Andwehave a lotofyoungartiststhatcallappearanceoftheshowtryingtoget a break.
Howdidyouactuallygetyourbreakinggetting S o?
Youknowwhat I grewupdoinglikemusicaltheater.
SoAh, when I wasinNewYorkCity, sortoftransitioningintothefilmworld, I wouldalwaystellmyagentslike I wantedtosomethingwithpeoplemyage.
And I wanttodosomething, youknow, thatspeakstomygeneration, somethingthat's, youknow, prolificandpeopleofcolorandsomelikethat.
So I wasinhismusicalandmyagentcalledme, andshe's like, Hey, uh, thisiseverythingyou'vebeenaskingfor, butbytheway, is a comedyand I say, Look, I got a smartmouthif I coulddocomedy.
Soshesentthefirsttapeandthefirsttape I sentourexecutiveproducersandourshowrunnersentme a messagebackandsaid, Oh, mygosh, youarethenewChrisTucker.
Grayladies, gentlemen, Wow, I likethatbeingthatyoujustsaidthattheygiveyouthecomplimentofbeingthenextChrisTucker.
That's a lotofthat's a hugecompliment, right?
Andforsomepeople, whenyousaythatifyoucomparesomebodytosomebody, it's alreadylike a legendincomedy.
Diditkindofblowyourheadup a littleQuicken?
DidyouhavetoKindoflike, OK, reset.
Oh, quitetheopposite.
I'm thetypeofpersonwhere I don't reallyliketobecomparedtopeopleanyway, becauseeverybodyhastheirownsortoflane, and I wouldratherbethenextBrettGraythanthenextChrisTuckeroranybody.
I don't think I couldneverdowhathedoes.
And, uh, hopefullyhecouldneverdowhat I do.
Doyouknowwhat I'm saying?
So I thinkifanything, itjustrevsthepressureof a littlebitmoretotryandliveuptosomethingthatthatpeopleputonme.
Tobeabletoreceive a goldenopportunitylikethisandcallthenextChrisTucker.
However, youyourperspective, maybeonit.
Canyoutalkaboutsomeofthestumble?
Still, someoftheknowssomeofthedoorsthatclosedbecause a lotoftimestheyou'vejustbelievesthisis a yellowbrickroad.
Thatonefoundthat I couldneverfindit.
Oh, itisnot a yellowbrickroad.
Butwhen I firstgraduatedfromhighschool, I spentfouryearsinNewYorkCityjusttryingtopoundthepavementsanddothework.
And I wasinclass.
I didn't havemuchmoney.
I wassleeping a McDonald's righton 34thStreet, andit's noteventhereanymore.
Youmeansleepingtherelistening.
So, likeif I missedthemegabusat 11 o'clock, I wassleepingMcDonald's untilthefive o'clockinthemorningmegabustthenextdaybecause I didn't havemoneytogetthetheAmtrakor, youknow, anyothertypeofbus.
So I definitelywassleepingonmyfriend's couchis, and I did a lotof I did a wholedormroomtourlikeallofmyfriends, andyoucoulddotwonightsatPaceandtwonights.
I don't wantyouintwonightsatthenewSchool, So I wasspendingmyweekswithalldifferentpeople.
Myfriendswerefeedingmewiththeirmealplan, soitwasdefinitelynot a yellowbrickroadperse, Um, but I'm thetypeofpersonwhere, when I putmymindtoit, thehardworkisjustsortof a partofthejourney.
Whatdidyourparentssay?
Youknowwhat?
It's justmymom, butmymomis a superhero.
Sheislikethemostsupportiveperson.
Shewilldoanything.
Shewillgivemeherlastmealshewillgivemeherlastanythingthatshedidthatshewould, uh, notgettheshoesthatshewonderedornotgototheworkfunctionsthatshewantedornotgetherhairdonetodothethingsthatshewantedsothat I couldgetonthemegabusandcomeuphereanddomyauditionsandstufflikethat.
So, I mean, I think I justhadthefoundationalready, andshereallyshowedmethat.
Youknow, ifyoumakesacrifices, itwillpayoff.
So I neversawthesacrificesassacrifices.
I justsawitas, liketheendgoing a office.
Come.
Howdidyoudealwithrejection?
I didn't basicallywhatpeopletoldme.
No, itwasn't a note.
Itwas a Seeyoulater.
I mustseeyouagainsoon.
Andwhenweseeyouthenexttime, youknow I don't have a problemprovingmyself.
Okay?
Twopeople.
Soyouknow, a nojustmeanssixmoremonthswhenyouseetheseresultsonthecomebacktoyou.
Uh, I didn't reallyhavemoneyforformaltrainingvocallyandallthatstufflikethat.
Soit's allbeensortofwhat?
I'vebeentriedto, youknow, as I gotolderandprogressmoremusicaltheater, I'vehonedinonthetrainingthat, youknow, allowsmetodothingsthat I I wouldliketobeabletodoon a tour.
Sometimes I'm workingonnow I getoverwhelmedwithallthethings I havetodoandallthepeopletoreplytoandthepeopletoreachouttoAndthethings I'm doing.
I have, ah, campaigncalledBeeasy.
Rightnow.
I'm goingtoalloftheseschoolsinPhiladelphia, so I justSometimes I spreadmyselfverythin, and I'm workingonfocusingononethingat a timeanddoingthat, executingthattothebestofmyabilitybefore I moveontotherestofthethings.
Okay, Nowthissongoldthingbackisouttoday, right?
People, men, ifyoulikethesongGooutandPurchaseWay.
Don't wanthimsleepingonthefloor.
McConnell's besleepingwithwaysHouseon a livingroomcouchwaytome, comingfromPhiladelphiatodoright?
Howwasheinfluencedyourgeneral?
Letmetalkaboutit.
MyfirsteverinspirationofalltimewasWillSmith.
I defer.
Thatwasthefirsttime I sawmyselfrepresented.
ItwasthefirsttimeFreshPrincewasthegoofyordudethatwastheskinniest, youknow, skinnierguythatwassortofglorifiedin a waythatwasalsostillmasculineandcoolandfun.
Andhehadmusicinhim.
A jazzyJeffwastearing.
Theparty's up.
And I alwayssawmyselfassomeonelikethat, youknow?
Sothatwasmyfirstinspirationofalltime.
I callhimmyfakefatherbecauseno, I saidyouremindedmeofhim, andthat's why I did a versionofit.