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Nick Cannon Knew Spike Lee's Film Would Upset People

The Chi-Raq actor discusses the movie's social-media backlash.

Nick Cannon and Teyonah Parris play the couple at the center of Chi-Raq — Cannon is a gang leader at least partly responsible for the violence in his neighborhood, Parris is his girl who comes up with the plan to withhold sex until he puts down his gun. For both the actors, it was their first time working with Spike Lee.
We sat down with the pair to ask them what it was like working with the intense director, and of course to address Twitter's reaction to the film, which hasn't exactly been kind.
"That's what social media is all about. You're going to have passionate people with polarizing opinions," says Cannon, who knows a thing or two about Twitter fingers. "There's never a mediocre opinion on social media."
He continues to say that the controversy is part of what drew him to the film. "That's the brilliance of Spike Lee," he says. "Name me one film that he's done that people weren't talking about. It's amazing, and I'm proud to be a part of it."
Watch our interview with the talented actors above, and click here for our sit down with Wesley Snipes and John Cusack, who also star. Chi-Raq hits theaters on December 4.

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(Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

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