From our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. Chris rock plus new movie is called top five. He wrote and directed it and also plays the lead character. Writes, itted press defies categorization. A satire, and, also a look at an artist trying to figure out ones. Here is the trailer. What is up. This is andre allen. When i listen to satellite radio, i listen to just make it funnier. Funnier . Whats up. [audio deleted]. First take was good. Voted2005, Time Magazine today plus guest the funniest man in america. In 2010, he hit it big. You can also see him getting married to reality star erica long. Do we have to do this on camera . I dont feel like doing funny movies anymore. I dont feel funny. I just want a decent story. If you give me a couple of honest things, i will be more than fair. She is doing a story on me. Im going to turn over like an apple pie. You just ate an apple pie. Things are changing. You need to wake up. Trying to get a cap in new york city. Taxi. Do you think the wedding is hurting me . You could be talking dancing with the stars here. These white people dont tell me why dont you skip those questions and go to seven good regrets how come you are not funny anymore . Good . And go to something how come youre not funny anymore . Was not into the wedding. I should have been into the guy. You should be into the girl. Scarface. Five biggie getmight let in there. You mind if i get they got the lock on them. I spoke to chris rock at the, lar. Y at the comedy cel here is what he is saying. For the first time coming you acted in it. You wrote it. You directed it. The first time he has made a movie as good as his stand up. Does that resonate . That was the desired effect. Wherevera joke woody allen walks, they say, we love your movies, especially the early, funny ones. A say, i love your work. Especially the stand up to read i say, what about all the other things i do . I wanted to make a movie as good as the stand up. Just saying that right now. Next week, who knows . Standup comedians are saying that. The audiences in toronto and other places. What do they mean . 3dwere so good at standup work so hard. You crafted it. You had not done that in your movies before . To a place were you treated movies with the same reverence . It is not reverence. It is like, i have to treat movies, i have to not care so much. Not care what people think. Not care about judgment. When you are doing movies, movies are amazing. I love them. They have testing. They test every line, every 10 minutes of the movie is tested. I have always been a horrible testtaker. When you are writing a movie, you are editing your self committee were thinking about the test. Oh, they are not going to like this. This is going to test low. Plays. Not test we test them in front of audiences. You dont test every line. You dont test stand up. You test it in front of the audience but not the strict testing a movie has. This was the first movie where i did not care about offending people. I did not try to open a chain store. I want to make the movie i want to make. A little to have restaurant that is kind of hip. Im not trying to make mcdonalds. I want to make a chris rock movie, not my version of an eddie movie murphy movie. You said an interesting thing. I want to make a chris rock movie. You would sit with adam sandler and you knew what he was doing. He was making an adam setter sandler movie. Men always dress like, we get our fashion sense from whatever friend gets laid the most. Whatever friends get laid the most, i will get those shoes. That haircut, i will get it. Sandler is like my biggest movie star friend. I will do what he is doing. [laughter] it didnt kind of fit me. It fits when i am in a movie with him, but it did not fit me to make a movie the same tone as him. Or even an eddie murphy movie. That was not my tone. The important thing for this movie was, i found a tone that works for me. , seldom do ind up talk about anything that is funny. Almost nothing in my act is funny. If you go topic to topic read thats what people say is your genius. You can talk about race like nobody else. Audience to put the in a whole hole. Say something controversial and then dig myself out comedically. That is what i did with the movie. Anlay a guy that is alcoholic, a cheat, a hack. Unlikable. I take him on a journey and try to help you understand where this guy is coming from. A reporter comes along and makes him vulnerable. Yes, makes him vulnerable. We are all vulnerable on some level. We are all insecure. You know why people are more accepting to read this is rough for women read i am hopeful i am hopeful because people are changing. Some things never change. Look at this, a black man trying to get a cab. Watch this. Look at this. Taxi, taxi. There is an idea that comedians want to be taken seriously. A lot of comedians want to be taken seriously. They dont think being funny is enough. We are in america. America does not take comedians seriously. America treats comedians like third class entertainers. You have actors, singers, comedians. Comedians are the bottom. Even though they do the hardest part of this. It is harder to be funny than it is to be dramatic. Is hardbody has said it for a great series actor to be funny than for a great comedic actor to be serious. Absolutely. Girl the other day. It is amazing. If you took adam, who directed anchorman, and you let him direct gone girl. Then you took David Fincher and had him direct anchorman. Gone girl and it is ok. Nchorman. Nnot do a [laughter] why does you want to make movies . Like everybody else. You watch dr. Strangelove, an nie hall. You want to take this comedic thing, like how far can you take it . Im a comedian on stage. I wrote a funny book. I made a funny documentary. On the biggest, hardest part of comedy . And you have. Lets hope. Im glad you like it. Minutes. First five also this. The evolution you had in your own confidence. So you were the great standup comedian you are. Ou thought when you some Martin Lawrence on stage in chicago. Always saysriend competition keeps you in condition. If there is no competition, you are screwed. Remember doing a show in chicago where Martin Lawrence was my opening act. I do not know was a week before martin mania was supposed to hit. Normally i dont watch the opening act. Im in the dressing room. On thesome commotion stage. I think there is a fight or something. I think my head out there. People are laughing like bloody is coming up. Martin lawrence killed so much. I had to follow him. I died a death. I have never died that hard in my life. Since then, i have never gotten the levine i got that night ooping i got that night. I said, i have to rethink myself as a performer and writer. I just had to rethink everything. Realize, there is a new era coming in. I credit martin for in a weird way. It was a transformative moment for you. Totally transform it for me. Transformative for me. I knew what i was doing was not going to last. Sometimes this thing happens. You come from a poor place. You are making some money. You will get complacent. I am rich compared to where i am from. Im poor compared to where im at. I was probably making 3000 a was a tonh it will of money considering where i am from. I got lazy. I stopped being curious about comedy. That is the worst thing that can happen to people in life. About anything, not just comedy. Not be curious. I got curious again. There is this about you. They say you do not revel in your success. You are constantly thinking about the next place you want to go. Yeah. I remember when i was in saturday night live. Some people treated it like it was the biggest thing in the world. We used to go, this is the biggest thing in the world. We are screwed. We have a lot of living to do. Lets hope this is not the highlight of our life. [laughter] in a weird way, i probably would have succeeded more i never understood why they left why you left after three years. They let me leave. It was a cultural thing. Living color was on. Snl was really white. Motherat my brother calls the real white people. Not those that drive buses. To livingted to go color. It is over in three months. It is over in three months, but i got there. The world was a little more segregated then. I felt like i was an outsider. I felt like i was not involved in anything black, honestly. I was on snl. That much. N living color was on. Comedy j was going onam. All the other black comedians had taken these to make some much money in february. It was time for me to leave s n. L. Something is going on that i am not a part of. Richard pryor kind of went through the same thing. Edwas on at sullivan, sullivan, but the panthers were happening and soul train was happening. He was like, i am richard pryor, i should be involved to he went to africa. He went to San Francisco and reinvented himself. I had to reinvent myself. You seem to have always had the sense of connection to your blackness. Want them in the audience, africanamericans to populate the audience because, what . I when i do an hbo special, kind of insist on a allblack audience. I haveson i insist done probably two specials at the apollo. My last special was like in south africa. South africa and the apollo. Because sometimes i do things that are critical of black culture. Critical of my people as a whole. That, itdo jokes like is important to cut to a black signal thatg to this is not racist. Black people can be racist against their own people, too. You did a whole nine minutes on that. We can be just as racist as anybody else. It is kind of to relax the audience. Better than laugh white people. They are just better laughers. Like people laugh with their feet. Black people laugh with their feet. It isre really into it the mouth, and the feet. When people kind of just laugh from their neck up. Seinfeld says you can do race better than anybody else. You can put it in a way that people can to the truth of the race in america. Maybe. I am from that era. 1973. Bused to school in olderd to think racism is to a white,used Irish Catholic community. Irish and italian kids. Think of it this way. Has beent f kennedy called that for 20 years. We still call it by its old name. Takes a pass a law, it while before, even though it is illegal, it takes 20 years or 30 years to people really get a committed i cremated. Acclimated. I got bused to school. Gger. Called nio they would protest. My first day of school, just in new york. In 1973. I know it. I have really known it. The moments that have been transformative, one of the Martin Lawrence thing. The others when you went to broadway. That was transformative. It really was. That was the most fun i have ever had in show business. Why . It was fun being the rookie. Not knowly did anything. I had never done a play before. I didnt do a play in high school. Experience not just doing a play. Doing an original play. You could almost hers for a revival in your house. Rehearse for a revival in your house. But an original, it changes all the time. To work with a play from the bottom up. Form a character. Work with great actors. Rodriguez. Yeah, it was just did you learn things you could add to the total sort of entertainer you are . I could be dramatic and funny at the same time. One did not make the other one not exist. Youll have to be exclusive to comedy or exclusive to drama. Things can happen at the same time. Without the play, the movie does not happen. Without the play, the movie does not happen. Movie have presented is not movie happens and it is not that good. The movie is silly. The thing that is good about the movie, comedy works. For the drama works. But the drama works. And the relationships. And the dialogue. When you are talking about contemporary culture you believe the relationship. You believe me, you believe cedric the entertainer is that guy. It is not a sketch. There are not a bunch of sketches. It is drama. You trying to pick me up . Welcome to houston. We are promoting your show. How was your flight, good . Great. We are going to have big walkup, dog. How far as the hotel . About 45 minutes. This is my town. Anything you need coming you let a brother know. Surf. Im the man in houston. Im the man in houston, the. Houston, baby. Scott rudin is the producer. What role did he play . Did he give you the confidence to let you be what you wanted to be . Key game in the confidence to let me run at a speed i did not know i could do. I do not know i could do this. You know its got rudin taught me . The best people in the world are a phone call away. Try to not get the best people in the world, no disrespect to other people i have worked with. Im big about not bothering people. Scott will bother anybody. He dont care. Hey, i would have never called you. I wanted you in the movie. Scott is like, so what . So what he does the cbs morning show . So what he has three jobs . He will want to do this. He was right. For no money. [laughter] scott does not care. So what kevin hart has 20 jobs . Lets get him here. Let them say no. Have al they say no, we shot to read we have the best actors in the world. We have the best ep in the dp in the world. Tell me how scott rudin got inside your head. He said, i want to capture the spirit of you as a young comic in the movie. I want to see you in this movie as a star. He believed in me. As a leading man. I never believed in me as a leading man. A leading man has to have a certain level of sex appeal. I dont pick up myself as having sex appeal. Oh, come on. I am married, dude. Ego, down. A leading man has to lead. I dont imagine anybody following me. Head, is pretty much it. You can go in front of an audience. You know you can go in front of an audience with a carefully developed a carefully developed routine and entertain them so they are on their feet. Yes. I am like did you ever see that cartoon, the warner bros. Cartoon where the frog can sing . Whenever he is not on stage, he goes rabbit. Im so much like that ribbit . Frog. O much like that that is the point of this movie. It has brought you to appreciate yourself beyond stand up. Not only what you wanted to do, but what other people wanted you to do. Yes. Tell me about writing it. What you wanted to create pe. People have said is it about fame and celebrity. I have to go back a little bit. I have to give credit to louis ck. Louis owes me because i told him, im not going to be your friend if i keep writing for people. He was writing things for dana carvey. To sandler pass company. I said, no, you are the star. You are funny. You should have a show. Stop pitching other peoples shows. The charlie sit on rose show and take all the credit for louis ck. You made him what he is today to request they wanted him to do stuff for other people. They were making money. Everybody thought he should be working for other people. I thought that guys a star. Have a great friendship and i love the guy dearly. Me, whatever, before i start writing it he says, you have to write it by yourself. He says, you have to write it by yourself. Me and louis wrote a movie together. He says, no, you have to get in a room and feel hurt. Lonely. , the blood sweat and tears it takes to write by yourself. Of paper andece have no one to get out of this but you read you always right with people. You end up with a watereddown version of yourself. You have to write by yourself. He may be right by myself. I only did in standup. When you write with other people, there were great scripts to read you are in the room by yourself. Something emotional happened. Something spiritual comes out of yourself. Head. E living in your you are really with your secret thoughts. You are not trying to get anybody possible. Anybodys approval. It comes across in the movie. Like, when i was doing standup, i know a have an hour and a half. I know it is ok if i kiss you off now. I will get you down the line. You are mad. Hang out, you will be fine. I am coming back. Normally when i did movies in the past, i was scared of this of pitching people off. You are editing your self. I was. There is no of that fear. Did you want to create . Who is andre allen . Is it you . It is a little me, eddie murphy, chris tucker, Martin Lawrence. Here is a journey ira filled said to me years i remember seinfeld said to me years ago, they are going to give you the kit. Inside the kit is a book deal and tv show. Movie offers. You are going to host the oscars. He literally told me everything that was going to happen to meet in the kit. There are a lot of us that have a shared experience. Iched a movie about wanted a movie about black fame. The famous as a black guy is a little different than being famous is a white guy. Tom hanks is amazing. Denzel washington is a got to his people. To his people. He has a responsibility to his people that tom cruise and liam neeson do not have. Cruise. Oes, hey, tom i dont even know what nationality he is. What is he . I dont know. Hes white. Dont forget your whiteness. Come back in visit white people. What are you doing for white people, tom cruise . Nobody says that you tom cruis. Says that to tom cruise. What did they say to dens l . Denzel . They want to know that he is involved in his community and loves his people. Els highs and lows more. Tom hanks does a bad movie, there is going to be another good movie by somebody white next week. Denzel does a bad movie, i will not see a good black movie for a year. I left out here hanging you did you feel that yourself when you are writing and making this movie . If this is not as good as it cn i am letting down not just my friends but a whole bunch of people who identify with me because i am an African American man who made it. I just wanted to touch what that is, to walk that line. Lebron is going to it right now. This thing where he is responsible for the happiness of cleveland and the poor kids of cleveland. Came up just as poor as lebron, but nobody is like, larry bird owes indiana. Lebrons got cleveland on his back. He has this whole state a pressure that no white athlete i have ever seen has. What did chris rock have in terms of pressure . You have a pressure to project a certain amount of dignity at all times. Which is odd when you are a comedian. Too. Ians have clout, sometimes the comedy is in being undignified. Sometimes the comedy is having a pie in your face. Just having it together all the vanity, isthe kind of the enemy of comedy. I have heard jamie foxx say this. Jim carrey does things no black comedian could ever get away with because black people lose their minds. I cant believe he is talking out of his asked. Flak perry gets a lot of for wearing a dress. But it is funny. Tyler perry gets flack for things that milton barrel has done. Put on a dress. He has done some great work becausee people ignore he put on a dress. Being funny is not always the most dignified. What am i trying to say . Heres what they say about you as a standup. Madea. Ve what wasaid, interesting about you. You were perfectly tailored, you would go on stage and you are within your own body. There was a kind of elegance. What was coming out of your mouth was the most, funniest and most satirical. You would go right to the edge of where you can go with comedy. But doing it in a guy who was very dignified. Is that true . Peopledignified thing, me for the most part. Dignity, that is my character. Bringsy where t