- - Antwon Tanner Says Young “Coach Carter ”Actors“ ”Were Actually 'Drunk' in Party Scene —and Samuel L. Jackson Was 'Mad as Hell'

Angela AndaloroJanuary 18, 2026 at 4:00 AM

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Robert Ri'chard (left) and Samuel L. Jackson in 'Coach Carter' -

Coach Carter told the story of one coach's impact on a team, based on the true story of coach Ken Carter

Antwon Tanner recalled an epic party scene from the film and how the actors upped the ante on set

Robert Ri'chard also recently opened up about the same scene, admitting that Samuel L. Jackson, who played Carter, wasn't thrilled with the young actors' decision

One of Coach Carter's most unforgettable scenes blended fiction and reality.

The pool party scene from the 2005 sports drama, where Richmond High School's basketball team, the Oilers, celebrate after winning their holiday tournament, featured actors who were actually embibing on set, according to several of the film's stars.

In an interview on the Taboo's Comics and Kicks podcast, Antwon Tanner recalled the cast partying for real on the set, admitting that the young actors got a little carried away — much to the disapproval of Samuel L. Jackson.

"Hilarious. Man, that was so much fun," he said, noting that a lot of the scene wasn't supposed to happen the way it did, but they were all "drunk."

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Tanner, 50, revealed that he brought his very own alcoholic concoction — which he calls "the coochie juice," featuring a blend of Hennessy, Hpnotiq, and other alcohol — to set, and several of the cast members and extras all partook.

"We was walking around, passing out these little cups... to the girls that were in the scene," he recalled. "Everybody was drunk. So we wasn't getting nothing done like we were supposed to."

However, when Jackson, who Tanner noted is a "perfectionist," showed up, he wasn't pleased.

"So Sam, when he came to set, s--- gotta go right now, like it's supposed to go. But we all faded," he laughed, mimicking their drunken behavior.

"He was like, 'What the hell is going on,'" Tanner recalled, adding, "He was mad as hell." — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Tanner admitted that he, Rick Gonzalez, Rob Brown and Robert Ri'chard were the "mischievous kids."

The One Tree Hill star said that he even dozed off briefly while filming the aftermath bus scene. "I was faded. I was done on the bus. I actually had fell asleep and woke up in one of the scenes. My eyes were hella red and I was drunk as hell that night."

Ri'chard touched on the same scene when he appeared on Byron Scott’s FastBreak in 2024.

"The producers are still mad at all of us, to this day, for that scene, because we didn't fake any of that s---," he laughed.

"We were at some mega mansion house. They had a yacht that was in the garage and we were drinking in the yacht. And Sam wasn't there yet."

He recalled how the actors were told explicitly not to get into the pool, but did so anyway.

Kevin Winter/Getty (L to R) Actors Robert Ri'chard, Texas Battle, director Thomas Carter, actors Nana Gbewonyo, Antwon Tanner, Ashanti, Rob Brown, Rick Gonzalez, Denise Dowse and Samuel L. Jackson pose at the premiere of Paramounts' "Coach Carter" in 2005.

"They specifically said, 'Do not go in the pool. We don't have a permit for the pool,'" he shared. "So Channing [Tatum] and I took all our clothes off on camera and jumped in... and then we got all the girls in the pool, and they were pissed. Then when Sam got there, they told on us."

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 16th Annual African-American Film Critics Awards in Los Angeles in February, Ri'chard, 43, revealed that he has never watched any of the TV shows or movies he starred in back in the day.

"I've never seen anything that I've done," he admitted. "I've never seen Coach Carter, not Cousin Skeeter, not One on One."

Explaining why, he added, "I'm just in it for the love. Yeah. The fact that I get from people saying, 'I watch your show. Popcorn, the theater, chocolate, the television, the lights off.' I just love the fact that people enjoy my work."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”