Every action movie needs a wild card, and in Takers, that would be Ghost, played by Tip T.I. Harris. Ghost is one part sinister, one part loyal and one part comic relief. And Harris said he was immediately drawn to the role because of the complexities of the character.
“On paper he was villainous and I tried to find ways to make him likeable, to make him and his circumstances more relatable. I see Ghost more as misunderstood,” says T.I., who also served as a producer on the film. “Because above all he’s a loyal character. He put the crew before himself. To find ways to convey that to the audience was a challenge.”
Harris also shared some real-life things in common with his alter ego as well. When we meet Ghost he’s leaving prison, and T.I.’s recent stint in jail ended up affecting the Takers set behind the scenes. According to the L.A. Times, the shooting schedule had to be adjusted to fit T.I.’s daily 1am curfew, he wasn’t allowed to hold any guns that fired blanks—all of his faux guns were made of rubber and one night scene had to be reshot, because Harris' ankle monitoring bracelet went off during filming.
But with his jail stint behind him, plus having put in solid movie performances in his 2006 debut ATL, and alongside Denzel Washington in 2007’s American Gangster, T.I. has set his future gaze firmly set on Hollywood.
“I want to do comedy, drama and mysteries. Any type of film that strikes my interest,” says T.I. who is currently enjoying a three-picture deal with Screen Gems (Takers was the first movie in the agreement.) “I’d love to continue to be able to work alongside prestigious actors that I can learn and grow from—as long as I can take something away from the experience.”—Ronke Idowu Reeves
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