Chris Tucker has revealed why he left Hollywood when he was the highest-paid performer in the business.
The 51-year-old rose to prominence as a comedy legend in the 1990s after appearing on Def Comedy Jam, which led to parts in House Party 3 and the stoner comedy Friday.
The actor is best known for his performance opposite Jackie Chan in the cult comedic masterpiece Rush Hour and the two sequels.
He earned a reported $48 million (£39 million) from the trilogy, making him one of Hollywood’s highest earners.
But then, at the pinnacle of his fame, Chris sort of, er, vanished, save for a cameo in Silver Linings Playbook in 2012 opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.
That is, until now, when the enigma has returned to the performing world with Ben Affleck and Mat Damon’s new film, Air, which dramatises Michael Jordan and Nike’s unlikely commercial partnership.
‘He went after me and got me,’ Chris said of Ben while promoting the first installment from the Hollywood duo’s new production company, Artists Equity.
‘But I felt like, you know, it was a ceiling right there and I wanted more. It wasn’t enough. So I stepped back and lived a little bit, travelled the world, and did a lot of humanitarian stuff that really broadened my perspective on the world.
‘It ain’t just about me being the biggest comic or actor in the world, it’s about becoming somebody to give to the world, inspiring in some kind of way hopefully.’
That is quite commendable.
This follows the announcement in December that Rush Hour 4 is formally in the works, with Chris reprising his role as detective James Carter in the popular series.