After years of fame, success and adulation following his time spent in stand up and with the hit television show 30 Rock, life came crashing down for Tracy Morgan - literally. A car pile up in New Jersey circa 2014 ended up taking the life of comedian James McNair as Morgan suffered serious injury, requiring rehabilitation and a stint away from the spotlight.
Courtesy of the R rated comedy Fist Fight with Ice Cube and Charlie Day, Morgan has a new lease on life as he learns to appreciate the joy of his craft once more. The 48-year old plays incompetent janitor Freddie Coward in the feature and spoke with USA Today about his comeback to Hollywood.
Tracy's Luck The Viewers Gain
Showcasing his unique talent and comedic stylings, Morgan explains that the experience of working on Fist Fight was the right tonic after his personal ordeal.
"Thank God, I didn’t die in the accident and I was there to do this," admits Morgan. "But I was hit by a truck. I was out for a year and change." Sustaining some serious injuries, the actor outlined that the senses are back on track. "When you have a traumatic brain incident like that, there are a lot of components that go into it: the comedy timing, the instincts. He (God) didn't take that from me."
It won't only be this project that Morgan feels thankful for, learning to take every day like a gift.
"I say thank you to God every morning. I open my curtains and the sun is out, even if it's cloudy," says Morgan. "These are tears of joy right now. We just ran a gamut of emotion here, but this is not a tough day. This is joyful day."
Ice Made Charlie Black and Blue
Charlie Day might be more accustomed to the smaller screen with his co-stars on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but fronting up to rapper and tough guy Ice Cube was a completely different challenge. During his interview with Metro, he explained that the Ride Along star did not go easy on him one bit.
"I’m a huge fan of Ice Cube, from when he was in NWA and his solo stuff. I love the album The Predator. I know every song on that. So it was surreal. And when you get a punch wrong, when it accidentally hits your forearm or something instead of missing you, it really hurts," he said. "He’s a big guy; he can throw a real punch."
Engaging in the physicality for the role, Day said he is still feeling the effects well after the cameras stopped rolling.
"There were times when our forearms clashed, our knees banged together. Thank god no one got one on the nose by accident. But there are times when you move the wrong way and you get a little punch here, a little scrape there. We were both a little black-and-blue in some spots. We shot this over a year ago, and to be honest my legs still hurt."
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