Film + TV

2Pac almost played Bubba in 'Forrest Gump'

by Mark Teo

Tupac Shakur is—and always will be, unless he returns from his exile in heaven and / or a small private island in the Pacific Ocean—remembered most fondly for his rap career. But we often forget that Shakur, long before the iconic All Eyez on Me, was an actor: Famously, he starred in Juice, and he also had roles early-’90s titles such as Poetic Justice and Above the Rim. As a thespian, he surely auditioned for countless other movies, too, and most surprisingly, the West Coast poet nearly starred in Forrest Gump.

As Bubba. Yes, Bubba: Forrest’s best friend in the army, the loveable shrimp-obsessed man who, before listing countless dishes, called the crustacean the “fruit of the sea.” He’s the man who, above all else, wanted to return home to own a shrimping boat. He was played by Mykelti Williamson, who had to wear a prosthetic to give Bubba his signature protruding lip (and the lisp that came with it).

And he was almost played by 2Pac.

According to Uproxx, Shakur read for the role. As his one-time wife, Keisha Morris, explains, the couple went to see Forrest Gump on their first date. The reason? Because the rapper wanted to see how Williamson performed in the role.

“We went to the Chelsea Movie Theater to see Forrest Gump and then we ate dinner around the corner in an Italian restaurant,” she said.

She went on a date with the would-be Bubba? We’d be shocked, too.