Chris Rock Has Been Thinking About Forgiveness
New York Times · LC · trust 19/100
Credit... Philip Montgomery for The New York Times
Chris Rock is inarguably one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time. From specials like his 1996 breakout, “Bring the Pain,” to his most recent, “Selective Outrage” in 2023, he has established himself as not only scabrously funny but also fearless and insightful when tackling race, politics, relationships — you name it. Rock’s movie career, though, has been more variable. He’s been in plenty of hits, often alongside his friend Adam Sandler (two “Grown Ups” films; 2005’s “The Longest Yard”). And I’d point to the cult-classic hip-hop satire “CB4” (1993) as well as “Top Five” (2014), about a superstar comedian at a career crossroads, as film work that ably translated Rock’s intelligence and wit to the big screen. But there hasn’t quite been a cinematic statement on par with his stand-up. Until now. “Misty Green,” which opens Oct. 9, is an indisputable leap forward.
The film, the fourth that Rock has written, directed and acted in, is about a midcareer Hollywood actress named Misty, played in a riveting performance by Rosalind Eleazar (best known for the Apple TV show “Slow Horses”). Misty is at a moment of peak personal and professional crisis, and her story allows Rock to examine serious questions about social inequality, getting older in show business and compromise. I wanted to ask him about those subjects as well as his thoughts on comedy today, forgiveness and what his future holds.
One of the themes of “Misty Green” is status: who has it and who loses it when it comes to success, money, relationships. I want to know: When do you feel insecure about your status? I’ve been doing a lot of therapy the last few years, post-Covid, and a lot of it is about not feeling insecure. A lot of it is about “you’re enough.” But I don’t ever really feel insecure about my “status,” per se. Occasionally I’ll meet people that are obviously working harder than me and that’ll make me feel insecure. Adam Sandler, Rick Rubin. You’re like, “How many things are you doing right now?” And some people are better with their kids than me. I think I’m a good dad.
You kept them off the pole. I kept them off the pole, but they’re on OnlyFans!
The movie makes Hollywood very appealing, because of the talent there and the love that people have for doing what they do, but it also makes Hollywood seem awful: racist, sexist, chipping away at your soul. Has that been your experience? You’re not going to get a “how bad Hollywood is” soliloquy from me. I always say every generation laughs at their children’s racism. So my kids are like, “This is racist,” and I’m like [ Rolls eyes ]. And what I would call racist, my mother would laugh at. Are there bad parts about Hollywood? Yes. But it’s still better than a normal job by a ton. I used to work at Red Lobster. I used to work at a home for severely autistic adults. I had the night shift, and sometimes you had to change the diaper of a grown man. So what if I can’t get a sketch on? So what if somebody doesn’t respond to my script? I used to wipe people’s asses!
But the question of compromises comes up throughout the film. There’s compromises in everything, man.
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