Arts & Entertainment
Bobb’e Thompson: The Chat Heard ‘Round the World
K
icking off an impressive career in
front of the camera at the tender age
of five, Bobb’e J. Thompson rose to
fame as a child actor well before his teens,
initially with a small but colorful and ener-
getic supporting role as the pint-sized Tupac
in My Baby’s Daddy (2003). He subse-
quently appeared in television and film
efforts such as The Tracy Morgan Show
(2004), Shark Tale (2004), That’s So Raven
(2004), and Joey (2005).
Bobb’e contributed to OutKast mainstay
Bryan Barber’s offbeat, inventive musical
drama Idlewild (2006) before teaming up
with Vince Vaughn in the holiday comedy
Fred Claus (2007). He then starred in the
acerbic farce hit comedy Role Models as the
hilarious, wisecracking Ronnie Shields, for
which he earned an MTV Movie Award
nomination for Best Breakthrough Perform-
ance in 2009.
2009 proved to be a breakout year for
Bobb’e. He appeared in Land of the Lost
with Will Ferrell and the family comedy
Imagine That opposite Eddie Murphy. He
was also a semi-regular on NBC’s 30 Rock,
C ELEBRITY
I NTERVIEW
by Kam
Williams
do my job, because I knew everybody else
was coming to do theirs. I was working with
a team, so as long as I was ready to do my
part, I was confident that the pieces were
going to fit together as they should.
KW: What was it like working with a cast
with so many great comedians? Kevin
Hart… George Lopez… Katt Williams…
Mike Epps…
BJT: And Lil Duval and Luenell. We had
some heavy hitters. We had fun on set.
Everybody was upbeat and in good spirits.
We cracked jokes and laughed but, by the
end of the day, everybody got their work
I kinda liked the fact that I would have the
chance to play a character that’s the opposite
of what I’m used to playing
stealing scenes and showing perfect comic
timing in his role as Tracy Jr., the son of
Tracy Morgan’s character.
Next, Nike recruited Thompson for multi-
ple commercials as the fast-talking Lil Dez,
who gives NBA greats Kobe Bryant and
LeBron James a run for their money while
babysitting. He became the first Spokes Kid
for Sony PSP in their multi-commercial
campaign Marcus Rivers Don’t Play That
and the youngest star to host WWE Monday
*ight Raw, following his onscreen appear-
ance opposite Big Show as fight promoter
Mad Milton in Knucklehead.
Tyler Perry jumped at the opportunity to
work with Bobb’e, casting him as M.J.
Williams in the television series For Better
or Worse. But the role of “Cal Devereaux”
in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
showed a sweeter side closer to his real-life
personality.
Besides his film work, Bobb’e has culti-
vated favorable attention for his prominent
contributions to the youth-oriented urban
dance video JammX Kids: Can’t Dance
Don’t Want To, which afforded him the
opportunity to show off his flair for urban
music and footwork. And his hosting gig on
the Cartoon Network show Bobb’e Says
ranked number one on all television among
its primary target demo, boys 6-11.
Here, Bobb’e reflects upon his starring
role as Jason, the main character in Nick
Cannon’s directorial debut, School Dance.
Kam Williams: Hi Bobb’e, thanks so
much for the interview.
BJT: Thanks for having me, Kam.
done. We were all about business when it
was time to get on camera. And when the
camera’s rolled, it was crazy! Everybody
was cracking jokes and having fun, man.
Bobb’e Thompson in ‘School Dance’
ngest entertainers ever. I just want my work
to be recognized as well as the effort I put
in.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What were
Nick Cannon’s instructions about how
Jason should relate to Kristina DeBarge’s
character, Anastacia.
BJT: There were no directions about how
we should relate because we were coming
from two different sides of the tracks and
we only had to build chemistry later on.
KW: Is there any question no one ever
asks you, that you wish someone would?
BJT: Reporters never ask me about my
real passion, my music.
KW: Okay, then tell me about your
music.
BJT: I just finished a mixtape that’s avail-
able at www.DatPiff.com . And I also have
a video out on Youtube entitled “OMG.”
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When
was the last time you had a good laugh?
BJT: The last time I sat down to watch
School Dance.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
BJT: Eating sweets, grapes, strawberries,
See THOMPSON on page 11
KW: The movie reminded me of a musi-
cal, comical version of Romeo and Juliet.
BJT: Yeah, that’s kinda what Nick was
going for when he pitched it to me. Like a
West Side Story with a modern twist to it. I
went, “Yeah, that’s dope!” And we made it
happen. That’s how we wanted it to be per-
ceived, so I’m glad you saw it that way.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks:
How did you prepare for the role and how
challenging was it playing your first lead in
a movie?
BJT: It wasn’t really hard for me. It didn’t
take too much preparation. I knew I wasn’t
Ronnie from Role Models this time around.
And I had great guidance from Nick to tone
it down whenever I started to slip back into
that character.
KW: Patricia also says: You started acting
at 5. What does acting mean to you and
what advice do you have for young people
who want to be part of the film and televi-
sion world?
BJT: When I first started, acting wasn’t
something that I wanted to do but it’s
become a passion over the years, and I have
a divine love for it now. If you want to act,
I advise you to stay in school, because you
need your education, too, since this is a
business. I’d also say, follow your dreams.
Never give up! Stay persistent!
KW: What interested you in School
Dance?
BJT: Honestly, I kinda liked the fact that
I would have the chance to play a character
that’s the opposite of what I’m used to play-
ing. Jason isn’t as outspoken and
foul-mouthed. I liked having an opportunity
to channel my abilities in a different direc-
tion.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles observes
that in the movie, your character says, “I’m
working on it, bro.” She asks: Is the real
Bobb’e similar to Jason?
BJT: No. I’m kinda the exact opposite.
He dresses like a nerd. I dress nice. And If
I’m interested in a girl, I’ll approach her. He
has no swag at all.
KW: Did you feel any pressure to do a
good job and carry the movie as the main
character, given that it’s Nick Cannon’s
directorial debut?
BJT: I don’t know what pressure feels
like. I went in with my head clear ready to
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls
asks: What are your dreams and aspirations
as an artist?
BJT: I think when it’s all said and done, I
need 5 Grammys, 6 Oscars, a few Emmys
and a couple of NAACP Awards. The whole
9 yards. My dream is to be one of the winin-
July 9, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7