Martin Lawrence Says He Turned Down ‘Rush Hour’ Role From Jackie Chan Due To Low Offer: ‘Wasn’t Enough Money’

Martin Lawrence, Jackie Chan

Martin Lawrence Says He Turned Down ‘Rush Hour’ Role From Jackie Chan Due To Low Offer: ‘Wasn’t Enough Money’

In another world, Martin Lawrence would have co-starred in the 1998 hit film Rush Hour.

The cop action comedy franchise as we know it stars Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee and Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter. The first installment of the film series reportedly grossed over $244 million worldwide and was followed by two more movies; Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007). In 2022, Jackie Chan claimed a 4th installment was in the works, however, that project has yet to come to fruition.

Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan and Brett Ratner at “Rush Hour 3” premiere

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show alongside his Bad Boys: Ride or Die costar Will Smith, Martin Lawrence revealed that he was offered the role of Detective Carter. The offer came directly from his friend Jackie Chan before Chris Tucker landed the part. He said,

“Jackie Chan asked me to star in Rush Hour with him, but I turned it down.”

Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan

Giving details on how the offer came about, Martin Lawrence said,

“He did my show, so we talked somewhere in between there. We talked in person, and then we had a dinner at Mr Chow.” 

Sharing why he ultimately turned it down, he added,

“Wasn’t enough money.”

Martin’s comments came amid a True Confessions game where he, Will Smith, and Jimmy Fallon read revelations off of cards and had to interrogate each other to learn if the read statement was true or not. After confirming everything he said was true, Martin expressed,

“I was happy for Chris, that’s what it was supposed to be. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, and they brought a beautiful franchise with Rush Hour.”

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