With his upcoming role as Sugar Ray Leonard in the biopic Hands of Stone, Usher is hoping to pull a J Hud and snag an Oscar.
By: Taren Vaughan
When it comes to making R&B music, Usher Raymond has that down pat. Dropping hit after hit and still remaining to be one of the top male artists in the game, Usher is about to jump back on the movie scene again. And this time he is taking on a major role, attempting to fill the shoes of boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard.
Taking on this leading role, the 33-year-old is already talking taking home an Oscar with Contactmusic, following in the footsteps of fellow R&B singer Jennifer Hudson:
“I’ve seen Oscar winners come out of left field… I’m just saying Jennifer Hudson [singer who won an Oscar]… I’m going into it offering my interpretation and my hard work and my dedication to be the best Sugar Ray ever.”
He also spoke with the man himself to get an idea of his personality but still knows living up to his name will be a challenge:
“Or as good as the man can be. I’ve spoken to him, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live up to him. But I’ll try to be better than him,”
Usher will be joined by veteran actor Robert De Niro in the film. He adds though that acting alongside a great like De Niro doesn’t intimidate him at all:
“Not at all, not at all. There’s a respect for both parties… I’m not intimidated in any way. Because there’s a shared passion and respect among all of us, and it’s the type of script that will allow all of us to shine.”
His lack of nervousness may be due to the fact that he has had some previous acting experience, starring in the movies In The Mix and Light It Up. But this Sugar Ray role is by far more intense.
Do you think Usher has it in him to win an Oscar? Or does he just need to stick to making music?
Yawn…this man is so arrogant that it makes it hard for me to continue to support him. I’ve been over him since the whole Tameka thing.
Didn’t will smith win an Oscar for his role in the movie Ali? I think Usher could do it, maybe…