Wu-Tang’s RZA Takes on Fourth Film With Action Thriller ‘One Spoon of Chocolate’

The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA sits in the director's seat again. His fourth feature film, One Spoon of Chocolate, marks another shift from producing beats to directing scenes.

"I honestly feel like I have arrived. When I was making this one, I just felt my rhythm, my use of my days, there was not a lot of overtime days. My planning was better. Everything about me I think as a filmmaker, has evolved," RZA expressed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

His new action-packed revenge thriller comes after his debut with The Man with the Iron Fists, which mixed stars Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista, and Lucy Lu on screen. At first, RZA wasn't sure he could direct. The doubt crept in.

However, his years of screen time taught him tricks. He acted in big films like American Gangster back in 2007, then G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013, and Nobody in 2021. TV shows called too, with spots in the fifth season of Californication.

"I feel like I've been through a great process. I had great chances. I've been lucky, of course. I had my first film, The Man with the Iron Fists, star Russell Crowe, Lucy Lu. I mean, how many people get that kind of luck and blessings?" he questioned, as he recalled his early days directing.

"But I kept going, kept striving to develop myself as a serious filmmaker. I feel good now. I'm not nervous of it. It's like, give me the mic, I'm gonna sing," he continued.

Music made him famous first. Wu-Tang changed rap forever. Those skills in picking talent, mixing sounds, and crafting stories — they all fit film work. So, the career switch made sense.

After 2012's The Man with the Iron Fists came Love Beats Rhymes in 2017. This music drama, featuring Azealia Banks and Jill Scott in lead roles, had a completely different beat. Each shot, each scene added to RZA's know-how.

Now he moves with more skill behind the lens. The old fears fade as new projects roll in. Like mixing tracks in the studio, he puts the pieces together.

When asked about the reality of all the fighting seen in the One Spoon of Chocolate movie, he answered, "To be quite frank, the first goal of the movie is to entertain you and make you feel something. I hope I've achieved this. You're going to not want to turn your head away. You're going to root for this guy."

Film by film, scene by scene, his craft grows stronger. Yet it took years to match the confidence he had in music.