Brandon T. Jackson is still blaming the derailment of his career on a singular career choice: starring in “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.”
The 2011 flick paired rising star Jackson with Martin Lawrence in the undercover cop franchise, where Jackson played the veteran actor’s stepson. The film’s plot sees the duo crack a murder case with the help of their female alter egos, Big Momma and Charmaine. Both men dressed as women in body suits, ladies clothing, wigs, and makeup.
According to IMDb, the project had an estimated budget of $32,000,000 and made upwards of $82,000,000 at the global box office. The younger actor previously stated that he signed on to the movie for the big check and the chance to work with Lawrence.
Jackson has long blamed his decision to don a dress as the catalyst for his career’s demise. In a recent stand-up set, he echoed his disdain for the film when an audience member praised him for his performance. “I hate that Illuminati s—t. That movie ruined my life,” he joked. “That dress ruined my s—t. … that was the start of the end of Brandon T. Jackson.”
He went on to humor the audience, saying, “I’m trying to get Illuminati muscles like Michael B. I’m trying to figure out how to get that s—t. That n—ga broke up with Lori Harvey and came back with Steve Harvey mustache; that s—t was crazy.”
Online, one fan hit back at the joke, writing, “So why didn’t it ruin the careers of Robin Williams, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Shawn & Marlon Wayans, Jamie Foxx, or any of the other countless comedians who’ve played over-the-top female caricatures?”
A second wrote, “It wasn’t the dress the movie just sucked!”
“Nope his terrible acting ruined his career,” wrote another user.
In a past interview, the “Roll Bounce” star alluded to Black male actors dressing as women as a tired shtick.
In the early ’70s, comedian Flip Wilson dressed as female character Geraldine on his eponymous show, Lawrence dressed as his mother and neighbor Sheneneh on “Martin” in the ’90s, Wesley Snipes portrayed a woman in 1995’s “To Wong Foo,” Jamie Foxx as Wanda on “In Living Color” in the ’90s.
Ving Rhames played a transgender woman in 2000’s “Holiday Heart,” Kevin Hart wore women’s clothing in a 2013 “SNL” skit, Shawn and Marlon Wayans were white women in 2004’s “White Chicks,” and Tyler Perry has portrayed Madea in several projects over the last 20 years.
But for Jackson, he is certain that crossing the gender line for laughs came at a significant cost. Now, the actor says not even a check for a trillion dollars would coax him into wearing a dress.
“I was cursed by it. I believe it was curse that went with that personally ‘cause ain’t nothin’ went right since then. That’s truth … Everything went wrong when I put on that dress…My path, when I put on a dress, it came with a demon baby mama and a starter kit for hell,” he noted.
During his ascension in Hollywood, Jackson said that Katt Williams warned him about cosplaying as a woman, but at the time, he thought the older comic was trying to publicly insult him.
