Andre Benjamin

Interview By: Michael Dance
MichaelDance@TheCinemaSource.com

Andre Benjamin ' better known as Andre 3000, one half of the musical duo OutKast ' has achieved unparalleled success in the world of hip-hop, and now he's actually becoming a successful movie star. No, not 'successful' as in he's played more or less himself in a couple of parts ' 'successful' as in he's slowly being recognized as a talented actor.

After a humorous bit part in Be Cool, roles in dramas like John Singleton's Four Brothers and Guy Ritchie's Revolver followed. Now Benjamin is back in comedy with a lead role in the Will Ferrell vehicle Semi Pro.

I can say, 'cause I'm from a whole other genre, showing up every day, it's funny as hell to watch them go at it,' he says of the cast of comedians which includes Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, Rob Corddry, and Andy Richter. 'You have a whole other respect for their comedic talent. But they're really really really really really professional. They're normal guys when the camera's not rolling, but they know how to turn it on.'

The film chronicles the Flint Tropics, a fictional team in the very real American Basketball Association of the 1970s, the underdog rival of the better-funded NBA. To prepare for the role, Benjamin was able to talk with ABA-turned-NBA player Julius Erving.

'Yeah, I had a quick phone call with Dr. J,' Benjamin says. 'He pretty much explained what it was like to be an African-American playing at the time. Explained what the fro was about; even though a lot of people thought it was a great style, which it turned out to be, it was about rebellion and freedom at the time. And he said there was still a lot of racism, so a lot of the moves and all that, the [black players] were really just going for it.'

Benjamin agreed to the movie after he became a big fan of Will Ferrell. 'Actually I didn't read the script at all,' he says. 'To be honest, I went to go see Talladega Nights, and I died laughing so hard. And I'd never really tried to do the comedy thing, so I said, why not just try to reach out' So I had my agent look around to see what movies Will was working on, and I saw Semi-Pro on the slate.'

Still, it wasn't quite that easy. 'Everybody my height and weight gets the same scripts. It's true. If it ain't me, it's Mos Def, it's Common, Ludacris, you know, that's just how it goes. So I actually had to go in and audition to get the role. So it's a good thing we reached out and [director] Kent Alterman said, hey, come on in, and I went in and auditioned, and thank God I'm here.'

When asked why he thinks so many hip-hop musicians have been able to make the jump to film roles, though, Benjamin is refreshingly candid.

'Sadly enough, just to be downright honest, I think unfortunately a lot of times it has nothing to do with talent, and it has a lot to do with getting people into theaters. And studios see the power in it, so there's been a big trend ' you can have one single that's a hit, and they want to put you in a movie. I think it's the responsibility of the artist to kind of take it seriously and make the best out of the situation. But most of the time, you're just being yourself. I think if you want to challenge yourself and play different roles, that's up to you. Hip-hop is one of the biggest selling genres, country used to be and then I think hip-hop came and blew it out a few years back. So they look at numbers, to be honest.'

So then why don't you see more country musicians-turned-actors' 'Country music sells a lot, and they probably feel like they don't have to do it,' Benjamin surmises. 'As an African-American, you have to take every opportunity you can to make it happen.'

Luckily, it appears that Benjamin is following in Mos Def's footsteps by actually taking the whole acting thing seriously. 'Honestly, I'm new at it, so I'm kind of feeling myself out to figure out what I'm best at. I'm really comfortable in dramas; comedy is actually harder than dramas, to me, because you don't have a quick response. You don't have an audience that laughs when you do something funny. In drama, if you're feeling real, it's real. What I'd like to do is just whatever great scripts come.'

And Benjamin's not exactly abandoning the whole music thing, either. He and OutKast partner Big Boi are doing separate albums next, although he says the hope is to make another OutKast album after the solo projects are finished. When asked what the time frame is, though, he simply says, 'Who knows.'

Overall, Benjamin comes across as abnormally thoughtful in a world that, as he says, usually only looks at numbers. When asked a throwaway question about where he'd love to vacation, he even gives that a good deal of thought.

'Greenland,' he finally answers. 'Yeah. I don't know ' as a kid, I always saw it on a map and wondered who lives there.'