'Boyz n the Hood' turns 30: The impact of John Singleton's groundbreaking film
John Singleton wasn't afraid to take a chance on new talent when he made his feature directorial debut "Boyz n the Hood" in 1991, which turns 30 today.
As the seminal film celebrates its 30th anniversary, Singleton, who died in 2019 after suffering a stroke, told ABC Audio two years prior to his death that looking at the success of the actors he helped "put on," like Ice Cube, was always a source of pride for him as a director.
"It's a pleasant surprise. I mean to see that people have had long careers and they've gone on to do other things," Singleton said. "Ice Cube has transitioned from being an actor-producer to almost mini mogul -- making a lot of things happen in different ways in film and television."
The accomplished filmmaker -- who, at 24, became and remains the youngest person to receive an Oscar nomination for best director thanks to the movie -- said he took no credit for Ice Cube's success, even though "Boyz n the Hood" was the rapper's acting debut.
"I can't take credit for any of that stuff -- those of really talented people," he said. "All they really needed was an opening in the business and they just ran with it."
Another one of those "really talented people" is Tyrese Gibson, who starred in Singleton's 2001 film "Baby Boy." Gibson said he's "grateful" that Singleton also saw something in him like he did in Ice Cube.
"John Singleton chased me for five years the way he did Ice Cube, the way he did a lot of people that made their acting debut in a film," Tyrese said. "He was a visionary. He envisioned a lot for people that we may have not envisioned for ourselves."
He continued: "There would not be a such thing as a 'Fast and Furious,' 'Four Brothers,' 'Waist Deep,' 'Baby Boy,' 'Transformers,'" listing off his acting credits. "All of the movies that I've been able to do [would] be no such thing if John Singleton didn't see something in me that I didn't see in myself."
