The Cast of 'Mo’ Better Blues': Where Are They Now?
We're looking back on the film 33 years later.
1 / 10
Mo' Better Blues (1990) - Twenty-seven years ago today, Spike Lee released another classic film about love and jazz, and it instantly became a favorite that stood the test of time. Starring the likes of Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, Diahann Carroll, Samuel L. Jackson and more, the talent on the set was unmatched. With so much time passing since its release, the stars have done so much with their careers. Click on to see where they are today.(Photo: Universal Pictures / 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks)
2 / 10
Denzel Washington - Playing the lead role in a Spike Lee joint is no easy tax, but Denzel Washington played the role of Bleek like a pro. Since then, he went on to star in a slew of other films, with his performance in Training Day earning him an Oscar. Most recently, Washington starred in The Tragedy of McBeth and he is currently in production for the third installment of The Equalizer franchise. (Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
3 / 10
Spike Lee - Lee wrote and directed Mo Better Blues, and played the role of Giant, one of Denzel Washington’s character’s childhood friends. Since the film, he has added several more iconic projects to his filmography including Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Bamboozled, She's Gotta Have It, Inside Man and Chi-Raq. Additionally, 2018’s BlacKkKlansman earned an Oscar in 2019 for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is currently in production for Da Understudy, which is set to star Jonathan Majors. (Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
4 / 10
Wesley Snipes - He played the smooth saxophone player Shadow in the 1990 film. Afterwards, the actor changed gears to action in the 1998 film Blade and returned as his signature character in Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004). He has started in numerous films over the years, including Coming 2 America, which was released in 2021. He is currently in production for the financial drama Paper Empire. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
5 / 10
Joie Lee - Spike cast his real-life sister Joie in the film to play Denzel’s character’s girlfriend Indigo Downes. Since them, she has continued to collaborate with her brother. From 2017 to 2019, she was an actress and writer on the Netflix reboot of She's Gotta Have It. This year, she had a role in Amazon Prime's Harlem. (Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 10
Cynda Williams - Cynda's career was pretty short-lived, with the only major projects she worked in being Blues and the 1992 film One False Move. Aside from acting, she also took a brief stab at a music career in 1990, appearing on the soundtrack for the film on a song "Harlem Blues." She was scheduled to release her own album shortly after, but it was ultimately shelved. (Photo: Ryan Miller/Getty Images)
7 / 10
Giancarlo Esposito - His character Left Hand Lacey was a a tardy pianist who worked closely with Shadow. Since the film, Giancarlo Esposito went on to make a name for himself in Hollywood thanks in part to his role in Breaking Bad from 2017 to 2019. While Esposito has several projects in the works, he currently can be seen in Godfather of Harlem as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
8 / 10
Bill Nunn - After playing Bottom Hammer in the film, Nunn went on to star in several films, including Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, Idlewild, A Raisin in the Sun and Won't Back Down. Most recently, he played Cash in the short-lived TV series Sirens. He passed away in 2016 at 62 years old. Rest in power, king. (Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for : Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
9 / 10
Charlie Murphy - Eddie Murphy's big bro had a number of credits to his name before he played Eggy in Blues, but he's best known for his work on Chappelle's Show, where he poked fun at his lifestyle as part of his famous brother's entourage. He also starred in several blockbuster films and TV series, including Lottery Ticket, Black Dynamite, Black Jesus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Meet the Blacks. Tragically, Murphy passed away on April 12th, 2017 after losing his battle with leukemia. (Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET Networks)