Jack Harlow Admits Acting Is ‘Harder’ Than He Thought Following ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ Debut Role

Jack Harlow figured he’d have a smooth transition from rapper to actor, but his Hollywood career got off to a rockier start than he anticipated.

Harlow reflected on his role in the 2023 White Men Can’t Jump reboot in a candid interview with Variety on Thursday (Aug. 1) and the “First Class” rhymer didn’t hold back in his assessment of his acting debut.

“S–t got killed,” he admitted of his first performance and critics seemed to agree of the panned reboot of the 1992 classic.

Missionary Jack knows he’s got to make way more of a commitment to his craft if he wants to seem improvements in his on-screen ability.

“I learned I’ve got a lot more work to do,” he added. “I’ve got to get better if I really want to do it. It’s tough. It’s harder than I thought.”

Harlow continued: “It’s either you do it or you don’t. It felt like White Boys was the type of opportunity you take, and then you learn from how it goes. It’s interesting, all the best actors, they know how to let go of control. You can’t control so much of it.”

The Louisville native will get a second crack at Hollywood with his role in The Instigators, which will be released on AppleTV+ on Aug. 9.

The thrilling crime flick finds Harlow playing an angry character — something atypical for his usual temperament — and acting alongside legends like Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in the Boston-based heist movie.

“I felt privileged to be surrounded by that level of talent so early in my career,” he said. “How did I get over here? I’ve got an angry character. I’m not very angry in general, so to reach for that was nice.”

Jack Harlow has laid low on the music side this year as he hasn’t released any singles in 2024. Watch The Instigators trailer below.