By
Mark Betancourt
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Chris Rock talks about his new movie
Even though he's often seen as the king of brutal, in-your-face comedy, actor-comedian Chris Rock acknowledges that the image he portrays in his latest movie, "Down to Earth," isn't exactly the one that audiences will expect.
"This is another side of me," he said. "No one's seen me be light. I wanted people to laugh and then say, 'Hey, that was clean.'"
Chris Rock took a step toward mainstream comedy with his latest role in "Down to Earth," a new romantic comedy about "premature reincarnation."
"Down to Earth" is mild in comparison to Rock's previous work, which is legendary for its vicious humor. Rock's specialty is stand-up, which landed him a lucrative spot on "Saturday Night Live" as well as several movie roles. He provided key comedy in "Dogma" and, more recently, added his dynamic attitude to "Nurse Betty."
This time, Rock left his vulgar, biting commentary at home in exchange for a role that's easier for audiences to swallow. Rock's on-screen persona, Lance Barton, wants "a laugh and a girl," he said, comparing the role to his own gentler side.
"I wanted this to be a movie you could take your kids to," Rock said.
"Down to Earth" is a remake of 1978's "Heaven Can Wait," with Warren Beatty, which was itself a remake of 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," with Robert Montgomery. It follows the same plot - a man is mistakenly sent to heaven and then returned in a new body - with Rock playing the lead.
Rock said that he even showed Warren Beatty the script for "Earth" that he co-wrote with the team from his HBO show, "The Chris Rock Show."
"He liked the script," he said. "It was written for Muhammad Ali, originally."
He said all the writing team had to do with Elaine May's screenplay for "Heaven Can Wait" was to "paint it - just give it some color."
"Down to Earth," like a lot of Rock's comedy, is filled with jokes about being black, even though the film is being marketed to general audiences.
"I'm a black guy," Rock said. "You'd rather see me in my element. People would rather see James Brown at the Apollo, you know?"
"Down to Earth" has its tender moments, but Rock said he won't do another dramatic role anytime soon.
"I don't think people want to see me and not laugh," he said.
With this film, Rock is expanding his cinematic horizons. He co-wrote and co-produced "Down to Earth," taking a more active role in the filmmaking experience than he has in the past.
"I had more of a say in what we were going to do, it was more collaborative," Rock said about filming with "Down to Earth" co-directors Chris and Paul Weitz.
Still, Rock isn't finished with his career behind the camera.
"I haven't directed yet," Rock said. "I would have directed this, but I had to get back to the (Chris Rock) show."
As for "Down to Earth," which opened last week, Rock said he doesn't worry about the critics.
"I'm more afraid of public backlash. I've been lucky with the critics, but I don't count on them," he said. "Winning an Emmy doesn't have anything to do with selling seats."
Rock knows what it's like to be loved, by fans and critics alike. But if he could be reincarnated as anyone on Earth, he says he would be "Oprah's dog. That dog gets treated well."
