Forgive me… my relationship to Pac is too precious to me for the scenes in All Eyez On Me to stand as truth.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
Jada Pinkett Smith went on Twitter to comment on how All Eyez on Me represented the relationship between her and rapper Tupac Shakur, calling the reimagining “deeply hurtful” and inaccurate.
The film is a biopic about the life and death of Tupac played by Demetrius Shipp Jr., and hit theaters today in honor of the rapper’s birthday. Pinkett and Shakur first met at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland and the two developed a close friendship, with Pinkett calling him “one of my best friends, he was like a brother.”
All Eyez on Me portrays this friendship with Kat Graham as Pinkett and includes touching scenes like this one where Shakur reads a poem to Pinkett before he leaves for California.
The only issue? That scene never happened, and is fully fictional.
Pac never read me that poem. I didn’t know that poem existed until it was printed in his book.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
Pac never said goodbye to me before leaving for LA. He had to leave abruptly and it wasn’t to pursue his career.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
Another scene that features Pinkett going to one of Shakur’s concerts, and the two fighting backstage after she accuses him of changing. It escalates to a tearful Pinkett saying, “The man I knew wanted to use his voice to educate, to bring people together” and leaving when Shakur refuses to listen. Pinkett tweets that this scene was also completely fictional.
I’ve never been to any of Pac’s shows by his request. We never had an argument backstage.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
The reimagining of my relationship to Pac has been deeply hurtful.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
The actress made it clear that she wasn’t upset at the fictional counterparts, thanking them for the “heart and spirit” they put into the roles and calling their performances “beautiful.”
To @KatGraham and @Dshippjr this is no fault of yours. Thank you for bringing so much heart and spirit to your roles.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
You both did a beautiful job with what you were given. Thank you both.
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
It’s almost inevitable that films will dramatize events and even take occasional liberties with their subject manner, but that only makes sensitivity and consultants even more crucial. I don’t know whether Pinkett was given the opportunity to respond to the portrayal when the film was still in development, but this was something that could and should have been avoided. Seeing a personal relationship that’s clearly very meaningful and full of love misrepresented for entertainment is both unfair and inconsiderate.
Smith ended her Twitter thread with a birthday wish for the late rapper:
Happy birthday Pac, you are cradled in my heart for eternity.
I love you.— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 16, 2017
(image: screencap)
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