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Google PlayAngela Means, who in 1995 brought to life the memorable (and later memed) Friday character Felicia, reflected on the character’s journey and the larger issues at play in her life story in a recent interview.
Speaking with Comedy Hype, Means said she was “not surprised” when she first learned she landed the role in F. Gray Gray’s classic franchise-starter. This was largely due to her having had success in ticking off a number of goals on a handwritten list she made on the flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles earlier in her career. That list, Means said, included (as one of the “last things”) securing an “interesting character” in a production.
“I was like, this is her,” Means, whose other goals (including securing a global commercial and national spots) had already been met at this point, said.
When asked about Felicia being seen by some viewers “as a crackhead” and how she as an actress worked to fight against such stereotypes, Means pointed to her employment of a famous acting technique developed by the late Sanford Meisner.
“I wrote a bio on Felicia and it was an amazing process,” she said. “It was one of the greatest processes that I’ve ever been allowed to be a part of. So I wrote a very intense bio on her. … Everything about her, I wrote.”
After she wrote this detailed background on the character, Means said she placed this information inside her and then let the character take over. “I was really, really that person,” she said.
In an emotional recollection of the character’s journey within the context of the larger Friday story, as well as its continued impact to this day, Means wondered aloud why more people didn’t stand up for the oft-referenced character.
“Why was there so much hate for such an obviously beautiful woman?” Means told Comedy Hype. “She was kind. You didn’t hear her using any profanity. You didn’t hear any of that. Why would they be so unkind to a family member? Why would people be so dismissive? Why would no one defend her? And I’ve asked these question for 30 years.”
In general, Means explained, this has shown that people are quick to “dismiss each other” despite what may or may not be going on in their lives.
“People come at me, even to this day, I’ll see people saying, you know, ‘Bye you dirty bitch,’ ‘You fucked up bitch,’ ‘You dumb bitch,’” she said. “Not one time, not even the mother said, ‘Hey, um, Felicia. I wonder what’s going on with her.’ Not one person.”
Later on in the discussion, which can be seen via the video up top, Means spoke on the importance of the Friday script penned by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh and noted the other underlying aspects of the story including what caused Felicia’s boyfriend Deebo to become a bully. She also said, within the world of this story, “we just kind of let Felicia fall through the cracks.”
In a separate video, seen below, Means spoke on not returning to the franchise.
In the nearly three decades since its release, fans have continued to celebrate Friday, all while rifling through stories about a possible resuming of the franchise which also includes the sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next, not to mention a 2007 animated series.
For several years now, fans have held out hope for the tentatively titled Last Friday project. The current status of the potential film remains unclear. Chris Tucker, meanwhile, looked back on his performance as Smokey in the first Friday and revealed what would be required for him to consider returning to the franchise during an IG-shared interview last November. Revisit that here.
