BEST PART EVER
Actor-comedian who is always striving for greatness lands turn as a crime lord in ‘Fargo’
“My casting isn’t as weird as it seems if you really watch ‘Fargo.’ Key and Peele are in the first season, and Brad Garrett’s amazing in season two. Hey, it’s my turn, OK? I want to work on good stuff. Everything I’ve done hasn’t been great, but I was always striving for greatness.” — Chris Rock
Chris Rock wasn’t sure if he was hiding out or not. On the Friday before Labor Day, he was speaking from Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he’d gone to spend time with Dave Chappelle, his friend and fellow comedian. Rock had traveled there in July to perform for a small, socially distanced audience as part of an outdoor comedy series Chappelle has been hosting. But Rock couldn’t decide if this return visit was meant to be clandestine. “I don’t know if it’s a secret,” he said quietly. “Maybe it is out here.” He couldn’t easily find the words to describe what he’d been doing just before this trip, either. “I mean, I guess I’ve been acting,” he said. After a short pause, he added, at a more assuredly Rock-like volume: “In a pandemic.”
In August, Rock had gone to Chicago to finish filming the fourth season of “Fargo,” the FX crime drama, which debuts Sunday. The show’s creator, Noah Hawley, had chosen him to star in its latest storyline, set in the dapper gangland of 1950s Kansas City, Missouri, and which casts Rock — the indefatigable standup and comic actor — as a mannered, methodical crime lord named Loy Cannon.
When the pandemic struck, production on “Fargo” was halted in March. Rock was summoned back to the set, first to spend a week in quarantine and then to complete his acting work under new protocols and not a little bit of stress.
Other prominent projects of his have also been pushed back, including his starring role in “Spiral,” a reboot of the “Saw” horror series. But Rock wasn’t mourning the delay of any professional gratification, having spent the spring and summer realigning his values for the new reality of pandemic life. “Maybe for like a day or two, I was like, ‘Oh, me,’ ” he said with an exaggerated whimper. “But honestly, it was more like, ‘I’ve got to get to my kids and make sure my family is safe.’ ”
These are edited excerpts from that conversation with Rock.
Q: Was there a time when you thought this “Fargo” season was never going to get finished?
A: I’ve had weird little things in my career — I was supposed to do this Bob Altman movie, “Hands on a Hard Body.” We were on the phone a lot, going over my character, and I was so excited about doing the movie. And he died. I was supposed to be Jimmy Olsen in “Superman” with Nic Cage (“Superman Lives,” which was canceled in the late 1990s). I remember going to Warner
Bros., doing a costume fitting. Hanging out with Tim (Burton), who I idolized. Like, I’m hanging out with the guy that made “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” and he’s showing me the models of the sets for “Superman.” So, yeah, I definitely thought there’s a chance this might not happen. Fortunately for everyone involved, that was not the case.
Q: How did Noah Hawley approach you about “Fargo”?
A: It was a weird day because it was the day of the Emmy nominations, and I didn’t get nominated for my last special (“Tamborine”). I wouldn’t say I was down down, but I was a little disappointed, and then I got a call from my agent that Noah Hawley wanted to meet with me.
I get acting offers, but I get more hosting offers than anything. It is not uncommon for somebody to want me to do a high-priced wedding or bar mitzvah; a few years ago, I officiated the wedding of Daniel Ek, the owner of Spotify, and Bruno Mars was the wedding band. I think I sat next to (Mark) Zuckerberg at the reception. (Laughs.) I just assumed Noah had some crazy request like that. The only reason I went is because I love “Fargo.” And I get there, and he offers me this part.
Q: How did he explain the character of Loy Cannon to you?
A: He said 1950s gangster, so I know exactly who he’s talking about. My father was born in 1933. It’s not like “12 Years a Slave.” It’s literally a guy my grandfather’s age.
Q: Is he different from characters you’ve played before, because he’s older and we don’t know how much longer he’s going to be sitting on his throne?
A: It’s one of those jobs: Because of how well it pays, you could be killed at any moment. It is the best part I’ve ever, ever, ever had. I hope it’s not the best part I ever have. Hey, Morgan Freeman’s done a hundred movies since “Shawshank Redemption.” But that’s the best part he ever had.
Q: Are you thinking differently about your acting career and where you hope to go with it?
A: My casting isn’t as weird as it seems if you really watch “Fargo.” Key and Peele are in the first season, and Brad Garrett’s amazing in season two. Hey, it’s my turn, OK? I want to work on good stuff. Everything I’ve done hasn’t been great, but I was always striving for greatness. I loved “Marriage Story.” I’d kill for something like that. (Laughs.) You see what (Adam) Sandler did with “Uncut Gems.” But you’ve got to get the call and be ready when your number’s called.
Q: Your 2014 film “Top Five,” which you wrote, directed and starred in, was very personal for you. Do you want to make more movies like that?
A: That’s a vein I intend to keep going in. When I made “Top Five,” I got divorced. And like most people that get divorced, I needed money. (Laughs.) I had to pay for stuff. I also went on tour. Because of COVID, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be any serious touring until 2022. So I’m a writer-director-actor right now. I’m working on some scripts in the “Top Five” vein, and I honestly hope to direct, sometime after the new year.
Q: You’ve been telling audiences for years that racism isn’t going away and remains a potent force in America. Do you feel like you’ve seen circumstances improve at all?
A: It’s real. It’s not going away. I said this before, but Obama becoming the president, it’s progress for white people. It’s not progress for Black people. It’s the Jackie Robinson thing. It’s written like he broke a barrier, as if there weren’t Black people that could play before him. And that’s how white people have learned about racism. They think, when these people work hard enough, they’ll be like Jackie. And the real narrative should be that these people, the Black people, are being abused by a group of people that are mentally handicapped. And we’re trying to get them past their mental handicaps to see that all people are equal.