Actor Wesley Snipes is known for his action-hero persona in the ‘90s. The actor has starred in classic action films such as New Jack City, Demolition Man, The Expendables 3, and Drop Zone. He has also seen success in the dramatic and comedic category with films like Jungle Fever, Chi-Raq, and Dolemite is My Name. He also starred as Blade in the Blade trilogy.
While Snipes has made a mark on the industry as a leading hero in action films, he has also ended up saving people’s careers in real life. The Blade star reportedly became a savior for Invincible star Reginald VelJohnson, who was about to quit acting before he was cast as Sergeant Al Powell in the legendary action film Die Hard.
Wesley Snipes’ Life And Career
While Wesley Snipes is now known for his action films such as the Marvel superhero films Blade and its sequels, he began his career at 23, when he was discovered by an agent. He appeared in films such as Wildcats and Major League, while also getting to appear in the TV show Miami Vice. He also featured in Michael Jackson’s music video for Bad, where he was noticed by Spike Lee.
Though Snipes rejected a role in Spike Lee’s breakthrough film Do The Right Thing, he would go on to star in Mo’ Better Blues and Jungle Fever. The latter saw him as the lead star in the interracial romantic drama which also starred Samuel L Jackson, Halle Berry, Annabella Sciorra, and more. Snipes began featuring in many crime films such as New Jack City and Sugar Hill.
After seeing success as a noted action star with films like Demolition Man, Passenger 57, and Money Train, he diversified his filmography with comedies like White Men Can’t Jump and dramas such as The Water Dance. He saw his biggest commercial success when he starred as the titular Marvel superhero in Blade. The film received two more sequels.
After Blade: Trinity, which was marred by a troubled production and post-release controversy, Snipes starred in a bunch of direct-to-video action films. He had his comeback with the crime film Brooklyn’s Finest and would go on to work on the Eddie Murphy films Dolemite is My Name and Coming 2 America. According to Deadline, he met with Marvel regarding reprising his role of Blade in the MCU, but he was replaced by Mahershala Ali.
Wesley Snipes Was Responsible For Reginald VelJohnson’s Career
In the 1988 blockbuster action film Die Hard, actor Reginald VelJohnson was cast as the helpful NYPD Sergeant Al Powell, who becomes the eyes and ears on the outside for Bruce Willis’ John McClane. VelJohnson was cast in the supporting role as the original choice, Gene Hackman, became unavailable for filming.
Reginald VelJohnson mentioned that he was about to give up on his acting career before he was given a new lease on life after being cast in Die Hard. The Family Matters star said in the Netflix documentary The Movies That Made Us: Die Hard,
“I kept going to auditions and not getting them and whatnot. I didn’t know when exactly I fit in. My mom was the only one who supported me in what I did. And then Die Hard came along and I said, ‘Mom this is my last chance at doing a film.’”
The actor mentioned that when he went to audition for the role, Wesley Snipes was there in the room as well, up for his role as Al Powell. However, the actor had to buck up and make his audition count so that he could stay in business. He said,
“I walked into the audition room and Wesley Snipes was there. I listened through the door to what he was doing and I said, ‘I’ll do it differently.’ I spoke directly to the camera and I said, ‘Listen, you give me this job, and I’ll be the best Al Powell you have ever seen.’ A couple of weeks later I got a call.”
The actor credits Snipes’ audition with giving him the idea to do things differently for the film which changed his life. The actor has since starred in many films and TV shows, with his portrayal as Sgt. Powell now an iconic pop culture character. He also has a huge role in the animated TV show Invincibles, where he plays Principle Winslow (named after his Family Matters character) of the high school Reginald VelJohnson High School.
