This year has definitely been good to Dexter Tucker. He is successfully creeping out of the shadow of his famed brother, comedian Chris Tucker, and making a name for himself in the entertainment world. He not only recently hosted the Nollywood & African Film Critics’ Awards, dubbed the African Oscars, but he will also be flexing his acting chops in a new thriller, Jimmy: Did You Get One?
The film is a twisted thriller with a diverse cast that focuses on Jimmy, a man who was brainwashed by his murderous grandmother. For 20 years, Granny ordered him to bring her back young and unsuspecting girls around town to torture. But when Jimmy presents her with a 9-year-old girl full of faith in God named Sara, her father’s determination to find her and bring her back home causes the unraveling of secrets and dysfunction surrounding Jimmy’s mysterious family.
Tucker plays the challenging role of Sara’s dedicated father.
“The father tries to blame his wife because he wasn’t home when [Sara] came up missing. You really get the feel of how desperate the family is that they can’t find their daughter,” he explained.
As the business partner of the film’s creator, Jerry May, Tucker served as the co-writer, executive producer and assistant director on the project. Although he’s a longtime comedian, he has been waiting to delve into acting and directing, and he’s glad that through his partnership with May, the opportunities are finally sprouting.
“We’re trying to stake our claim in the film-making business. We’re trying to follow behind people like Tyler Perry, Robert Townsend, and all these guys who made good quality movies,” Tucker said of him and May.
Tucker says that his brother Chris, who is well-known for the Rush Hour film franchise and his stand-up career, was definitely an inspiration for why he decided to venture into the entertainment industry.
“Entertainment is all he ever did,” he said of his sibling. “I did a lot of other things … I was a truck driver at 20-years-old. I also held a job as a night club manager, a mortgage broker … I’ve been in real estate, and a couple other things. After a while, watching my brother travel the world, I was a little envious of that.”
Even though he remains inspired by his brother’s career as his own star is rising, Dexter says that watching Chris has helped him realize he doesn’t want everything that tends to come with success in the acting world.
“The fame that he has, I’m not envious of that at all. He can’t go places that I can go without being mobbed [laughs].”
‘Jimmy: Did You Get One’ premieres on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta’s Landmark Theatres Midtown Art Cinema. The red carpet begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.JimmyDidYouGetOne.com.
