Aside from being a constant source of eye candy for women, Larenz Tate is a seasoned actor whose roles range from edge-of-the-seat thrillers, such as “Menace II Society,” to beloved romcoms, such as “Love Jones.”
Though Tate’s credits in romance films are currently minuscule compared to other genres, he had a chance of becoming one of the leading men of ‘90s rom-coms if he hadn’t turned down these classic films.
The 47-year-old recently played a game of “Did You Know” in his latest interview with Cocoa Butter, where he revealed certain characters in nostalgic rom-com movies that he was supposed to play.
“Did you know Larenz Tate was supposed to be Harper from ‘The Best Man?’” the interviewer said. Without hesitation, Tate responded, “True.”
He continued explaining, “I was doing another project and I passed on the project.”
The role eventually went to “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” actor Taye Diggs.
Tate then acknowledged that his decision to pass on the role had a lasting impression on him, suggesting that it was a “dang” moment.
“It’s an iconic, you know, movie and TV series,” he said. “You know, Taye Diggs did a fantastic job.”
“The Best Man” projects have become a staple in Black Hollywood, and followed the lives of Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Terrance Howard, Harold Perrineau, Melissa De Sousa and Monica Calhoun.
Fourteen years after the first film’s release in 1999, a sequel titled “The Best Man Holiday” followed, and made over $72 million at the box office. This amount surpassed the first film by over $30 million dollars.
Last December, the successful actors reunited and decided to close out the beloved installations with an eight-episode series called “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” which can be streamed through Peacock.
As his interview continued, Tate also revealed turning down the role of Dre in the 2002 romcom, “Brown Sugar.”
“Another movie man,” Tate said, “and I really liked that movie too.”
Once again, Diggs managed to snag up the role of Dre where he and Sanaa Lathan acted alongside each other as best friends turned lovers.
Though “Brown Sugar” only managed to make $28.32 million at the box office, it is still considered a cult classic for the culture. It’s a refreshing tale of two best friends who are on a journey of rediscovering their shared love for hip-hop. Throughout the story, both Lathan and Diggs’ characters end up realizing their true feelings for each other.
The beloved cinematic film also starred Queen Latifah, rapper Mos Def, Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker.
After the interview hit Cocoa Butter’s TikTok page, many fans credited fate for leading Diggs to the roles. Some users even suggested that they couldn’t picture anyone other than the 52-year-old actor to perfectly portray the characters.
“That part was mad for taye diggs.”
“He helped make Taye Diggs career.”
“As much as I love me some Larenz, I couldn’t imagine no one else but Taye Diggs for those roles.”
“Can’t imagine ‘MY DIVORCOOOORCE’ coming from anyone but Taye.”
While Tate never specified the movies that he turned the roles down for, his film “A Man Apart,” starring Vin Diesel, dropped one year after “Brown Sugar.” He also filmed an indie movie with Deborah Cox titled “Love Come Down,” which was released one year after “The Best Man.”
