Young Money's Drake has explained his recent new look with thick hair and a beard by hinting at a new film being in the works.
While not revealing what the film's title is, Drake said he would be hitting the big screen. Nicki Minaj then asked Drake about the beard-and-curly-hair look he's been rocking lately, and he revealed that it was for a film role. In January, it was reported that the former "Deg****i: The Next Generation" star was joining the cast of "Arbitrage," which is set to star Susan Sarandon and Al Pacino. However, Drake relayed that he has "decided to work on my album instead of doing that particular film." (MTV)
Drizzy's manager, Cortez Bryant, recently discussed the rapper's emphasis on not taking typical acting roles. "We wanna start entertaining these movie offers," Bryant said in the summer of 2010. "Drake is looking to come out with the role no one else expects. He's not gonna be the teen heartthrob or the college kid. He wants roles where he can show his acting skills. Like a sci-fi or action picture." (VIBE)
Last spring, Drake opened up about his disappointment in movie role choices. "That's probably my biggest goal is to get back into acting and really pick the right projects," he said in an interview. "I've been reading different scripts but I know what I want to do and what type of project I want to be involved in and I've just been getting the typical projects that they'd offer to a new rapper, and it's like, ehh. That's not really what I want to do, or how I see myself...I can actually act. I've studied acting. I've studied the craft and I'm also very open to receiving a role and committing my time whether it's two weeks, a month, two months, before the movie starts shooting to really get into that role. Like I know what it is to do character research and really live as someone else in preparation for a movie, so that's something I'm willing to do. I care about acting a lot so I'm excited to get back into it." (XXL Mag)
Last summer, Drake said he envisioned himself playing United States' President Barack Obama in a film. "I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama's life soon because I could play him. That's the goal [laughs]. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don't change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice. If you ask anyone who knows me, I'm pretty good at impressions. Slowly but surely, I'm not in the study mode because nobody's called me about anything, but I just pay attention so when the day comes I'm not scrambling to learn how to speak like him. I want to be involved in great film projects. I don't want to do the basketball movie that everyone does. I don't want to do the typical black film that everyone expects. I think that I have enough experience to actually be involved in a real meaty project full of substance." (Paper Mag)
To date, Drake has acted in Canadian-based television show "Deg****i: The Next Generation" and a 2007 film called Charlie Barlett.