Of course every actor is going to say his next movie is great before it comes out. Only Brad Pitt had the balls to bash "The Devil’s Own." But some are more convincing than others. Bernie Mac put "Ocean’s 13" in perspective, explaining how they made it the best film of the trilogy.
"By making a bad film the second time," Mac admitted. "That is a perfect example of pimping. That’s a perfect example of not being true and honest to yourself. I don’t want to do that. But my connection with the boys, I couldn’t say no. I can’t say no to Soderbergh, ‘Bernie, we want you in this.’ I was doing ‘Guess Who‘ at the time too and flying all over, that’s how I got pneumonia. Flying all over the world, I just got through the television show 20 hours. No, I’m not doing it next time. Okay?’ I said, ‘Man, this script is booty. I didn’t know if it was ‘Mission Impossible‘ or what? What are we doing?’ but you can’t say nothing."
So, not only is "Ocean’s 13" going to undo all that damage, it’s also another milestone for Mac. "Let me tell you something. I hate to compare anything, especially while I’m promoting. I feel that’s disrespect. But ‘Ocean’s 13’ is the best movie I’ve ever done in my life. No question, you’re playing with the boys, and because it’s personal. You’ve got all the boys, all my buddies over there. We’ve got George and Don Cheadle and Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Matt Damon, a sweetheart, we have Brad and all the boys. You can’t say no. It’s Soderbergh, you can’t say no to Soderbergh. You can’t say no, dude."
Well, not saying no got him in trouble the last time, but "13" brought Mac’s game up. In addition to the regulars, the new cast mates raise the bar. "This one is good. You’ve got my man Al Pacino in there and Al Pacino, man, let me tell you something. I’m not quickly intimidated being an athlete and from where I come from. But Al Pacino is one of my mentors. When I said, ‘Man, I’ve got a scene with Al Pacino today, whew.’ God damn. Then when Al Pacino came in, I said, ‘Hey Al Pacino.’ He said, ‘Bernie Mac!’ And I said, ‘Wow, man.’ I called my wife. I said, ‘Man, Al Pacino today, dude.’ She said, ‘Man, Mac, you know you’re going to do it.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I know but when I saw him, I was like damn, you know.’ I kept watching him, man."
"Ocean’s 13" hits theaters this June.
