Ice Cube Walks Away From A $9 Million Movie Deal After Refusing Covid-19 Vaccine
For as many people that are fully on board with the vaccination rollout plan, there are an equal number of people, if not more, that are absolutely opposed to the idea of receiving a double dose of anything mandated by the government. We're finding out that those who are in opposition to mandatory vaccines are not the average Joe 'conspiracy theorists', but also celebrities and other people of influence. Born O'Shea Jackson Sr., Ice Cube is not the first celebrity to express his dissatisfaction with the mandatory vaccination policies, but it may be the first time he walks away from a $9 million movie deal for refusing something like the Covid-19 vaccine.
In September 2021, it was Nicki Minaj who was at the center of public scrutiny after posting a tweet concerning her cousin's friend who experienced adverse effects from the Covid-19 vaccine, allegedly affecting his bedroom performance! Before the news of Ice Cube's dilemma even hit the mainstream, plenty of other high-profile actors and entertainers came forth expressing their thoughts in a manner that seemed anti-vaccine. They included rapper Offset, comedian Rob Schneider, Anwar Hadid, Robert De Niro, and Lakeith Stanfield. To top it off is the controversial stance of NBA star Kyrie Irving, whose refusal to get the vaccine put him at risk of losing $16 million.
The newest non-compliant celebrity to take a stance against the agreement met by the Director's Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), and various other segments of the entertainment industry was Ice Cube. The agreement, which came into effect on September 30, 20201, gives producers the right to implement mandatory vaccination requirements for cast and crew working in close proximity on set or in Zone A.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cube was scheduled to star in Sony's upcoming comedy, Oh Hell No. The movie is being produced by Matt Tolmach and Jack Black, with Black co-starring alongside Ice Cube. The producers on Oh Hell No made it clear to all the cast involved in the project that they would need to be vaccinated. But apparently, Cube wasn't all on board with those policies. Reports also stated that as recently as August 2021, Cube made a donation of 2,000 face masks to Bacone College in Oklahoma. So it was unprecedented that he would respond so radically to a vaccination request for the movie production.
Cube's choice to defy the vaccination policies caused him to walk away from the $9 million he would've made for his role in Oh Hell No, in addition to an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii where the film would've been shot this winter. At this point, no one knows what will come of the vaccine mandates. But it doesn't stop even high-profile actors and sports celebrities from exercising their freedom of choice, even if it puts them in a compromising situation.
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Sources: Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter,
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