Luke Cage, the latest Marvel and Netflix collaboration, features cameos from hip hop, soul and R&B stars like Method Man, The Delfonics and Faith Evans. But there’s one musician that showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker wanted more than any other to appear on the show – Prince.
Coker hoped to try convince Prince to star in series finale by including a prop inspired by one of the late singer’s idiosyncrasies.
One of the show’s reoccurring motifs is a swear jar that is used in Pop’s barber shop, an object that comes to hold some sentimental weight for Luke in later episodes.
On Twitter, Coker revealed that the swear jar was written in entirely with Prince in mind.
The "Swear Jar" was for Prince. I was going to show him the first two episodes and convince him to play in episode 13.
— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) October 5, 2016
Prince, a devout Jehovah’s Witness, was known to charge guests up to $20 for breaking his no swearing rule inside his Paisley Park compound.
Unfortunately, Coker never got a chance to show Prince the series.
Among the other musical guests that appear on Luke Cage are Charles Bradley, Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, d-Nice and Jidenna.