Chris Rock charts fine line between edgy and family- friendly
ORLANDO, Fla. — Chris Rock may be 47 and family- friendly enough to turn up in every Madagascar cartoon ( including the new one, Europe’s Most Wanted) to come out. But even in middle age, he can still be controversial when the need arises.
Don’t get him started about politics if you don’t want to hear “what a MESS the president had to clean up. If you know anything about cleaning, you know things get dirtier before they get cleaner.”
The punch line won’t win him many Mitt Romney fans.
“You know who doesn’t understand cleaning? People who never do it. Rich people. No idea what you’re talking about.”
He’s prepping his second documentary, a followup to his African- American hair- care expose, Good Hair. It’s called Credit is the Devil.
“It IS the devil. It destroys lives. My parents are Depressionera parents, fanatics about saving. But nobody’s about saving any more. No one cares about a rainy day any more. Nobody saves up enough for even an UMBRELLA for a rainy day. It’s sad. It really is a new form of slavery. We used to work to be able to afford material things. Now we work FOR these things. They’re the boss. That house you can’t afford, that car that’s out of your price range, that cellphone that drains your bank account, they’re your BOSS. You work for them, these objects that depreciate in value a little every single day.”
So Rock tries to practise what he preaches. He has two daughters, eight and 10. He’s saving that Madagascar money for them. He’s trying to maintain every aspect of his Emmy and Grammy- winning career: an edgy standup act — Comedy Central named him the fifth best standup of all time — and the occasional movie ( He was the PG- 13 voice of daddy reason in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, for which he wrote his own part, one “rich with one- liners,” as critic Roger Ebert put it).
And then there are the kids’ films.
“I’d love to do more animation. I do have a voice that stands out in a crowd. But oh my God. Am I the elder statesman of standup? Okay, there aren’t a LOT of guys still doing it who are older. I’ve been around. I will admit that. Been there. Done that.
“I’m in the middle of GrownUps 2 right now. And me and [ Adam] Sandler had a lot of ‘ What do we do now, you know, now that we’re OLD,’ conversations. We didn’t figure it out. But we’re working on it.
“I’m trying to walk that tightrope, you know? Family friendly, but hanging onto my edge. Putting together a standup act I can take on the road next year.”
And he gets a kick out of playing Marty, the free spirit/ wise- cracking zebra of the Madagascar movies. “My girls, THIS time we don’t have to drag them to the movie. They can bring their friends, show off their dad, have a good time.
“And this time they get to hear Daddy sing. Okay, I can wail a song ( his Afro Circus chant, seen in all the ads for the movie). Finally, I get to sing in a movie!”