Utkarsh Ambudkar Talks ‘There She Goes,’ More w/O’Shea Jackson Jr

Utkarsh Ambudkar came on with O'Shea Jackson Jr. to promote his new movie, and the conversation only briefly cooperated. Ambudkar was there for There She Goes, a romantic comedy premiering that night on Fox, a throwback to the 1990s rom-com era starring Rachel Leigh Cook, his friend of more than 20 years. The two built it from the ground up, commissioning a script and producing it together, loosely based on Cook's real life. The setup: high school sweethearts split the night before prom when she lands a movie and goes Hollywood, only to return 25 years later for her parents' anniversary, sparks included.

He also talked up Ghosts, his series heading into a sixth season, where he plays the supportive husband who cannot see the spirits his wife can. He noted the show's bizarre running gag of constant references to Altoona, the hometown of co-creator Joe Port, a detail that delighted the room.

But the heart of the visit was a friendship and a shared obsession. Ambudkar and Jackson are connected through Ice Cube, with whom Ambudkar appeared in Ride Along 2 and Barbershop: The Next Cut. The best story he told was that Cube, weeks into filming Barbershop, did not remember they had shared an entire scene in Ride Along 2. The redemption came later, in the form of the only framed autograph in Ambudkar's house: a note from Cube reading, "Hey man, you're super funny. Glad we gave you a chance." His wife, Naomi, suggested he did not need to bring that up to the man's own son. He did anyway, because he says he owes Cube a lot.

Then Ambudkar got to the thing he actually wanted to discuss, telling the show plainly that he would rather talk about his cards than the movie. He came prepared, pulling out a collection so valuable that the running joke became a warning not to mug him on the way out. The highlights were staggering: a Wembanyama gold Panini one-of-one graded PSA 10, the only two Shaq and Kobe Nebula one-of-ones in existence, both of which he owns, a Steph Curry signed piece, and a card carrying both Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant autographs. He admitted he even tried to buy Jackson's own Star Wars red autograph card on eBay and got outbid. His prized possession, though, was the goofiest of all and he knew it: a one-of-eight Jean-Claude Van Damme auto, because he loves collecting people he loves and would happily revive Double Team if Van Damme ever called.

The other clip-worthy moment came when Ambudkar, a devoted Washington Wizards fan, laid out his roster plan. Washington landed the number one pick, and in his view the time has come to move Anthony Davis. He was careful to profess his love for AD, but the math is brutal: roughly 45 healthy games a year, plus some comments about money in DC that have not gone over well. If he could flip Davis for three first-rounders and a top-10 pick, Ambudkar said, he would have to do it, shipping him to Memphis. After all, he argued, the Wizards are where legends go to fall apart, from Bernard King to Michael Jordan to Russell Westbrook, and every Wizard seems to end up in Memphis eventually. It is also why, he confessed, he only collects Jordan cards from his Wizards years, never the Bulls.

Ambudkar kept the basketball talk going with a free scouting report for Victor Wembanyama, who he wanted to win that night's game six over the Thunder. Wembanyama gets tired, Ambudkar observed, and keeps throwing up gazelle floaters at the rim assuming he can grab his own miss. His advice was simpler: stop on a dime and shoot the 15-footer, because Isaiah Hartenstein cannot guard that, and conserve the energy.

Jackson, for his part, explained the new portrait hanging behind the desk, the one of himself. He has been a guest on the show more than any other celebrity, he pointed out, and there was no picture of him anywhere, so he simply brought one and hung it up. As for the card-collecting fanaticism, Ambudkar owned it completely. He came to the right place, he said, somewhere he could skip the press questions, talk basketball cards, and find a kindred spirit. There She Goes airs tonight, he reminded everyone. The cards, clearly, are forever.