Eriq La Salle is leaving his days sporting Soul Glo long behind him, as the actor has confirmed he will not be making an appearance in Coming 2 America. Because so many original stars from Coming to America are reprising their roles for the anticipated sequel, La Salle had been speculated to return by some fans of the series. Unfortunately for those hoping to see him back in some capacity for the sequel, La Salle has since confirmed he will have no involvement whatsoever with the sequel, as he will instead be focusing on continuing working behind the scenes on the drama series Chicago P.D.. Speaking with The Grio, here’s the response La Salle offered when directly asked if he would be in Coming 2 America.
“No… I’ve already given you an answer. No… Straight to the point. I knew where you were going with it… I’m a little busy right now… with this show.”
As Eriq La Salle suggests, he does certainly have his hands full with Chicago P.D.. In addition to executive producing the series, La Salle directs many of its episodes as well. The job requires some extra attention to detail, as Chicago P.D. is set in the same universe as the shows Chicago Med and Chicago Fire which comes along with special crossover events. While La Salle has spent most of his time helming television show episodes on the Chicago P.D. set, he has directed episodes from many other notable series in the past as well. This includes Lucifer, The Night Shift, Under the Dome, and The Librarians.
Of course, most of us still know La Salle best from his time acting in a variety of TV and movie projects in the ’80s and ’90s. Perhaps his most well-known role is that of Dr. Peter Benton in the NBC medical drama series ER, which earned La Salle three NAACP Image Awards and nominations for a Golden Globe and multiple Primetime Emmy Awards. On the big screen, La Salle is also very well remembered for his role in the classic comedy movie Coming to America, which was first released in 1988. In the movie, La Salle played Darryl Jenks, the obnoxious boyfriend of the royal prince’s future bride. Along with his family members, Darryl also memorably sported “Soul Glo” – a Jheri curl-like hairstyling aid complete with its own catchy jingle.
Coming 2 America will be set in the modern day with Prince Akeem traveling back to the United States to find his long-lost son. A cameo from La Salle would have been fun ,but as Lisa (Shari Headley) broke up with Darryl over three decades ago, omitting him from the story makes sense. La Salle will apparently be missing out on an incredible reunion, however, as the rest of the cast features a who’s who of returning talent along with many newcomers to the cast. Along with Murphy and Headley, also coming back to reprise their roles from the original are Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louie Anderson, Paul Bates, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Garcelle Beauvais. Also starring are Leslie Jones, Rick Ross, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, KiKi Layne, and Wesley Snipes.
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Coming 2 America is set to premiere in theaters on Dec. 18, 2020. With so many returning cast members, the potential is high for the sequel to be just as successful as the original movie, but time will tell on that one. News of La Salle confirming he has no involvement with the movie comes to us from The Grio.
