Rush Hour 2: Everything we know about Don Cheadle's cameo in the classic action comedy sequel

Brettt Ratner's classic action comedy sequel Rush Hour 2, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. New Line Cinema released the film on August 3, 2001, and has been gaining popularity ever since.

Academy Award winning-actor and Iron Man star Don Cheadle (aka War Machine in Marvel movies) had a cameo in Rush Hour 2. He played the part of Kenny, the owner of a Chinese restaurant that also serves as a hub for gambling and other illegal activities.

During the time of production, Cheadle had reportedly told Entertainment Weekly that he wanted to be trained at par with lead star Jackie Chan for the action sequences. So, he took up intense practice sessions with Chan and prepped himself for his Rush Hour 2 cameo.

Don Cheadle had a cameo in Rush Hour 2

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Movie fanatics have seen War Machine star Don Cheadle gracing the big screen with an iconic cameo in Jackie Chan's Rush Hour 2. His appearance, well-planned as it was, turned out to be a hit and one of the many reasons why viewers enjoy the action-comedy masterpiece to date.

Don has been seen appearing as Kenny, a guy who owns a Chinese restaurant. However, dealing in food is not the only thing Kenny does - he is also Carter's informant in the underworld, even though he used to be behind bars.

However, Kenny's discordant relationship with Carter causes damage when the latter visits to his restaurant with Lee (Jackie Chan). A heated argument results in a fight where the fans witness Cheadle putting up an equal match against Jackie Chan (known for his unique martial arts moves).

Don Cheadle on his cameo in Rush Hour 2

Don Cheadle, before Rush Hour 2 went into production, reportedly told Entertainment Weekly:

"I will fight Jackie Chan to a draw."

He further added:

"We went to Jackie's place, and Jackie speaks very little English, and he's like, 'Okay, let's go. We fight fast. And he started going so hard. I was like, 'Yo, this is a movie, bro.' I'm glad I didn't get my jaw broken."

The actor wanted to take up physical training with lead star Jackie Chan to make his action cameo look more real. Cheadle suffered some minor injuries during the training but pulled off most of it perfectly, as we have already seen in Rush Hour 2.

Don Cheadle's Kenny has been an inspiration for rapper Kendrick Lamar

Don Cheadle's role in Rush Hour 2 still resonates not only among the common crowd but also with celebrities like Kendrick Lamar, who has taken up the nickname "Kung Fu Kenny" out of his love for 'Kenny'.

The star has also talked about being a part of Kendrick's official music video DNA. Cheadle reportedly mentioned in a statement to Pitchfork:

"I didn’t even know that I was the Kung Fu Kenny model. I didn’t know that until the next day.He was like, ‘Duh!’ He texted me like, ‘Dude are you serious? You didn’t know that?’ I totally forgot about that. I’ve been working too long, I didn’t even remember that."