Hi Chris. Will this be your first time in Abu Dhabi? Looking forward to it?
I’ve never been to Abu Dhabi but I’m really excited about coming. I’ve heard a lot about the place and I understand it’s very beautiful and the architecture and museums sound like they’re going to be really interesting.
What can people expect from your comedy set?
I do a lot of observational comedy and a lot of it is based on my celebrity life and my family. People should expect to come along and have some fun. They will probably leave having learned a lot more about me, the way I think and how I feel about certain things.
Where do you tend to find inspiration for your material?
Most of it comes from my day to day life, particularly the celebrity side of things because it’s so different to how I grew up.
I can get inspiration from anywhere. I can be walking down the street and see something or something might happen to me or someone might say something to me. It can come out of nowhere. Even little things can inspire me.
Do you tailor your gigs to suit your audience or do you always go out with a certain set in mind?
It changes and that’s the beauty of stand up comedy because it’s always evolving. You’re always reacting to what’s happening at that moment. I can be on the stage and something might happen and that will change what I do. I do go out with a show in mind that I’m going to perform but sometimes things happen that mean I’ll change things around.
How do you decide or know when something is funny and whether or not it’s worth using in your show?
I guess I just have a sense for it, like a sixth sense. I just feel it. If it makes me laugh or amuses me in some way it makes me think, ‘Hey, this could be funny to talk about’.
Do you test your material out on people or play secret gigs?
Oh yeah, I go to a lot of comedy clubs and get up on stage and just talk about whatever I want really. I try out certain things and see whether it works or not. You have to spend quite a lot of time on stage to get a good show together. It takes time because you have to get the timings and all that stuff right too.
Do you prefer the stage or the screen?
I don’t have a preference because I like doing both. I think they’re both fun and they can both work together. Like I said, with stand up you’re always in the moment and constantly evolving and you can go off script more than you can when you’re acting in a movie because you have to stay in character and play your part so you have to stick to the script a little bit more. Both of them work for me though because comedy gets me ready for a movie because it helps me get into character because my stand up has acting in it as well due to all the characters I do in my show, which is really fun.
Do people just automatically expect you to be funny? Do they assume you’re ‘on’ all the time?
That happens for sure. People come up to me sometimes and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re Chris Tucker – say something funny!’ It’s like, you could be on a date with a girl or something and they just expect you to be funny all the time and you might say little things like, ‘Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom,’ and they start laughing and are all like, ‘Oh, you’re crazy.’ And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? I’m just going to the bathroom. You’re crazy!’ It’s quite a strange thing.
Do you ever get nervous about being on stage or even before you go on?
Always. I’m always a little bit nervous until I get out there on the stage and then it all changes, because you start to focus your mind. I don’t think it’s a bad thing though.
How long does it take you to write a show?
A show evolves over weeks, months and years and keeps growing because there’s a whole bunch of components that are involved. A show takes a while to put together and I have to take it out to comedy clubs and things first so it takes time. Generally, it takes months and months to get it right and it’s always changing.
What’s the best heckle you’ve ever had?
Oh man! My audience likes to talk to me sometimes and they shout out stuff that takes me to a whole other place that I wasn’t thinking about before which I really enjoy but, to be honest, I don’t get heckled that much because I keep people’s attention.
Who or what really makes you laugh? Who are your comedy icons?
Richard Pryor. I grew up watching him and he was a great stand up and a great actor. He was true you know? He told the truth. He turned his own pain into comedy, he could make people laugh at his tragedy.
Is that the sort of material you’d feel comfortable doing? Would you be prepared to delve into your own personal pain on stage?
Oh yeah, definitely. I think it’s good to be able to talk about your personal pain on stage. Richard Pryor showed that it can be good to tap into personal things.
What’s the biggest misconception about you?
Probably that I’m just this funny guy all the time. I have a serious side too – that helps me be humorous and that’s my foundation.
What’s next for you? Rush Hour 4?
More movies. I’ve got a stand up comedy movie that I filmed in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia and that should be out this year. I’d also love to do another movie with Jackie Chan whether it’s Rush Hour or something else. Obviously I did Silver Linings Playbook last year and that was fun.
What does it feel like to be part of a film like Silver Linings Playbook which was obviously such a phenomenal worldwide success?
It was a lot of fun with a great role, a great character and a great director in David O. Russell and the cast was amazing with the likes of Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. So I’m really looking to do more serious material along those lines.
Chris is playing the du Forum, Yas Island on February 28 and March 1. Tickets starting from Dhs195 on sale now at www.thinkflash.ae or call 800 FLASH (35274) for more information.
