NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2000 — Chris Rock is the one of the hottest young stand-up comedians in Hollywood today.
Since graduating from a three-year stint on “Saturday Night Live,” Rock has appeared in numerous films, including the urban cult hit “New Jack City,” “Dogma” and “Lethal Weapon 4.” He’s provided the outrageous voice of the hamster in “Doctor Dolittle” and will lend his voice to the Farrelly brothers’ “Osmosis Jones.”
Hollywood.com met the tall, debonair comic at the Regency Hotel, and he applied his wicked sense of humor to every topic mentioned — his career, his wife and his latest film, “Nurse Betty.”
Why did you want this role?
Chris Rock: Great script, great director and great co-star. It’s all there. So why can’t I be in it? That’s the way I looked at it. Normally I wouldn’t be in this. Plus, when you’re hot — [knocks on wooden table] Thank God! — if you’re smart, you do the things that they don’t normally let you do. You know what I mean? I can do a buddy cop movie when I’m cold. [Laughs] A movie with Morgan Freeman, they’re not going to let me do that when I’m cold. And I will cool down. Hey, Michael Jackson cooled down. Everybody cools down.
Did you suppress the urge to be funny?
Rock: A lot of times the urge to be funny, like big over the top, happens because there is nothing in the script. When I did “Lethal Weapon,” the director would say, “Could you just give me something right here?” because we didn’t have anything. … But with this movie, we didn’t have that problem. It was more important to me to be a believable hit man than to be funny in this movie.
What did you do? How did you research it?
Rock: I killed people. I went on a massive killing spree.
We heard you smacked the glasses off Greg Kinnear.
Rock: Yeah, I don’t like Greg. He’s a little smug, if you ask me.
Well, did you make friends with Renée?
Rock: Me and Renée are real cool. We laugh and laugh. She’s a silly girl, and I’m a silly guy. She’s always teasing me — “My boyfriend [Jim Carrey] is funnier than you.” He is funnier, so what I can say?
Did you know that Morgan Freeman was a little concerned about his co-star and whether he had the right acting chops?
Rock: Oh, I’m sure. I’m sure I got this part because Don Cheadle was busy. I have no illusions that they thought of me first. I’m not crazy.
Or Wesley Snipes was doing something else?
Rock: Not a big enough part for Wesley Snipes. Who else? Taye Diggs? What’s the guy from “Menace II Society?” Larenz Tate would have been great in this part! Larenz Tate is going to be pissed when he sees this.
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I watched your show the other night, and you did this comedy routine where you were really taking Halle Berry’s driving to task. What are you going to do when you run into her?
Rock: [Laughs] I know I’m going to see her. I know we’re both nominated for Emmys and we both did things for HBO so we’ll both see each other.
Why did you decide to be a comic?
Rock: I do nothing else well. I have no other talents. I like doing it. They pay you and you can wake up when you want. When I did nothing but stand-up, I’d get up at 11 o’clock or my first phone call, whatever came first. What’s better than that? Can you conceive of a better life?
Getting back to this movie, were you surprised that Neil LaBute wanted to do a comedy?
Rock: I didn’t think we had to change that much in the script. If you told me he was doing a Farrelly brothers script, I would have said “Hmmm! Let’s pull back here.” The emotion and the performances carry the movie, not the comedy. You’re not sitting there waiting for the next bit.
Is your wife in the business?
Rock: No, my wife runs a nonprofit organization — does makeovers for homeless women. Hey, I’m a busy guy! I’m just writing the checks.
Is it a plus not to have a spouse in the business?
Rock: Yeah, I can’t work with them. I don’t want to talk about the business. The only time I want to talk about the business is with other professionals, you know? Do you want to talk about writing with nonwriters? I want to talk about the business with Adam Sandler or Eddie or whatever. Is that bad? You wouldn’t tell me anyway.
Any comments on the Emmy snafu?
Rock: Mistakes never work in your favor. They’re always against you. And they could. My name could have been the only name on the ballot. Never works out that way. They always overbill you.
— Veronica Mixon
