Vanilla Ice is mourning the loss of his late co-star Chuck Norris, who passed away at the age of 86 on March 19.
The 58-year-old rapper, singer and actor, who was born Robert Van Winkle, teamed up with Norris for the forthcoming comedy-action film “Zombie Plane.”
During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, the “Ice Ice Baby” hitmaker recalled working with Norris on what would become the action icon’s final movie.
“What a legend,” he said. “And you know to have him at 86 years old be in the movie with us and full on there, man, like just would still kick our a–!”
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“He’s America’s bada–,” Vanilla Ice continued. “We all knew that his wasn’t just Hollywood fluff. He was real. This guy could really put a foot of whip a– on you and send you down, man, some kind of scissor kick or something, and you’d never see it coming. And he was always in great shape.”
“I mean this guy was just — if you want to pattern yourself after someone’s life, this dude is awesome, man,” he added. “He’s definitely one of the true American heroes out there and one of mine for sure.”
Vanilla Ice shared how he initially reacted to the news of Chuck Norris’ death, noting that it immediately brought a wave of memories.
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“I found out about Chuck’s passing today, man, and it was just a sad moment,” he said. “The guy was a legend. But, wow, you know, anytime a legend goes like that, you instantly think back to all the movies. The first one is obviously his most famous one, ‘The Way of the Dragon’ with Bruce Lee. You can go all the way through the ’80s, with ‘Delta Force,’ too, I don’t know, ‘Expendables.’”
“I guess the last film he did was with me, which hasn’t even been released yet,” he continued. “And that definitely hit me home. So I’ve already talked to most of the people that are on the production and our hearts all dropped because he was such a sweetheart, such an awesome dude and a legend.”
“All of us were super excited to have him in this film,” Vanilla Ice added.
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The Grammy Award nominee recalled his final conversation with Norris, describing how the former karate champion expressed his excitement about filming “Zombie Plane” and how he was especially enthusiastic about the film’s action elements.
“Oh man, we were joking because we made a comedy, you know, it’s a zombie plane, so to all the zombie fans out there, there’s quite a few of them — Chuck Norris is now a member of the zombie family, and it’s amazing,” he said with a smile.
Vanilla Ice remembered telling Norris about “Zombie Plane” during a FaceTime call while the “Jump Around” singer was already filming the movie in Australia.
“I was explaining it to him, and we showed him some clips, and he’s like, ‘Oh heck yeah, that is awesome,'” Vanilla Ice recalled. “Because there’s a lot of whoop a– in there, and he loves that stuff, I mean, why wouldn’t he? But action is his thing and this was a perfect action movie and for him to be in there is just such a huge honor for all of us, man. Even the production and everybody, man, not just me, but you know, to have somebody like that, a legend in there, it’s just poof.”
Vanilla Ice told Fox News Digital that he was thrilled when he first learned that Norris was joining the cast of “Zombie Plane.”
“When I found out that he was gonna be on board — I mean I got excited right then and there,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Whoa, wait a minute really, did I hear that right? Don’t tease me on that because that’s one of my American heroes right there for sure.’ And what an honor and a big wow and that’s where I was at on that.”
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“And I’ve seen his part, and it’s amazing,” Vanilla Ice continued. “I mean the guy has it. He’s all there, and he really crushed it in this role.”
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While speaking with Fox News Digital, Vanilla Ice recalled that he was starstruck when he first met Norris years ago at a Hollywood event, sharing that he had idolized the action star when he was growing up.
“I had to kind of geek myself over to him because I’m such a fan,” Vanilla Ice said. “I didn’t even know if he knew who I was, but he did. But he was much cooler to me, you know what I’m saying, and he was super nice and just shook my hand and what a great dude, man.”
He continued, “And you know, you feel intimidated a little bit when you’re next to someone like that, because you remember as a kid, even before I was born, he was making movies, but all the way through.”
“I mean, he’s got tons of movies, and as a kid like me, who is into motocrossing and jumping skateboards and bicycles and always coming home to mom and bloody or muddy or stitches — this guy was our hero,” he added.
“We had Evel Knievel, Chuck Norris, we had Bruce Lee, he was an American hero too. But you know what I’m saying, Chuck Norris was the man. And to fit so many different roles so perfect, they all kind of fit around him and just, it was him. It was always him.”
A plot synopsis for “Zombie Plane,” which is slated for theatrical release in 2027, reads: “When a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles is overrun by zombies, an eclectic band of passengers – led by celebrities-turned-secret agents – must unite to save humanity.” In the action comedy, both Norris and Vanilla Ice play fictionalized versions of themselves — elite operatives known as Agent Chuck Norris and Agent Vanilla Ice.
The film also features a large ensemble cast, including Sophie Monk, Ice-T, Brian Austin Green and Cody Simpson, along with a range of celebrity cameos.
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Vanilla Ice recalled that he was so eager to see Norris in the film that he pleaded with a producer to send him some unedited clips of his performance.
“‘Don’t be one of those guys that says you got to wait till it’s finished. Let me see something, man. This is Chuck Norris,'” Vanilla Ice remembered telling the producer.
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“And he did, and he sent me these clips and different clips of him doing it and, oh, what a pro man!” Vanilla Ice said with a laugh. “For me to see him doing this and being a part of this movie is awesome.”
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“And I think people are gonna love this as zombie people,” he continued. “It’s a hilarious movie. Quite a few cameos in this movie too. And it’s just awesome, top to bottom. And I wish that it wasn’t his last movie. I wish he had many, many more. But I mean, you know, hey, I’ll take it right now for 86. I will take a contract. I mean that’s a good life.”
Reflecting on Norris’ life and lasting legacy, Vanilla Ice said, “It’s sad to see him go, man. But let’s remember him through his movies and through what we know through pop culture. And he’s a humongous part of American pop culture, of the world, you know? But he’s close to our hearts here.”
“Everybody’s mourning a legend today and he will definitely not be forgotten, man,” he added. “That guy has laid a mark and made his mark on this Earth.”
