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For nearly two decades, Method Man has been a huge part of rap and hip hop music, beginning with the Wu-Tang Clan to a successful and hilarious team up with Redman that's led to a stellar career in music, film, and television. When he read the script for THE WACKNESS, Jonathan Levine's love letter to 1990s New York and hip hop, he immediately signed on in the small but pivotal role of Percy, a Jamaican drug dealer who provides protagonist Luke the marijuana he deals on the streets. Method is no stranger to the weed, having starred with Redman in the stoner comedy HOW HIGH, about a magical weed that makes you smarter if you smoke it. To promote THE WACKNESS, the multi-talented artist sat down with the Crypt for an interview to talk his latest role, the status of rap music, working with Sir Ben Kingsley, and what's next for him in this Colonel's Crypt exclusive.
COLONEL’S CRYPT: How are you today? METHOD MAN: I’m cool. I’ll make sure I get you some good sound bytes Colonel. (makes farting sound). CC: That’s a keeper. So how much intense research did you do to play a marijuana dealer? MM: I had to go deep, deep, deep, deep, deep into my method acting. CC: That deep? MM: Well yeah to get a higher understanding of the character. I did have to practice my accent and my dialect for Percy being he was a Jamaican. CC: How did you get involved with THE WACKNESS? MM: I wanted to do something independent. I asked my manager to do something independent, anything independent really, but it had to be quality so when Jonathan Levine called and I got the script and read it, I thought “This was hot right here. I want to work with these dudes” Plus Jonathan was giving me the opportunity to do something I haven’t done before. It was cool. I had fun. CC: How did you think the time was portrayed being a hip hop artist yourself? MM: I think the music should’ve gotten some more credit because it definitely pushes the story along in certain areas. When I went to the premiere and I hadn’t heard the music of the film until then, I found myself tapping my foot and really getting into it. I was like “Holy shit, he got it down good.” CC: Was there anything you would’ve put on the soundtrack that wasn’t in there? MM: I would’ve put some West Coast music in there because that was the time where you really got introduced to Snoop and Tupac. He had a big impact on hip hop. CC: How has the transition been so far from rapper to actor, has it been more comfortable with each project? MM: I’ve had no problems with it. If you can entertain 30,000 people in a stadium, you can get in front of a camera in a room full of people and do your thing, you know? That doesn’t just work for everybody though and I know that you have to take this business seriously. There are people that go to school and train to be actors and actresses. You can’t come in with your B game when everybody’s on their A game. Not only do you have to show up but you have to SHOW UP if you know what I mean. CC: How long were you on the set? MM: One day. I’m fast baby. CC: Where was it filmed, was it filmed in New York City? MM: Nah it was filmed in Brooklyn. It was cool, very comfortable as hell because when I first got there I ran into Sir Ben, he was coming out of his trailer, and the dude was very accommodating. He didn’t make me feel out of place. Didn’t make me feel like I didn’t deserve to be there, it was like everyone was on the same level. CC: Did you come for any other days? MM: I came on the day they were filming the graduation scene and that was the first time I met Jonathan. I was expecting to see this old dude but he’s real young man. I just went “Go ahead with your young ass.” He’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do the movie. One was Sir Ben Kingsley. Two was I wanted to do an independent film, and three was after I met Jonathan, I was sold. CC: Did you push Jonathan into getting Wu-Tang Clan onto the soundtrack (“Tearz” is on the soundtrack to THE WACKNESS)? MM: No, like I said, when we were doing it, I had no idea. When I sat at Sundance and I was seeing the film, you can only read and you can’t put the music in your head as you’re reading it. That’s the only time I had saw it in my head sitting at Sundance and watching it, hearing the songs come on. It brought me back because that was a big time for me right there, the early 1990s. It reminded me of riding in the car, and you hear a song on the radio, and the radio ain’t too loud, it’s nice and low. You hear that song on the radio, and for me it’s Maze and Frankie Beverly singing “Before I Let You Go,” you turn it up. Now you’re cranking on it and it’s taking you somewhere and it’s in your head. It’s in your head now and I can’t describe it but by the time the song is over, you’re calling an aunt you haven’t spoken to in seven years or you’re calling your grandma just to see how she’s doing. It’s like that. CC: How has it been working in different mediums, being you had a television show with Redman and working on music videos as opposed to film? MM: It’s different with everybody I think. Some directors don’t know how to direct actors. Some directors just direct cameras. Some directors are real cool, others are real stiffs. Some like to do “three shots, you’re done,” others like to do twelve shots of a piece of paper. It’s different, it’s real different but the thing about independent is I think you’re measured by the level of people you’re seen with, let’s put it that way. The best analogy I can come up with is you’re taking a picture with everybody, and the picture is perfect except for one person who completely fucked the whole picture up, you know what I mean? I don’t want to be the one person fucking it up. CC: So what kind of director did you find Jonathan? MM: You know what, I liked him as a director because I like a director with a lot of energy. I don’t mean he’s yelling at everybody and stuff like that but when he sees what he likes, he’s not afraid to run out his fucking chair and run all the way over to you going “That’s the one I want right there!” CC: How was it working on TV with METHOD AND RED and THE WIRE ? MM: THE WIRE, that was crazy. I don’t want to sound like I was repeating myself but that was very comfortable too, no egos. How one of the best shows on TV not get an Emmy nod? It’s tragic. Not one accolade. Not one award. It’s sickening. In movies, they just take longer man. It takes so damn long to shoot. On TV, you got your weekend, you knock a whole episode. Next week, you knock an episode out. In movies, you’re there for three, four months. The dudes who did THE LORD OF THE RINGS were out there for how long, a year or two years? You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. Fucking this dude came home dressed weird as hell, Elijah Wood. Did you see him when he came home? I’m serious, he came home with these knickers and shit and this frilly hair, grew these sideburns and had this crazy outfit on, I’m thinking this dude was totally fucked up. CC: So you’d prefer smaller roles in movies? MM: I’ll take whatever they throw in my plate. I think I can meet any challenge. I know that sounds like big bravado but I’m game. You don’t have to throw me in a starring role in a big blockbuster. I don’t have tits. CC: According to the slang glossary we have, it’s breasteses. MM: Breasteseseses. I like to call ‘em tits. CC: Is there any director you’d like to work with that you haven’t yet? MM: It doesn’t matter to me on directing. Acting wise though there’s so many. I want to do a movie with Don Cheadle just so I could siphon his power. CC: So what would be the ideal film project for you? MM: I want to do a movie like that BUGSY MALONE movie that I saw as a kid. It was with Scott Baio but they were kids playing grown ups. They were playing gangsters and when they shot their guns, instead of shooting bullets they were shooting custard. They would kill you with cream pies, it was nice. In fact, I think it was Michael Jackson’s favorite movie, so go figure. CC: Do you know why 1994 was such a pivotal time for hip hop? MM: I don’t know if it is for me. I guess it is more for this and Jonathan in his life. For me, it was 1990. As soon as the 90s hit, matter of fact, soon as Reagan wasn’t in office anymore, it was something different. As soon as Dinkins was gone, it was something different for me, so whatever that popped off. For Jonathan, I guess 1994 has a symbolism for it that I’m guessing that what I’ve seen in the film that he’s drawing from personal experience. You can’t pick these songs. It’s not like he picked them out of a hat. These songs are from personal experience and for him, it was 1994. CC: Do you know anyone like your character? MM: I know a lot of people like my character man. I want to know if you’re ever going to ask Ben Kingsley if he knew anyone like his character. I bet you won’t find anyone. CC: Probably not. How was working with Sir Ben? MM: Like I said, he was very accommodating. He earned that title Sir. He was a gentleman. CC: How was it working with Josh? MM: I didn’t know who he was at first and he knew it. I asked my kids about him and they went “Who, the fat one?” (referring to DRAKE & JOSH) Kudos to him, I give him nothing but love and respect because he lost all that weight. I look at the old DRAKE & JOSH episodes and he was a big kid who did his thing. We spoke on set and I was impressed with his hip hop background. I hope he was impressed with my comedic background because I go more for the raunchy shit. That’s pretty much how he started out as a comedian, him and his mom. I like the kid a lot, he’s a cool dude, no ego, no nothing. Olivia the same way, and I had no idea she was Olivia. I like meeting on a level playing field like that where nobody knows who anyone is and then you see them at the president’s house chillin’. CC: How do you feel hip hop has progressed? MM: You can answer that question, dawg. You’re one of the people on the outside looking in, I’m in the inside looking out. It’s like anything that comes from me would sound like hating, disgruntled, or sour grapes, you know? It sucks though. But a lot of people have to be held accountable for it sucking and it’s not just the artists. It’s the record labels who are pushing the music out like fast food. It is the radio stations who are stuffing it down people’s throats every five minutes on the radio. Can we get a song not sounding like the same three beats we always hear? That’s pretty much it right there, that three ring circus right there. CC: What do you think about some artists bypassing the record labels now and allowing their music for download on their own websites? MM: It’s a double edged sword. If you’re not known and you’re using all that stuff to make a name for yourself, then very good for you but if you’re already established, it could hurt you. Who knows man? It’s depending on which angle you’re coming from. If you’re independent and you’re well known, you’re going to kick up. If you’re on a label, you’re going to lose money because they want it first. As smart as the record company claims to be, they can’t even combat 13 or 14 year olds downloading their music for free. It’s like, Jesus, come on man? Your best solution is to arrest a 13 year old because he’s downloading a song? Are you fucking kidding me? CC: What would you do to fix it then? MM: To fix it? I don’t care man, I’m 37 years old. Let the kids have it. They can have hip hop. Seriously, for me, I’m going to do what I do best and I maybe like in the diner somewhere playing piano. That’s the aspect I like, I’m a performer first and foremost, love to be in front of the crowd and just do my thing. CC: What is next for you? MM: Yeah, me and Redman are working on the next album. That should be out in September. I have a comic book coming out called METHOD MAN which should be out at the end of July. Going on tour and I did an episode of BURN NOTICE, a hot show on USA. You know, that network that made MONK, yeah. CC: Thanks for your time Method. MM: I’m out. THE WACKNESS opens in theaters July 3rd (Special thanks to Caitlin Speed at Falco Ink) |
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