Watch out! Nick Cannon is all grown up and on the move.
The young actor from Drumline and Love Don’t Cost a Thing is finally getting out of high school with The Underclassman, his first adult film. Or is he? Cannon plays Tracy “Tre” Stokes, a maverick beat cop who longs to be a detective. Tre’s captain (Cheech Marin) thinks he has potential but is way too green to handle the duties. Still, when a murder occurs at an elite private high school, Tre is the only one who can go undercover and infiltrate the group of ultra-rich, hyper-smart kids under suspicion. But can the young cop curb his unorthodox ways and follow procedure? Oh, hell no!
The affable Cannon is a bit of a loose one himself as he spoke to Hollywood.com about making the film and his aspirations to become the next great entertainment mogul.
This film looked like it was a lot of fun. What made Underclassman so appealing to you?
Nick Cannon: “It was basically my creation. [Cannon is one of the film’s executive producers.] I was meeting with all these studios about cops and cop movies. But everyone was saying I was too young. So I’m like I’m going to use my youth to my advantage. I’m gonna create a story about a young cop, fresh on the force, who looks young enough to go back to high school. And that’s what they utilize him for.”
Does it ever bother you when people say you’re too young to do something?
Cannon: “It used to. But just like Tre in the movie, I use it to my advantage now. I know I don’t look like I’m about to be 25, but hey, that’s a good thing, right?”
Yes, it is. What was your favorite part about making the film?
Cannon: “Probably doing all the stunts. Most of all the stunts I did myself. That was really me on that Jet Ski, but they wouldn’t let me do the big jump. I wanted to.”
Did you crack everyone up on the set?
Cannon: “Oh, yeah. I had a good time being able to improv and ad-lib. I love to do that stuff. This was definitely the first experience I was able to just go off and do some crazy stuff.”
So is that the real you?
Cannon: “That’s pretty much me, yeah. Pretty much all the jokes in the movie are just me ad-libbing.”
Were you the class clown in high school?
Cannon: “I was always trying to make the teachers laugh and charm the teachers to get good grades. It worked, too.”
Were you into drama?
Cannon: “Nah, I wasn’t much into drama and theater. I was much more focused on my music and my comedy. I mean, I always knew I wanted to be in movies and stuff but my main focus was stand-up comedy. But stand-ups gradually turn into actors anyway.”
Then it must have been a treat to work with Cheech Marin.
Cannon: “He was amazing. Obviously, he’s a living legend when it comes to comedy. His poise and professionalism was really great.”
So, I guess acting isn’t the end all for you. What are your other aspirations?
Cannon: “I aspire to be a mogul more than anything. I want to create. Like Quincy Jones.”
What’s a dream role for you?
Cannon: “I would love to be able to play a really dark character. Somebody who’s exactly the opposite to who I am. Like a mass murderer or something, would be kinda cool.”
What are some your projects in the works?
Cannon: “I just sold a script to Will Smith‘s company called Extra Protection that I wrote. It’s a buddy action movie, pretty cool. And then I’ve got Blind Date with Adam Sandler‘s company [and] co-starring Lindsay Lohan. Interesting, setting stuff up and trying to make it all happen.”
What is it about the entertainment industry that you’ve learned so far?
Cannon: “That you have to be a self-generator. I love the writing process. If I’m not sleeping on a plane, I’m writing. It’s a way to step outside of reality, just like, sitting around writing. I like to get out 20 pages at a time. You have to make your own projects, cause if you don’t, you’d be sitting around waiting for someone else to write something for you.”
The Underclassman opens in theaters Sept. 2.
