Ludacris answered a “Hot Ones” question that he’s never been asked before on Thursday’s episode, telling host Sean Evans how his 2004 single “Get Back” came to be featured in “Tropic Thunder” — with a Tom Cruise-in-a-fat-suit dance break no less.
Apparently, star, director and cowriter Ben Stiller hosted a private preview screening of the 2008 action comedy for Ludacris (birth name Christopher Bridges) and his management team.
“Did Ben Stiller personally seek your approval to use ‘Get Back’ at the end of ‘Tropic Thunder’ for that Tom Cruise dance scene?” Evans asked.
Ludacris was pleasantly surprised by the question.
“Yo, I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that, that’s a great question,” he said between heat levels of the talk show’s chicken wing-eating structure.
“Not only did he seek approval, respectfully, he invited us to watch the movie before it came out and it was literally just me, him and my management and we watched the whole movie,” Ludacris said. “Just to see at the end for him to ask me, ‘Is it OK to clear this?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely.’”
Turns out, the Grammy-winning rapper and actor (also known best for his work in the “Fast & Furious” film franchise) was already a fan of Stiller’s work and just excited to be in the room.
“I was more — I was such a Ben Stiller fan that I was more happy that he invited me personally to come watch the movie before it came out.”
“Tropic Thunder” starred Stiller, Jack Black and an Oscar-nominated Robert Downey Jr. as actors filming a big-budget war movie who get caught up in real military action. Tom Cruise is a slimy Hollywood producer who makes a memorable supporting turn towards the front of the film — but the real action happens towards the credits.
As the scene unforgettably goes, it’s Oscar night and war movie-within-a-movie is cleaning up with the Best Actor trophy going to Stiller’s Tugg Speedman. Cruise is watching the telecast from the comfort of his office when, to celebrate the win, he turns the lights down, turns the amps up and gyrates in celebration to Ludacris’ “Get Back.” Watch it here.
And watch Ludacris’ full “Hot Ones” interview in the video above.
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