Though the hip-hop luminary known as Common is talking to us from Los Angeles, “near Hollywood,” he assures he hasn’t totally gone Hollywood. But Common is now fully dedicated to establishing himself as an actor, and he’s off to a rousing start in ‘07 with this month’s supercharged, star-studded mob thriller “Smokin’ Aces”. Later this year he’ll co-star with A-listers Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster”. Not bad for a “rapper-actor.”
URB: Have you long wanted to act?
Common: I can’t say since I was a kid I wanted to act. In fact, I remember being in a play and my mother kept talking about my friends’ performances instead of mine. So I wasn’t in any more plays after that, or thinking about an acting career, until I started doing music and started feeling like I could expand my artistry. Until I felt like I loved it.
Do you think you’ll have to scale back your music to fully pursue it?
I don’t think so. I might not be able to go out and do as much as far as music appearances anywhere, anytime or promotional situations. But as far as keeping the albums up, I feel even more energized, I feel good about it. It feels so in me, that’s what I do. I make music. I always wanna make music. God willing, I would love to make music like a jazz musician, they play till they’re 70.
What was it about “Smokin’ Aces” that made you take it as your big-screen debut?
First of all, the writing was incredible. In the way it was going from scene to scene, it was flowing like the way somebody would write a rap. The writing was just so clever, and the story is very interesting. It drew me in a whole lot. Put it this way: It was the first time I read a whole script.
Your character’s name is Sir Ivy. Is that like Sir Ben Kingsley?
(Laughs) Nah, that’s just a name director Joe Carnahan chose. He described the character as a pimpish, silent killer. That’s what he would always tell me, this dude is a quiet killer. So much is internal with him. I guess that name captured that for him. I think Joe just comes up with shit if he feels right about it. I love the characters. You wouldn’t meet people like that in your everyday life.
What are some of your favorite movies of all time?
City of God. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Pulp Fiction. Usual Suspects. The Color Purple. The Godfather.
Are you of the belief that MCs naturally make good actors?
Oh no. I know that it gives you a certain amount of charisma. But I don’t think that makes you a good actor, just ‘cause you got charisma and you got a presence. That’s part of it. That’s a beautiful thing, that’s a gift and a blessing, but it’s more to it. In fact, I definitely don’t think that. To me a good actor’s a good actor.
You share some great scenes with Alicia Keys. Did you guys bond over that common experience of being musicians-turned-actors?
Definitely. Being that we were both new, it was a little comforting. We’re stepping in there with dudes that’d done 40 movies. Jeremy Piven has literally done 40 movies or something like that. So when you’re stepping in there with people like that, you’re like, “damn!” It’s like if he stepped on stage with me.
Did you actually earn a salary or did you just call it even when they let you carry around Alicia Keys all day in the film?
(Laughs) That was my biggest payment, getting to carry around Alicia Keys.
Common promises his next album will drop early spring next year.
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