Jack Black has weighed in on the future of Tenacious D after his band partner, Kyle Gass, made a controversial remark about Donald Trump’s attempted assassination in July, which prompted Black to cancel the duo’s latest tour.
“We need to take a break. Everybody needs a break sometime,” Black told Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the “Borderlands” premiere on Tuesday night. “And we’ll be back.”
Asked if he’s talked to Gass since the tour’s cancellation, Black replied, “Yeah, we’re friends. That hasn’t changed. These things take time sometimes… And we’ll be back when it feels right.”
Black also showed off the titular magical guitar pick from the 2006 comedy film “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.”
“Look what I wore today: I wore the Pick of Destiny,” Black said on the carpet. “I love Tenacious D. It’s probably my favorite job, if you can call it that. It’s a work of art, it’s my baby.”
Last month, Black announced on social media that he was canceling Tenacious D‘s current tour amid blowback against Gass, who made a controversial comment at the band’s concert in Australia related to the assassination attempt on Trump.
Tenacious D was performing at the ICC Sydney Theatre on July 14, the day after the Trump rally shooting in Butler, Pa., where the former president was struck in the ear by a bullet. At the Australia show, Black presented a cake to Gass on stage to celebrate the latter’s 64th birthday. When Black asked Gass to make a wish, Gass responded: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Black said in a statement at the time. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.”
“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold,” Black added. “I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
On the horizon, Black stars alongside Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis in the sci-fi action comedy film “Borderlands.” Black voices Claptrap, a general purpose robot featured in the role-playing game series that the movie is based on.
“It feels like it was meant to be, in the stars, in the galaxy, in the universe,” Black said of being a part of the “Borderlands” movie. “I do often think about the multiverse — how, like, there’s an infinite amount of different realities, and how lucky I am to be in this reality. This is the best Jack Black reality.”
“Borderlands” hits theaters Friday.
From Variety US