Currently wowing UK crowds with his hilarious routine is US funnyman Chris Rock. The award-winning comedian has earned critical acclaim thanks to his successful comedy shows, Bigger and Blacker and Never Scared, as well as his TV sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. He’s also starred in films including Head of State and The Longest Yard. He speared time to chat to Davina Morris about family, fatherhood and fights and Eddie Murphy’s house…

Did you always dream of being famous?

I really didn`t dream this big. I only dreamt of moving out of my old neighbourhood, and living somewhere nice enough that I could order food and they would deliver it to my house. That was pretty much it. In the ghetto, they don`t deliver food to your house.

Do you think you’d ever give up stand-up to focus on films?

I give up stand up every few years, in which time I do movies, then go back to stand up. Its not that it’s all the same, but its all comedy. And I`m not gonna give up comedy. But I have kids now, so I don`t wanna be on the road as much as I used to be. That said, I`m gonna be on the road quite a bit this year! But that`s with the hope of not having to do it again for a very long time!

Are you a strict dad?

Not really. They’re 5 and 3 so they`re still young– and they`re girls. My oldest girl has definitely done a couple of things that, had she been a boy, I would have probably popped her upside her head. But she`s a girl, so I can`t do that!”

Do your daughters know that you’re famous?

They`re very young, so I don`t know if they know I`m famous. They realise that their daddy`s not like the other daddies. But they definitely don`t know that some bad will come with that too. Right now, they`re just like, `Hey, we`re going to Disneyland and we don`t have to wait in line!`

To what extent is Everybody Hates Chris based on your own childhood?

It started off being about me and my childhood, but it ends up just being a good show. It used to be based on my life but you get to a point where you just don`t have any more stories!

Are you received the same way by black audiences, compared to non-black audiences?

Pretty much. I always say that the jokes may play differently, but the show stays the same. I go to parts of America where there are no blacks or whites in the audience. It`ll be all Hispanics and it`ll be a great show!

It’s been stated that you’re an Eddie Murphy fan. Is that true?

Oh yeah, I`m a huge Eddie Murphy fan.

Do you think he’s still got what it takes to be a great stand-up comedian?

Yeah, I think he`d be great at it. People see Eddie Murphy now, but they forget about the Eddie Murphy back in the day; in the leather suits with the bodyguards– the Elvis-like figure that he was. And even now, he’s still hilarious. I go to his house to watch big fights sometimes, and you might have Keenan [Wayans] and Cedric [the Entertainer] there as well, and Eddie will still be funnier than everybody.

Do you have any thoughts on Eddie claiming he wasn’t the father of Mel B’s baby?

Nope, no thoughts on that. I met Mel– she was a nice girl. We all watched the fight one night, we had a nice meal– it was a good night! Too bad it didn`t work out– I have no beef with either of them.

If you were in a high profile scandal, would you joke about it on stage?

If I was in a high profile scandal, which I hope not to be, I guess I would have to joke about it. I would either joke about it or not be on stage. I mean, wouldn`t it be let down if you came to see me and I was in the middle of the Chris Rock and Janet Jackson scandal, and I didn`t mention it?

Words by Davina Morris

www.davinamorris.com

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