]: "There's no killing 50 Cent, really. There's one thing we've learned."

Gerard Butler on Script Development:

Gerard Butler remarks on the depth added to the sequel, emphasizing the meticulous script development process.

• Gerard Butler [03:03]: "So it has this like a. It has a more of a depth to you when you're on camera with it, too, because it's your actual baby behind the scenes as well."

O'Shea on Acting Preparation:

O'Shea discusses his approach to preparing for roles, highlighting the importance of deeply understanding his character.

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [07:04]: "That was really my excitement, was that I'm able to play the same character, but a different character at the same time. And a lot of the prep was just remembering where Donnie is, who Donnie really is."

3. Return of 50 Cent as Executive Producer

A significant portion of the discussion centers around 50 Cent's role as an Executive Producer in the sequel, addressing fan concerns from the first movie.

• Jess Hilarious [03:53]: "You killed 50 Cent in the first one."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [03:57]: "I didn't kill 50 Cent."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [04:01]: "50 wants his hand in something. It's really no denying him, you know, that dude, he's been very instrumental in my thought process on a lot of things, especially moving forward. Super excited about this."

O'Shea on Challenges and Growth:

O'Shea reflects on his growth since the first movie, emphasizing his increased confidence and leadership in the sequel.

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [04:44]: "It took a beating... den of Thieves 1 was my third movie ever. For the second one, I got a lot more projects under my belt, so the confidence was there for me to be able to lead, get it down, get me a crew to be in charge of and not get my ass kicked for two hours."

4. Addressing Nepotism and Personal Identity

The topic shifts to the challenges of overcoming perceptions of nepotism due to O'Shea's lineage, particularly being the son of Ice Cube.

• Jess Hilarious [05:54]: "Are you tired of that? I feel like it's over now. Do you still get that a lot?"

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [06:05]: "It'll forever be there, you know... I can't concern myself with people who are just ignorant to it or try to fight it. I got to focus on me, man, getting it done."

• Gerard Butler [21:05]: "Dragged for the nepotism conversation. I think you unfairly get that too."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [21:08]: "Yeah, but I love it. I'm not running from that. I'm not running from my blessings or my family... It's been happening for centuries. It's not a shadow; it's taking the Jackson name and pushing it even further."

5. O'Shea's Inspirational Conversation with Kobe Bryant

A poignant moment unfolds as O'Shea shares a personal story about reaching out to Kobe Bryant for guidance during a challenging period.

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [18:26]: "One night I might have been faded. I DM Kobe Bryant and Kobe... I asked him, I was like, dude, you've done everything. How do you keep yourself wanting more?"

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [19:02]: "I hit him, and he was like, 'I'm gonna call you in a few days.' Two weeks later, Kobe called me. He said, 'That feeling you have... hold on to it because that's the only thing that's going to make you want to take shots, take risks, and uplift yourself.'"

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [19:19]: "It was the first and only conversation I had with my hero because two months later, he was gone."

6. Evolution of 'Den of Thieves' Series and Future Prospects

The conversation explores potential future projects within the "Den of Thieves" franchise, hinting at the possibilities for a third installment.

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [29:18]: "I don't know, Gerard, you tell us."

• Gerard Butler [29:19]: "A long time."

• DJ Envy [29:20]: "There's an idea that's brewing right now, but it's just an idea."

7. Impact of LA's Cultural Landscape and Recent Losses

Guests discuss the cultural shifts in Los Angeles, especially in the wake of the losses of influential figures like Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle.

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [26:42]: "Was a dark period at the time of Nipsey passing... it was a ripple effect."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [27:27]: "The city's healing. Artistically, we're in a beautiful place... proud of everybody from the city doing their thing."

8. Crafting Authenticity in Acting

The discussion delves into the technical aspects of acting, specifically mastering accents and maintaining authenticity in performances.

• Jess Hilarious [10:59]: "It's so crazy how you turn off your accent in the movie American All Day Long, but now I can hear it go in and out. How are you able to do that?"

• DJ Envy [11:09]: "Every morning when I go to set, I have to do like 40 minutes of voice lessons... making more of the vowels."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [12:05]: "Urban accents... different dialects."

9. Closing Remarks and Future Endeavors

The episode concludes with expressions of gratitude towards the guests and hints at ongoing developments related to the "Den of Thieves" series.

• Jess Hilarious [29:09]: "Gerard Butler, O'Shea Jackson, we appreciate you. Den of Thieves 3. Dead of Thieves 3. Working on it. Maybe a possibility."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [29:19]: "I think we made a great movie, but there's an idea that's brewing right now... just an idea."

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Notable Quotes

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [18:46]: "The only thing that's going to make you want to take shots, take risks, and uplift yourself."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [06:05]: "I can't concern myself with people who are just ignorant to it or try to fight it. I got to focus on me, man, getting it done."

• Gerard Butler [03:10]: "Big time. I have to say that."

• O'Shea Jackson Jr. [12:46]: "It's not about the money. It's about the challenge."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Breakfast Club offers an in-depth look into the making of "Den of Thieves 2," the personal growth and challenges faced by O'Shea Jackson Jr., and the influence of iconic figures like Kobe Bryant. The candid discussions provide listeners with a blend of behind-the-scenes insights, personal anecdotes, and reflections on the evolving cultural landscape of Los Angeles.

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Note: Advertisements, promotional segments, and non-content sections have been omitted to focus solely on the interview's substantive discussions.

Transcript

[Jason Alexander]

I'm Jason Alexander.

[Peter Tilden]

And I'm Peter Tilden.

[Jason Alexander]

And together, our mission on the really.

[Peter Tilden]

Know really podcast is to get the.

[Jason Alexander]

True answers to life's baffling questions, like.

[Peter Tilden]

Why the bathroom door doesn't go all the way to the floor. What's in the museum a failure, and does your dog truly love you? We have the answer.

[Jason Alexander]

Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win.

[Peter Tilden]

$500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition sign. Jason Bobblehead, the Really no really podcast.

[Jason Alexander]

Follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[DJ Envy]

The Breakfast Club.

[Jess Hilarious]

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Jess.

[Jess Hilarious]

Hilarious Charlamagne, the guy. We are the breakfast club. Lauren LaRosa filling in for Jess. And we got some special guests in the building. It's been some time since you've been here before. Like seven years. Last time you were up here promoting dinner tees one.

[DJ Envy]

Yep.

[Jess Hilarious]

Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson. Welcome.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Hey, how you doing?

[Jess Hilarious]

How you feeling, man?

[DJ Envy]

Hey. We just pretend there's an audience here. You guys are amazing. We love you.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Jerry and O'Shea appreciate you.

[Jess Hilarious]

Well, first and foremost, how you doing? I know you out in la, and I see the fires are crazy in la. How is that with you and the family?

[O'Shea Jackson]

I'm literally talking, waiting for updates right now. There was. It's some starting near the Valley area, so I'm just checking on my daughter and things like that. So, you know, little. Little on edge, but, I mean, it's nothing I could do from here except worry.

[Jess Hilarious]

Is there. Is there an evacuation plan? Like if this goes. Go this route or go this or.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I mean, yeah, but as much as you can. I wasn't expecting some of them to be as close as they are when I got up, but. Yeah, so I'm just trying to be a helicopter dad right now as much as I can.

[Jess Hilarious]

Absolutely. Now let's talk about den of thieves 2. 7 years. Why did it take so long to shoot part two?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, tell us, Gerard.

[DJ Envy]

Well, you know. Cause O'Shea is a nightmare, and he's such a princess. Trying to get him to.

[Jess Hilarious]

I've heard with Laker jerseys on.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I heard.

[DJ Envy]

No, there was. It was a bit of that, you know, and a little sprinkle of this, and it just. It took longer than we thought. And by the way, truly, for various reasons. 1. One of the main reasons is when we first started writing the script is I thought we. We really hit gold in the first One, and it was very different. It was very clever. You know, it took a long time for that first script to get to that stage, so not to just turn out something and go, oh, here's the second one. You guys like the first one. But to be honest, it took a long time to make that script work. This one, you know, kind of all the twists and turns and how. Because there's a lot going on in this movie. And you would always get to the stage where, okay, this is good, but this still doesn't work. And to make it all kind of like a jigsaw puzzle and then sing and then other shit happened.

[Gerard Butler]

You know, you guys were a part of the writing, or you just mean the script that was brought to you guys. You get to kind of dissect it and say yes and no to certain stuff.

[DJ Envy]

Well, yeah, I'm involved in the writing. Christian wrote the script. But then I worked on the development of both scripts, but especially this one for. And this took. It was a good three. Yeah. I produced a movie.

[Gerard Butler]

Got you. So it has this like a. It has a more of a depth to you when you're on camera with it, too, because it's your actual baby behind the scenes as well.

[DJ Envy]

Big time. I have to say that. You know, talk about what you do to prepare for a role. Probably my main preparation is any script I do now. I been with it for a long time. And you're sitting with it thinking of every moment, every part of the character where you can take that. So when you get to the movie, you both know where you should be, and you kind of. I hate to say this, you're kind of cheating. You also know what each moment is kind of going to hopefully achieve with the audience. So, yeah, it's been well thought about.

[Jess Hilarious]

Now. You killed 50 Cent in the first one.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I didn't kill 50 Cent.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, he did.

[Jess Hilarious]

You killed 50 Cent in the 1st one. They killed 50 Cent, the first one. But he's back on this as an episode.

[O'Shea Jackson]

There's no killing 50 Cent, really. There's one thing we've learned.

[Jess Hilarious]

So why was it important to bring him back as an EP and how was he working as an EP?

[O'Shea Jackson]

I mean, 5050 wants his hand in something. It's really no denying him, you know, that dude, he's been very instrumental in my thought process on a lot of things, especially moving forward. Super excited about this. He's been giving me some great words of praise, but, you know, he's the man and whatever he touches really turns into gold. So he knew he couldn't let go of the dinner thief.

[Jess Hilarious]

Stop it now. You got whooped a lot. Yeah. They whipped your ass a lot.

[O'Shea Jackson]

That's the worst part of the first one.

[Jess Hilarious]

But they, but you grow.

[Gerard Butler]

It's so good though, because you would have, like, towards the end of it, it all turns around. You would have never expected it because you played the character so well as like this person that was not in control, but you were. Were very in control.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Took a beating.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Well, yeah, it's always, shut the hell up, bro. Yeah, it's always funny when that movie was coming out, to see people's tweets from the beginning of the movie where it was just like, man, I don't know. If I was Cube, I wouldn't have let him did this. And then by the end, they, you know, they talk about how dope the film was, but it really was art imitating life a little bit. Because den of Thieves 1, that's my third movie ever. And there was already. And there's already an ideology of who I am because of my father and what I'mma bring to the table, or a sense of entitlement, or that I'm not here to work. And Donnie in the first one is just somebody who wants to keep his head down, focus on what he got to do, get in and get out. And that was the same with me at that portion in my career. And then for the second one, you know, for it to take as much time as it had. I got a lot more projects under my belt, so the confidence was there for me to be able to lead, get it down, get me a crew to be in charge of and not get my ass kicked for two hours.

[Gerard Butler]

How do you. Oh, go ahead.

[Jess Hilarious]

I was gonna ask. Are you tired of that? I feel like it's over now. I feel like you proved yourself enough where people are not saying the only reason you're in this industry is cause of your dad. Or do you still get that a lot? Do you still feel like you gotta fight through that?

[O'Shea Jackson]

It'll forever be there, you know, And I don't have a problem with that. Like, it's just people that don't know. And I can't. I can't concern myself with people who just ignorant to it or try to fight it. I mean, I got a kid. I got to focus on me, man, getting it done.

[DJ Envy]

Can I think in a couple of years people are going to be looking at Ice Cube going, hey, look, there's O'Shea's dad.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Why are you licking the mic?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Dron.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What was that for?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Charlemagne's here walk.

[DJ Envy]

I don't have a very. I don't have a very powerful voice, so I have to get close to them. This is how they do it.

[Gerard Butler]

I was going to ask. I forget. Oh, so in the second one. Because now we know. Kind of like your role a bit more.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah.

[Gerard Butler]

And how did you prepare differently? Because the first time you're preparing as an actor, it's like you got to kind of hide who you really are the whole time. This time it's like you, not the little one.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I mean, that was really my excitement, was that I'm able to play the same character, but a different character at the same time. And a lot of the prep was just remembering where Donnie is, who Donnie really is. And honestly, I watched a lot of Jon Jones. Jon Jones, in the beginning of his fights is just so cold and just still. And you could tell just his focus and his prep. And it's a lot of the same things with Donnie and what he does.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So what? You learned to fight in this one? Because in the first one, you was.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Getting your ass kicked. I'm kicking ass in this. But just the idea of a fighter where it's how Donnie thinks in its simplest form of one simple mistake and I'm done. One simple mistake and Donnie is in prison forever. So the same thing with a fighter. If one slip up and you sleep, you know, so it was a lot of studying, studying fighters for me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did y'all ask about 50? Because I just walked in.

[Jess Hilarious]

Yeah, yeah, we asked about 50 ep.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay. Okay. How did that. How did that happen?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Why.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Why aren't all of y'all producers on the film? How does he die in the first movie? They come back and be a producer in the second movie?

[O'Shea Jackson]

You got to check the credits. I'm an ep.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, there you go. Thank you. Thank you.

[Jess Hilarious]

Now, I was gonna ask, you know, with this movie, it seemed like this movie leveled up a lot, Right. As far as scenes, action. It looks totally different. Do you guys do your own stunts? And how was the process of it leveling up so much, the first one? I'm not gonna say. I mean, you could just tell just from the airplane scene and the airport, like, they spent a lot of money on that. Does that mean more pressure now?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Definitely. With a sequel, there's so many things that go into it that could make it go the wrong way. A lot of times, sequels will rely so much on the first one, giving you so many nods to the first one that it kind of cheapens why you fell in love with it in the first place. But I don't know, budget. That's, like, really Gerard's, you know, point. But, like, definitely you have to step it up. But we were able to change the entire dynamic of the film. And the first one is more cops versus robbers, and this one is much more of a buddy action. And I think we use that to our advantage. Plus, I'm a different character than I was in the first one. So you're gonna. You're getting a film that can not only stand alone, but at the same time give you what you already love from Dennis.

[Gerard Butler]

Even the coloring is different. Like, I noticed that too. Like, in the first one, I felt like it was a lot warmer. This one is a lot more, like, cooler tones. I don't know if that was on purpose, too, but it just changes the energy. Like.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I think the idea was to give a very kind of different tone. Like, Christian's a big fan of kind of new wave European cinema. So it's like O'Shea says. Yeah, you keep the same. The same story. Basically, you're following these characters, but cinematically, it looks very different. And it's still kind of has a grittiness to it, but it also. It looks very beautiful and captivating and shows a different kind of aesthetic and a different tone. So I'm glad you noticed that, because it is. Cinematically, this movie is beautiful. If that's all it was, still look amazing. But fortunately, there's a hell of a lot more going on than. Than just the, you know, the scope. But the scope is huge, too. I mean, we got a lot more money for this one, and we did. Basically, that's it. We got more money and we got more time. I mean, people make a joke of how long it took. It's true. It shouldn't have taken that long. But the thing that give us was to get everything in order and to get those little more magic moments. I always find that when you're developing a script, if, you know, often the more time you get to let it kind of sit there and think about it, then you find all these extra moments and more layers and more nuance and maybe even bigger surprises, because this movie is. It's so full of twists and turns and surprises. You just never know where it's going to go, where he's going to go, where I'm going to go, where the Panthers are going to go, who the hell. You know, we have a ton of people after us, too. And the heist itself there's just. There's a lot going on, so it's kind of throwing you all around.

[Jess Hilarious]

It's so crazy how you turn off your. How I don't hear the accent in the movie, like, in the movie American all day long, but. But now I can hear it go in and out. It's crazy how you're able to do that as an actor.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Jess Hilarious]

Is that difficult?

[DJ Envy]

It takes work. I've done it a lot now, but.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, every morning when I go to set, I have to do, like, 40 minutes of voice lessons. You know, the sounds. Learning to kind of speak, like, make more of the vowels. Because in Scotland, we hit the consonants, right? We hit the C's and the K's and the T's. And in America, you guys come off the constants. You're more like. So I start. I do exercises, actually. I do. I do exercise, like. And you start talking like this. Yeah, yeah. You're in America because that big nature.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And it depends where you at, because I say I'm from South Carolina, so I say straight street, strong.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Okay.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, that's true. I mean, if it's more urban, then, like, I just played.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, that's this country.

[DJ Envy]

No, but I just played that. A New York character, and that was very much like, you know. Yeah, do. He. Did. He didn't. You know, like that kind of thing.

[O'Shea Jackson]

So, yeah, urban.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's the urban.

[DJ Envy]

That was New York. That was New York master.

[O'Shea Jackson]

No, no, wait. His American murder versus your Scotland. Murder.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, yeah, murder. That's. In Scotland, you go murdered. And. And in America, it's kind of like murder. And I couldn't say that. It took me years. And there was a. A movie once I was shooting what I had to say, no, not if he's murdered. And I couldn't say. I'm like, no, not if he's murdered, because we have such a thick R D, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I mean, American and a Scotland.

[O'Shea Jackson]

What?

[Jess Hilarious]

So it's not about the money. It's about the challenge.

[DJ Envy]

Y. How many careers has he ruined just sitting there in that chair?

[Jess Hilarious]

It's not about the money. It's about the challenge. Let's talk about that phrase. That's a phrase that's mentioned a lot in the movie. Do y'all live by that?

[O'Shea Jackson]

No. You know, like, I was talking to him in. For more press for this, because that quote keeps coming up. It's a little bit about the money. Like, you're. I'm robbing the Federal Reserve in the World Diamond Center. It's a little bit about.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I thought you thought about in real life.

[Jess Hilarious]

I was talking about real life.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I mean Deion Sanders and my pops have a quote. You know, if everybody doing it for the love, I'll do it for the love. But if everybody, you know, we all getting paid, we all getting paid. It's just the world that we live in. That's true. But you have to take those challenges to uplift yourself, to get yourself to a new tier. I'm very, I'm easily content. It's easy to get stagnant when you don't need much. So if you don't take those challenges, if you don't take those risks, you're just going to be in the same spot every single peace to the planet.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Jess Hilarious]

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[H]

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[Jason Alexander]

I'm Jason Alexander.

[Peter Tilden]

And I'm Peter Tilden. And together on the really no really.

[Jason Alexander]

Podcast, our mission is to get the true answers to life's baffling questions.

[Peter Tilden]

Like why they refuse to make the bathroom door go all the way to the floor.

[Jason Alexander]

We got the answer.

[Peter Tilden]

Will space junk block your cell signal? The astronaut who almost drowned during a spacewalk gives us the answer. We talk with the scientists who figured out if your dog truly loves you and the one bringing back the woolly mammoth. Plus, does Tom Cruise really do his own stunts? His stuntman reveals the answer. And you never know who's going to drop by.

[Jason Alexander]

Mr. Bryan Cranston is with us.

[DJ Envy]

How are you?

[Peter Tilden]

Hello, my friend Wayne Knight. About Jurassic Park.

[Jason Alexander]

Wayne Knight, welcome to really no really, sir.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Bless you all.

[Peter Tilden]

Hello, Newman. And you never know when Howie Mandel might just stop by to talk about judging.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Really?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's the opening.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Really?

[Jason Alexander]

No really?

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, really?

[O'Shea Jackson]

No really.

[Jason Alexander]

Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win.

[Peter Tilden]

$500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition sign Jason Bobblehead.

[Jason Alexander]

It's called really no really? And you can find it on the iHeartRadio app on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[I]

Sup, y'all? This is Questlove and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the story pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids. Starting on September 27th, I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records Nimini to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out.

[J]

Hey, y'all, Nimini here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Hip hop, pop, smash, slam.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Another one gone Bash.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Bam.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Another one gone. The cracker. The bat. And another one gone. The tip of the cap.

[J]

Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15 year old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Did you know?

[J]

Did you know I wouldn't give up my seat? Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to historical records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to historical records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[O'Shea Jackson]

And one of the. There was a portion in my career where I felt stagnant, where I felt like, you know, we're not, we're not going up, but we're going down either. And one night I might have been faded. I DM Kobe Bryant and Kobe.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

God bless the day.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, I, I asked him, I was like, dude, you, you've done everything. How do you keep yourself wanting more? How do you keep, like, away from being comfortable? Right? Give me some movies, give me some books, give me a quote, a mantra, anything. He gave me his number.

[Gerard Butler]

Oh, wow.

[O'Shea Jackson]

And so I'm drunk, so I'm not about to call Kobe, like, right then and there. So I, I hit him. And he was like, all right, I'm gonna call you in a few days. So for like two weeks, I was waiting by my phone, just waiting for Kobe to hit me. And then I was in a Uber coming back from a table read and he called me and I, I remember I told the Uber driver, I was like, hey, can you turn the radio down? Kobe Bryant's calling me. He was like, yeah. So now the driver is looking in the mirror while I'm on the phone. And I talked to Kobe for 25 minutes. He said, that feeling that you have not done enough or that where you are isn't good enough and you want more and you don't know why you want more. Hold on to it, because that's the only thing that's going to make you want to take shots, take risk, and, and uplift yourself. And then, like, that was the first and only conversation I had with my hero because two months later, he was gone. Damn.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow. I would think maybe I'm just. This is just me in my mind and what I think your life is like. I thought you was having these, being around these type of people all the time.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I'm around them, but it's not like I ain't got their number to just be like, you know, hit him up and call them. But it's just one of those things, like, if I didn't take that challenge, that risk to even message him, I wouldn't have never had that conversation.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do you ever ask your pops, like, your pops, can you connect me to such and such, or you just always try to make your own connection?

[O'Shea Jackson]

No, I try to do it on my own. I don't. You know, it's just so. It's realer if you do it organically. So, you know, luckily, I've been able to work with some amazing people where I can call, you know, 50, ask him some stuff. I can talk to Gerard. I can, you know, rest in peace. Ray Liotta being able to work with him and things like that. So it's just about keeping my head down. And then when I. When I see the opportunity to take a challenge, knock it out the park.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Question. Didn't you go to school for screenwriting?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Usc. Yeah. University of Southern California.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's interesting to me, like, Envy said it earlier, just he asked the question about, you know, do you still. Do you get respect for yourself? And I'm like, yo, you really put in the work. Like, you went and really studied your craft.

[O'Shea Jackson]

They don't give a damn we get.

[Gerard Butler]

Dragged for the nepotism conversation. I think you unfairly get that, too.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, but I love it. I mean, you not about to make me feel bad of just like, oh, you had a good life. I'm sorry, man. I hope y'all all grow to have Nepo babies yourself. But I'm not, like, I'm not. I'm not running from that. You're not about to make me feel bad for, you know, my blessings or my family and try to run from it, you know, get mad, get glad, get heavyweight trash bags. I don't give a damn.

[Gerard Butler]

You always felt like that.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I mean, no, it takes a lot for you to get there. You start to believe and listen to people. Any talks of that getting out of a shadow are from the outside looking in. It's not a shadow, man. Your.

[DJ Envy]

Your.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Your parents or whoever did not put in the work for you to feel ashamed for all the sacrifice that they. They went through. So it's just like, the way that I look at it, it's been happening for centuries. It's not a shadow is taking the Jackson name and pushing it even further. And then when. When she's ready, my daughter's gonna have to do the exact Same thing. So when you look back at the, you know, the ends of time, we still there.

[Jess Hilarious]

Are you surprised by your voice sometimes? Like, how big people look at you? Like, I seen when I think it was. You said something about Andrew Schultz, right. And it went viral like crazy. Were you surprised about that or was it one of those things you just. With the homies, like, this is how I feel. And you just thought it was gonna end there?

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, I mean, I didn't think my words even meant that much. And I don't have a problem with Schulz at all. I just thought the comment was weird. It's not that I had some soapbox moment where I put up four or five paragraphs on Twitter or even continue to do so. It's just. I mean, the comment was weird. And that's it. I don't. I sometimes don't recognize that people give a shit because I've said so much that you didn't give a shit about before. So, like, you know, they pick and choose what sticks and you never know what does. And, you know, sometimes I gotta just remember that you do have a little bit of weight. And, you know, I don't mean nothing by it. It just was on my mind.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you said you was a fan.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, exactly, bro. Like, first of all, he's fucking hilarious. And tires. Love tires. But like, it's just. It's just how people gonna run with it. And even when you do interviews and stuff like that, you have to be conscious of, like, what's gonna get clipped, what's gonna be spread out there. People are not going to click the link to the full interview. No, it's just not gonna happen. So you just gotta be mindful of this stuff. It's just a game of the Internet.

[Jess Hilarious]

Has la. How has LA changed from everything that's going on in the last year? Right. You're a huge LA fan. Huge Lakers fan, huge Dodgers fan, huge Kendrick fan.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah.

[Jess Hilarious]

And we've seen. This has been LA's year last year. So how have you seen the change of LA as far as people outside the scene?

[O'Shea Jackson]

I feel like every region every now and then, whether it be the south, you know, east, east coast, west coast, every now and then there's something that jolts them where they got the sound. And right now I feel like with. With Dot, with Tyler, we got the sound. You know, my pops and Snoop put out album. Like, the sound is there. Absolutely. Absolute Blue Lips by Cubes. Like, the sound is there right now. And even other artists like Doja and Billie Eilish. My man Vince. Like. Like, we got like 20 people out right now, right? And so it's a. You know, it's a beautiful time on top of the Dodgers just being disgusting. I'm sorry, New York, bro. I'm sorry.

[Jess Hilarious]

Why your pops did us like that, though?

[Gerard Butler]

I was about to say the music.

[Jess Hilarious]

Why the pop sound was so clear and ours wasn't.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Listen, he. Take it serious, bro. This is why the bro.

[Gerard Butler]

You know, they say he's the reason that they won. Like, how do you feel about that? Like, they're like, oh, he's the reason. Like, he's a part of the win. Like, he's a part of the motivation of the win.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's the guy out there twerking, though. That was a little strange, bro.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Don't talk. Don't talk about Dave Roberts, bro. Manager. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Dave Roberts.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[O'Shea Jackson]

That's wild. But it was. It was a beautiful feeling.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It was a good day. You just wanted to shake your ass.

[Gerard Butler]

You're having a good day.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I guess it was. It was a beautiful feeling. You know, I'm. I'm not going to act like I'm this die hard baseball fan. I've always said baseball needs more dunks and touchdowns and steroids. But so going to that game, seeing that field, having that nervous feeling of the World Series and then watching my guy walk the entire field doing his thing, being in his element, it being so clear and him knocking it out of the park, it's just one of the. One of the proudest moments that I've had as his son. And when he was done, I looked over at my. My brother and my sister and was just like, man, he did it. You know, it's just one of those weird feelings that are out of a movie. It helped that we won, too, because I. Man, it would have been. I would have been upset. But even for him to do it at the parade, it's just one of those things where it's just like, how could you? How could I ever run away from being blessed by that dude? That's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to say. I want to. I got a couple more questions for you, but we talk about la. I feel like LA really needed the year that it just had. Yeah, I don't think we talk about the loss of Nipsey, the loss of Kobe. LA took some real big, y'all. And there was a part when, during the Pop out show, Kendrick said that Kendrick was like, yo, the city ain't felt the same since Nipsey died. And I Don't think people talk about that enough.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, I. I think. Was it a dark period at the time of Nipsey passing? He was so obvious, like, this is gonna be the one. Yeah. Like. And so when you take away, you know, just, like, it's just like a. A ripple effect.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, man, they're. They're still not over it. You know, I was just like, I can't help but talk about Kobe. We was just talking about Nip last night at the after. After party. So it's. It's. It really was a feeling. This is this the healing factor that. That had to take has finally come to a spot where we are a force to be reckoned with right now. I know a lot of people are gonna be tired of it, but, like, it is what it is. But what you just said is a.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good way to put it. I'm paraphrasing, but, yeah, it feels like the city's healing.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, it's healing. And then, like, right now, I'm looking at my phone to see who's affected by the fires right now. So, like, it's just another. Another thing. But we're in a beautiful place artistically, and I'm proud of everybody who's from the city doing they thing they gotta go too.

[Jess Hilarious]

Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When it comes to screenwriting, what did you learn at USC that you at your father didn't learn? Because I'm only getting this from the straight out of Compton movie. It's writing Friday in his house like it was nothing.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Just. Just what, you know, what goes into. Just the in and out. The difference, really. The difference between popcorn movies and cinema, you know, what they view as cinema. We've all seen a movie, have crazy box office, but don't get no Oscar recognition. Because there's a mindset within Hollywood of popcorn films and cinema and just the difference and what that goes into. And I mean, personally, I feel like, Gerard, you don't get enough credit for you being able to pull off that American accent, dude. Like, there's so many actors that get this praise for their dialect and all this stuff when you've been doing it forever, man. So I just want to give you big ups while this topic is there, that you deserve so much more recognition for doing it as much as you did. Because it still trips me out when you start talking, like, how to train your dragon.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

There's one word he could say right now that would make everybody be like, oh, wow, I get it.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I don't care what it is. Do not listen to Charlemagne.

[DJ Envy]

You want to know. I've been looking this way, the whole.

[Gerard Butler]

It's positive energy this way.

[Jess Hilarious]

Gerard Butler O'Shea Jackson, we appreciate you. Dinner Thieves 3. Dead of threes. Dead of Thieves 3. Working on it. Maybe. Possibility.

[O'Shea Jackson]

I don't know, Gerard, you tell us.

[Gerard Butler]

A long time.

[DJ Envy]

So, yeah, this one, by the way, that's if everybody goes to see this movie, you know.

[O'Shea Jackson]

Yeah, man, come on.

[DJ Envy]

I think we made a great movie, but I. Yeah, there's something I wouldn't even say in the works. There's. There's an idea that's brewing right now, but it's just an idea.

[Jess Hilarious]

Okay, well, we appreciate y'all for joining us. Make sure you go see it this weekend. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[DJ Envy]

The Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Listen to me. This is Charlamagne Tha God talking. If you're not on prime, you're missing out. Prime's not just fast free delivery, although that is definitely a big perk. It's a collection of excellent services that help you get more out of whatever passions you're into or getting into. Like right now, I am really getting into past life regression therapy. And there's so many books about it on Prime. So you can order books with prime or even listen to content on Amazon Music. Whether you're binge watching the latest on prime video, listening to music on Amazon Music, or getting those last minute gifts dropped at your door with prime, same day free delivery with prime, customers get closer to what they care about. Whatever you're into, it's all on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime now.

[Jason Alexander]

I'm Jason Alexander.

[Peter Tilden]

And I'm Peter Tilden.

[Jason Alexander]

And together our mission on the really.

[Peter Tilden]

Know really podcast is to get the.

[Jason Alexander]

True answers to life baffling questions like.

[Peter Tilden]

Why the bathroom door doesn't go all the way to the floor. What's in the museum a failure. And does your dog truly love you? We have the answer.

[Jason Alexander]

Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win.

[Peter Tilden]

$500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition sign. Jason Bobblehead the Really no really podcast.

[Jason Alexander]

Follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.