And perhaps it needs to: It’s been four years since Usher released a full-length, which he acknowledges can seem like an eternity given the rapidly accelerating pace of the music business. Usher may not need a reintroduction into the world of music, but he hopes his upcoming album “Hard II Love” - initially slated for a 2015 release - can nonetheless serve as similar pivot point. What: Usher receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “The things I had done before are a part of it, but this definitely was a major step for me.” Tip Sheet “I do think that this is the beginning of a new journey as an actor,” Usher says. “A lot of the things that might get Usher criticized by his peers were the same things that Sugar Ray Leonard was criticized for,” Jakubowicz says. Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman called Usher’s presence “a nifty piece of casting, because the actor, with a touch of prosthetics, doesn’t just look like Leonard, he embodies his exuberant nimble-kill spirit.”Īccording to Jakubowicz, Leonard was sold on Usher once he decided he “had the right smile,” and the singer’s lack of pugilistic experience ended up being a benefit. That training shows through in the film: Usher’s celebrity is effectively tamped down, his stadium-ready dance moves honed into lightning flurries of attack and misdirection. He was so slick, and he had so much showmanship, that it would be easier for you teach a dancer to box than to teach a fighter to box like Sugar Ray.’ So I went home and started thinking, who’s the best dancer in the world?”Īs soon as he read the script, Usher impressed the director with his seriousness - “he started doing the Ali shuffle at our first meeting,” Jakubowicz remembers - and immediately started training with amateur boxers, and working with Leonard himself for nearly a year. He said, ‘Listen, for Sugar Ray, you should find a dancer. I asked Freddie if he thought there was a fighter who could play Sugar Ray Leonard. “Then I was invited to Freddie Roach’s gym in Los Angeles to watch Manny Pacquiao train. “I was auditioning lots of actors, and I wasn’t really finding anybody I was excited about,” recalls director Jakubowicz. You do it all until you find your place.”įor “Hands of Stone,” it was actually Usher’s skills as a dancer, rather than his filmography or resemblance to a professional fighter, that helped get him the part. Jackson - he’s done everything, every type of role. Imagine if Laurence Fishburne stopped acting at ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse.’ Or look at Samuel L. But I’m not gonna say anything I’ve been in was a failure, because it’s all a part of getting acculturated to who you are. Viewing his ventures into film as part of a continuum, Usher notes, “People tend to focus too much on anything that might not necessarily live up to being something great. I did this one thing for ‘Twilight Zone.’ I was just trying to figure out what was out there for me.” I acted in sitcoms, in soap operas, in teen horror. “So with film, I did everything to find out who and what I represented. And I hope your spark never goes away," he said during his speech, accepting the degree before the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.“My idea of artistry has always been: try everything until you find out what works,” Usher says. That makes me not only a student, but a master of my trade. It just means that I managed to do something significant based on my passion. But that doesn't discredit what this environment is or what the environment is that I grew up in. Usher himself was more than honored to accept. "Networking is what brought me here today. In a series of snapshots posted on his official Instagram page, we got a glimpse of Usher proudly posing to accept the award during a graduation ceremony, complete with a cap and gown.Īccording to KSNV News, the award was granted to the singer on account of "his invaluable contributions to the worlds of music and philanthropy." Yes, you read that right, the former The Voice Coach, Usher, is now officially a doctor. On May 13, the Confessions singer proudly accepted an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Watch The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.
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