Nick Cannon, the actor known for starring in classic Black films like “Drumline” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” has recently shared why he turned down the lead role in “ATL.”
In a recent interview with HipHopDX, Cannon revealed that he was originally meant to star in the 2006 movie “ATL” in the role that eventually went to T.I. However, Cannon chose to star in “Roll Bounce” instead because it paid more.
According to Cannon, he was presented with the scripts for both “Drumline” and “ATL” by Dallas Austin, who produced both films. Cannon was initially set to star in both movies one after the other but ultimately chose “Roll Bounce” over “ATL” because it paid better and required fewer days of work.
While Cannon didn’t disclose his earnings for “Roll Bounce” or “ATL,” T.I. has previously revealed that he was paid $85,000 for his role in “ATL” and underwent weeks of consistent skate training for the part.
Box office numbers for both movies are publicly available, with “Roll Bounce” grossing $7,570,366 during its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada and $17,521,290 worldwide. “ATL” made $11,554,404 during its opening weekend and $21,170,563 worldwide.
Despite turning down the lead role in “ATL,” Cannon has had a successful acting career, starring in several other classic films.
