One of the hockey fans' all-time favorite films on VHS is The Mighty Ducks. The film even inspired a real-world NHL team. Some members of the cast have some run-ins, including Jussie Smollett, who made headlines in 2019 for a faked racial attack in Chicago.
Jussie Smollett played Terry Hall (Jesse Hall's younger brother) in The Mighty Ducks. Though he was less outspoken than his older brother, he wasn't afraid to call out Gordon Bombay when he had to.
Jussie Smollett's Persistence to Succeed
Jussie has had a lifelong career in show business, having appeared in countless TV shows. However, it wasn't until 2019 that he would become a household name, but for all the wrong reasons when he faked an attack on himself, hoping that all the media attention will boost his celebrity status and potential earnings while working on the show Empire. Unfortunately, the show was inevitably attached to the drama, and real-life started to affect the show’s success.
Jussie Smollett's Chicago Incident became the biggest scandal of 2019. He even had a romantic relationship with one of his alleged attackers, Ambimbola "Abel" Osundairo.
The actor slash singer, best known for his role of Jamal Lyon on Empire, was a promising thespian and recording artist with a career that has spanned almost four decades. When he wasn't working on popular television shows, Smollett was doing everything else, from folding clothes in retail to working as a clown at children's parties.
He would find work as a child actor on The Mighty Ducks and later he would earn a reported 60.000 dollars per episode for his work on the hit Fox TV drama Empire.
Childhood
The actor was born in Santa Rosa, California. His mother, Janet, is African-American, and his father, Joel, is Jewish. Jussie has roots in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York, where his father grew up and Janet while she hails from New Orleans. The actor stated in an interview that growing up in such a diverse family was beautiful, and commenting on his African-American and Jewish heritage; he said, "We certainly didn't have an easy upbringing because we were certainly not rich people. It was hard growing up, and we worked really, really hard. But we had a wonderful, wonderful upbringing."
Jussie is one of six children whose names all begin with the letter "J": Jojo, Jacqui, Jake, Jazz, and Jurnee.
Jussie Smollett's Trajectory as a Child Actor
In the mid-90s, Jussie and all five of his siblings star in their very own ABC sitcom titled On Our Own. The program centered around a group of children who were left to be raised by their older brother after the death of their parents. The show was canceled after just one season.
At the age of two, Jussie's family relocated back to Queens, New York, and according to the actor, they returned to California five years later, setting in Los Angeles.
He moved back east in his teens graduating from Paramus Catholic High School located in New Jersey. Now Jussie decided that he wanted to act from a very young age. His first role was in the 1991 TV movie A Little Piece of Heaven. He was just nine years old at the time.
The actor later enjoyed small roles in North and Coach. Nevertheless, his most iconic role was in The Mighty Ducks.
Jussie worked a few gigs after his big success in the 90s, a common trend amongst child actors. He also had trouble with the law. In 2007 he was taken in by the Los Angeles police after a DUI stop where he gave the police a fake name. He was put on two years probation, and it seemed like things were going downhill for the actor. But that all changed in 2014.
Empire's Massive Success
The actor was cast by Lee Daniels to play Jamal Lyon on the Fox drama Empire. On the show, Jussie plays a gay singer struggling for the acceptance of his dad Lucious played by Terrence Howard. Jamal Lyon received widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences all over the world. Before landing this gig, he was working as a clown at kids' parties. He got paid 40 dollars for a 40-minute party.
After the character of Jamal was revealed as gay on the show, the public was left wondering about Jussie's sexuality as well. He later came out on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Jussie said that he knew the show would be a smash hit pretty much from the first day it aired on Fox.
Since 2015, Empire has enjoyed massive success, and his salary started at 20.000 dollars per episode but since climbed to 60.000 dollars per episode. He's also been given the opportunity to direct on the show.
Nevertheless, the actor was dissatisfied with his salary, and he was ready to do something crazy to help raise his profile. As the authorities reported publicly, Jussie "took advantage of the pain, anger, and racism to promote his career."
Did Jussie Smollett Actually Like Making 'The Mighty Ducks'?
The Mighty Ducks is getting a reboot. According to The New York Post, "The nostalgic hockey classic is being resurrected as a 10-episode TV spin-off on Disney+ starring Emilio Estevez." Jussie Smollett launched his career with The Mighty Ducks; nevertheless, "his publicist declined to answer The Post's inquiry about whether he will reprise his role in the upcoming series." Although the actor hasn't made any comments regarding this movie, there's no doubt he enjoyed the fame and the opportunities that brought him this project.