On set, one of the actors (MC Eiht) asked me how long had I been in L.A. I knew it would be controversial but I guess because it was so close to what I grew up in and around it wasn’t as shocking to me as I discovered it was to others after I decided to do it. People will be smart enough to know that’s not really who you are.” I agreed. I was asked to audition for the lead role of Caine, the guy in the McDonald’s drive-thru, and the crackhead.īefore I auditioned I called and asked my grandmother what did she think about me auditioning for that particular role. Shortly thereafter I got the call to audition for Menace II Society. My first audition ever was for Boyz n the Hood. MFįormer CAA Lit Agent Jay Baker Apologizes To Jewerl Keats Ross For Sending 'Menace 2 Society' Clip And the personal experience he brought to it and the trauma that followed, which reared up again last weekend.

Somehow it seemed right for him to have the last word on this regrettable incident, as he didn’t belabor blame, but rather presented a worthy reminder of the courage it took for a young actor to take on a role like that, one that nobody else wanted. We at Deadline thought we were done with the story, until we got a note from Dwayne Barnes, the actor who played that role. We aired all sides of the story, from the email that an offended Ross sent to Baker in response to the clip (which prompted CAA to fire him) to a strong apology by Baker for being tone deaf in sending that clip in the first place. Editor’s Note: As we saw last weekend from Deadline’s coverage of Jay Baker losing his position as longtime CAA agent after sending manager Jewerl Keats Ross a Menace II Society movie clip depicting a crack addict willing to perform a sexual favor because he was so desperate to feed his habit, we are in a moment of heightened sensitivity that leaves everyone in Hollywood standing upon a trap door that can be triggered by a single insult or misdeed.

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