O'Shea Jackson Jr. Says He Thought F. Gary Gray Didn't Like Him
‘Den Of Thieves II: Pantera’ Exclusive: O’Shea Jackson Jr. Reveals He Thought F. Gary Gray Didn’t Like Him
2018’s Den of Thieves, starring O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Gerard Butler, left us with a hell of a twist, making it a surprise box office hit that easily set 2025’s sequel, Den of Thieves II: Pantera.
In this film, Jackson Jr.’s “Donnie” is fresh off the big heist that Butler’s “Big Nick” discovered he was the mastermind behind the entire time, but it was too late.
Donnie has made off with the cash and is now in London prepping an even bigger high-stakes heist with the promise of a substantial payday, this time involving the World Diamond Centers in Antwerp, Belgium,Ā and that’s where Den of Thieves II: Pantera picks up.
In Den of Thieves II: Pantera, Big Nick is down on his luck and still a bit salty after being outsmarted by Donnie, so he still has a bone to pick with the crafty thief. On the other hand, Donnie has a whole new crew and is getting his plan together. He is surprised when Nick finds him, but he doesn’t want to bring him in. Instead, he wants in on the heist.
The two bitter rivals are now working together to discover that each other isn’t so bad after all. Before the film’s release, CassiusLife’s Bernard “Beanz” Smalls spoke with Butler and Jackson Jr. about their new movie.
In our discussion, we talk about Jackson Jr.’s confidence coming into the sequel, Big Nick’s character arc and a time both actors worked with someone they thought didn’t like them but found out wasn’t so bad. This led to Jackson Jr. revealing an interesting story.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. Says His Confidence As An Actor Has Grown
Source: Lionsgate / Den of Thieves II: Pantera
Since arriving on the scene inĀ Straight Outta Compton, O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s star has continued to rise in Hollywood. Den of Thieves was the young actor’s first action film, and he reveals to CassiusLife that his confidence has increased since then.
“Yeah, the first one [Den of Thieves], that was my first real action film. It was my third film altogether, and I used to be really hard on myself about making sure I make a name for myself in this business by keeping my head down and not making any waves, doing what’s on the page, knocking it out to the best of my ability and pushing forward. I used to not have the confidence, and I used to be unsure of myself, but my mom would tell you, ‘Used to is a rooster that don’t crow no more.'”
Jackson Jr. continues, “So, I had to make sure that I let people know that I’ve gotten my feet wet. I’ve had many roles, and I knew that Donnie deserved that. Donnie deserved a confident performance in order to show that he was a capable leader, and I was able to show that and I was able to get to know him the same way audiences are able to get to know him a little bit more, too. He’s a chameleon, and we got to see his true color in this one.”
Butler Talks Big Nick’s Character Arc
Source: Lionsgate / Den of Thieves II: Pantera
“Well, firstly, I think Big Nick was likable. I think he does some crazy things, that part of him that makes these wrong decisions, he just can’t help himself. He’s doing a job that’s very hard to do, right?” Butler explains.
“It takes a certain kind of cop to have to live in the world that he lives in and maybe a certain kind of unhinged quality when you get to that undercover level that makes them the best at what they do. But I think that, yeah, I think his confidence has been knocked in this, and it’s made him reevaluate perhaps why has he done all this. He’s put in all this work, and then, when push comes to shove, he feels a bit abandoned, maybe. He did his best work in the first movie and then he was sidelined and humiliated.”
Butler continues, “But, there’s a freedom in that. There’s weirdly, there’s a bit of a freedom in the second movie, and that’s not to take away from the brilliant heist and the brilliant tension, but there is a feeling of adventure where you go, ‘Okay, if this isn’t happening, let me just throw away the rule book and head over here and take this up again with this man who’s become a big part of my life.’ And that has been a very fun … it’s so fun in this movie to go on that Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid element that we now pick up in this movie.”
O’Shea Jackson Jr. Reveals He Thought F. Gary Gray Wasn’t Rocking With Him
Source: Lionsgate / Den of Thieves II: Pantera
Since Donnie and Big Nick will work together in Den of Thieves II: Pantera, we had to ask if there was every time the two actors worked with someone they didn’t get along with, but come to find out, they weren’t so bad after all.
Jackson Jr. and Butler said director F. Gary Gray, who directed Straight Outta Compton and Law Abiding Citizen.
“Yeah, it definitely was. There were some times when… Straight Outta Compton, my very first film, I went through a portion of that film feeling like Gary Gray didn’t like me, and I was so confused because I was … I’m scared to death,” Jackson Jr. revealed. “I’m scared to death. It’s my first film. I left college for this. I needed it, and Gary knew my family for so long. Friday was his first film. He directed the ‘Today Was a Good Day’ music video.”
He continued, “So, I really felt like there should have been more of a lock, but then I would see my man, Jason Mitchell, Jason Mitchell would get like, ‘Man, you did great’ and all this stuff. And I’m like, ‘Man, where mine at?’ Then I vented to Jason Mitchell about it. I was like, ‘Man, do Gary not like me?’ And he was like, ‘Bro, you’re playing your dad. What the hell is anybody going to tell you?’ And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re right. Well, okay. I guess that makes sense.’ But yeah, then me and Gary got along great because I stopped tripping.”Ā
“That’s funny because when I made Law Abiding Citizen, I spent the first half of the movie going, ‘F Gary Gray, don’t like me,'” Butler jokingly added.