- THE WHOLE NINE YARDS (2000): From the heard-this-already department: it was Willis, while working on the action-thriller ARMAGEDDON, who decided to make the push on Michael Clarke Duncan's behalf, when he heard that director Frank Darabont was having trouble casting the role of John Coffey for THE GREEN MILE. Thanks to him, Duncan is now part of Oscar lore and movie history.
- THE GREEN MILE (1999): In actuality, the difference in height between David Morse and Michael Clarke Duncan is less than one inch. Among other things, creative camera angles were used to create the illusion that the character of John Coffey towered over Brutal Howell.
- When he was young, he wanted to be a quarterback for the Chicago Bears
- Resisted drugs and alchohol
- Dropped out of college to take care of his mother who was diagnosed with lupus
- Beat up by his sister when younger
- His sister is an AT&T representative
- Played B-ball for Alcorn State University in Mississippi
- Good friends with the Rock, Bruce Willis and Mark Henry
- Dropped out of highschool
- Hates being called Ving Rhames
- Used to dig ditches for a oil company
- Used to live off Chicken McNuggets every day when he hit rock bottom
- Mother of his only child
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at Academy Awards for THE GREEN MILE (2000)
- Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture at Golden Globe Awards for THE GREEN MILE (2000)
- Nominated for Breakthrough Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for THE GREEN MILE (2000)
- Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for THE GREEN MILE (2000)
- Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at Screen Actors Guild Awards for THE GREEN MILE (2000)
Quotes- "Tom [Hank]'s the type of guy who helps you out a lot. A lot of my crying scenes were with Tom. He would give you so much off camera and involve my emotions and energy very easily. It was real cool to work with Tom. He was very easy to work with."
Awards- Black Reel Awards: Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor for, GREEN MILE (2000)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Supporting Actor, THE GREEN MILE (2000)
- Saturn Award: Best Supporting Actor, THE GREEN MILE (2000)
- ShoWest Award: Male Star of Tomorrow (2000)
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