Long before Jermaine Fowler landed the lead in Prime Video’s new Barbershop series, he was watching bootleg copies of the movies at home.
Now the actor is introducing the franchise to a new generation of fans and bringing his family memories along.
In an interview with Urban Hollywood 411 about his latest film Terrestrial, Fowler also talked about all things Barbershop. The actor recalled watching the first two films as a kid with his dad.
“He had the bootleg on VHS. We watched that constantly,” he shared.
His dad is a barber and would cut his hair before school.
“That was my time to connect with my dad and talk to my pops,” Fowler said. “And so now that I have my own kid, I cut my kid’s hair, and that’s when I share my time with him and talk to him.”
The movies remain part of his dad’s personal collection, although he’s upgraded to DVDs.
“Even today, like I go back to my dad’s house, and you go in his basement. He has a grocery bag full of DVDs, loose DVDs, and one of them is Barbershop 2,” Fowler said.
The actor was a big fan of the movie trilogy’s cast.
“I’ve always loved Ice Cube, Cedric [The Entertainer], Queen [Latifah] and Eve, like I love everyone who’s been a part of that whole series of films because now I get to be a part of the history and help extend the story to this new direction,” he said.
The actor stars in the series as Travis “Trav” Walker, grandson of Eddie (played by Cedric the Entertainer in the movies).
Trav returns to Chicago hoping to honor his grandfather’s legacy at the iconic barbershop.
The cast also includes Punkie Johnson, Roy Wood Jr., Brett Gray, E.J. Bonilla, Bresha Webb, Bokeem Woodbine, Tiana Okoye and Langston Kerman.
Asked if viewers will see the original stars or executive producer Kevin Hart, Fowler was tight-lipped.
“I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say it’s an all-new cast of new characters,” he said.
One thing he did share, Hart was too busy to take on even a small role.
“Kevin doesn’t make an appearance in the first season. Kevin’s got a billion things going on,” Fowler said. “If we ever get to nail Kevin down to do anything, we’d be grateful.”
The first Barbershop movie was released in 2002. It was followed by Barbershop 2: Back in Business in 2004 and Barbershop: The Next Cut years later in 2016. There was also a short-lived cable series.
Fowler said the new show will have its own identity.
“We are super proud that this show stands on its own. It’s its own story, and I think we built something that is going to make a lot of people laugh,” he explained.
Barbershop premieres Feb. 10, 2027 on Prime Video. You can watch the interview with Fowler below:
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