Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac both passed away last week,
unexpectedly, at an age when their careers and personal lives still stood to be
enriched with many new experiences.
Coincidentally, both worked together on “Soul Men,” director
Malcolm D. Lee’s upcoming comedy for Dimension Films/MGM.
Comedian Bernie Mac and actor Samuel L. Jackson star as two
former backup soul singers who have grown apart over the years and unenthusiastically
reunite after a 20-year hiatus for a concert tour which honors their recently
deceased lead singer.
Isaac Hayes appears in a cameo as himself. The three actors
have scenes together.
For Isaac Hayes, this is his last appearance in a film. The iconic
soul singer passed away on Aug. 10 at his home in Memphis, Tenn.
He was 65. A cause for his death has not been disclosed yet. He had suffered a
mild stroke in 2006.
For Bernie Mac, this is one of two films he played in before
his untimely death on Aug. 9, at age 50. Mac had been hospitalized in Chicago to receive
treatment for pneumonia and his rep insisted that full recovery was expected.
Reports surfaced that Bernie Mac was in a life or death
situation and his sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease he had been diagnosed with
two decades ago, was brought up. The actor had revealed his ailment in 2005,
when he also said it was in remission.
His rep said his death had been due to complications from
pneumonia.
Another film Bernie Mac appears in is the Robin Williams
comedy “Old Dogs,” which comes out next year.
Malcolm D. Lee feels the pressure of doing the two actors
justice. He confessed to USA Today that editing is already done and finished
for “Soul Men” but that he wishes to look over it again to “see if there is
anything we can do better.”
“(Mac) left us with an indelible performance. I think I got
him at the top of his game,” the director added.
He also lauded Mac’s team spirit, the long hours he put into
making the film and the camaraderie he nourished on the set, always ready to
make the others laugh.
Lee described Mac’s character in the comedy as “eternally
positive, and that’s the way he was in real life.”
He also said moviegoers are going to have the chance to see
Bernie Mac “extremely raw” and “showcasing his singing and dancing talent.”
As to Hayes, the reverential Lee said he “had to be in the
movie,” as his impact on music and on the director’s life was “immeasurable.”
“Soul Men” is set to be released on November 14.
