Sixteen-year-old D’iallo Thompson quite possibly had the best junior year of high school on record. While his classmates were attending after-school dances and basketball games, Thompson was on the Barbershop: The Next Cut set, rubbing elbows with cultural icons like Ice Cube, Common and Nicki Minaj.
Thompson received the role of a lifetime when he nailed the role of Kenny Smith, Common’s son and BFF to Ice Cube’s son, “Jalen.” Thompson says Common was the first “real celebrity” he’d ever met and he was impressed by the rapper/actor’s genuine personality.
“Common is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He was so nice and down to earth. I hadn’t had a full conversation with a celebrity before. For him to be my first experience, it was great,” Thompson says.
In addition to Common, Thompson was blown away by Ice Cube’s presence and his work ethic. “It was so surreal to be acting in a scene with Ice Cube. Just hearing the director say, ‘action’ and realizing I’m actually in the same room talking and acting with someone I grew up watching was amazing. He is a really focused guy. He watched all the takes after we were done, and you could tell he was determined to make sure everything was perfect.”
Thompson was also impressed by Ice Cube’s dedication to the underlying message of the film. “I think people will love the message more than anything. It'[s not just a comedy. The underlying theme of Barbershop: The Next Cut is the violence in Chicago and it’s not just something we should talk about; we need to fix it.”
Nabbing the Barbershop role was a long time coming, considering Thompson has been prepping for this role since he was 5 years old. “My parents always took us to plays and I decided I wanted to try out for a school play. I got the lead role of Moses and I’ve loved acting ever since.”
Thompson says he looks up to Denzel Washington and Will Smith as inspirations for studying his craft. Though Thompson seems remarkably focused for a young actor, his age was apparent when he was queried about his favorite memory on the set. “My favorite thing about being on set was the food. It was crazy,” he laughed. He also mentioned that Nicki Minaj was very pretty.
Barbershop: The Next Cut is scheduled for release April 15, 2016. Thompson is currently filming a television pilot and recently released a music video.
