January 3, 2018 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Katt Williams: The ‘Father Figures’ Interview
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
L
egendary stand-up
comedian, actor and
rapper Katt Wil-
liams has enjoyed
an impressive career
seeded with thousands
of stage shows in sold-
out arenas, a laundry list
of starring roles on the
small screen and mem-
orable performances in
major box office hits. The
film “Father Figures”
marks the eagerly-an-
ticipated rebirth of this
beloved and beleaguered
comedian with seeming-
ly more than nine lives.
Katt guarantees his
stand-up show audienc-
es an experience that
will stimulate further
conversation after his
curtain closes. Look for
articulate,
quick-wit-
ted dialogue featuring
names like Trump and
Cosby that is rooted in
evergreen conversations
about politics, race rela-
tions and police brutali-
ty — all a mere mirror re-
flection of the American
cultural landscape.
Born on Sept. 2, 1971
in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Katt grew up in Day-
ton. Strong-willed and
self-motivated even as a
young man, he became
emancipated at 13 and
relocated on his own to
Florida where he worked
as a door-to-door sales-
man.
Not long thereafter,
he took his first shot at
first stand-up, thrilling a
crowd with a five-minute
improv routine, much to
his surprise. That’s when
Katt, having searched his
entire adolescence for a
sense of purpose, found
fulfillment in making
people smiles.
Encouraged by his
early success, Williams
committed himself to
fine-tuning his God-giv-
en talent— a unique
comedic delivery audi-
ences had not yet wit-
nessed— by performing
his routines in clubs all
over the country. By 1999,
Review
cont’d from pg 6
ence after a showing.
Directed by James Fran-
co, “The Disaster Artist”
is a hilarious buddy com-
edy chronicling Tommy
and Greg’s misadven-
tures during the making
of “The Room.” Adapt-
ed from Greg Sestero’s
memoir of the same
name, the film co-stars
Franco’s brother Dave as
Greg, and boasts an A-list
ensemble that includes
Seth Rogen, Zac Efron,
Sharon Stone, Melanie
he had become estab-
lished in the pantheon of
great African American
comics that also includes
Eddie Murphy, Martin
Lawrence, Dave Chapelle
and Chris Rock.
After cultivating a
loyal fan base, he made
a smooth transition to
TV and film, making a
scene-stealing big screen
debut playing “Money
Mike” in “Friday After
Next.” Here, the come-
back kid talks about act-
ing opposite Ed Helms,
Owen Wilson, Ving
Rhames, Glenn Close, J.K.
Simmons and Christo-
pher Walken in the new
ensemble comedy, Father
Figures.
“
KW: Once again, you’ve
managed to have the
most memorable scenes
in a movie, even in a sup-
port role.
Katt: Thank you, Kam.
I’m always trying to
wring as much, come-
dically, out of a perfor-
mance as I possibly can.
This role was different
because it called for the
exercise of a different
muscle. It wasn’t just
about, “More! More!
More! More!” This film
called for me to start
with absolute constraint,
to start at 0 and gradual-
ly accelerate from there.
I appreciate the acting
lesson within it.
That’s the beauty of the situ-
ation we’re in on this planet.
We have the opportunity
every day to meet someone
we didn’t know who might
become an integral part of
our life that really matters
Kam Williams: Hey
Katt.
Katt Williams: Hello,
Kam.
KW: I’m honored to
have this opportunity to
speak with you.
Katt: Oh, thank you. I
appreciate it.
KW: What interested
you in “Father Figures”?
Katt: When I read the
script, I instantly under-
stood that it was some-
how funny and yet also
touching. It really felt
like something substan-
tial. The only question
was whether it would
be cast correctly. Then,
when you hear it’s going
to be Owen Wilson, Ed
Helms, Glenn Close, J.K.
Simmons, Christopher
Walken, Terry Bradshaw
and Ving Rhames, it’s
like, “Wait a minute! This
is exactly what I was hop-
ing for. So, I was “in” all
through the process.
Griffith, Charlene Yi, Al-
ison Brie, Bob Odenkirk,
and Hannibal Buress, the
stand-up comic credited
with torpedoing Bill Cos-
by’s career.
Good sports Greg Ses-
tero and Tommy Wiseau
make cameo appearanc-
es in this sidesplitting
tribute to utter inept-
itude. And be sure to
catch the closing credits
featuring scenes from
the original side-by-side
with reenactments from
this inspired spoof.
Oxymoronic
Os-
car-quality
acting
KW: What would you
say is the message of “Fa-
ther Figures”?
Katt: It’s twofold. On
the most basic level,
it’s about not judging a
book by its cover. That
all close friends start out
as strangers. That’s the
beauty of the situation
we’re in on this planet.
We have the opportu-
nity every day to meet
someone we didn’t know
who might become an
integral part of our life
that really matters. The
second message is that
we all have holes in our
souls, and that we’ll be
better people when we
figure out how to fix
those holes. So, it’s also
about people trying to
be more complete. And
that’s a wonderful story
to tell any time of year,
but especially during the
holiday season.
Kat Williams says ‘Father Figures’ was a funny yet also touching story
nent to your childhood?
Katt: I’ve always felt
that way. I’ve sensed, at
my best moments, that I
was being led. So, I know
that sort of protection
exists. I also know that
there are some people
who are much more in
tune with the universe
than the rest of us. and
their lives are evidence
of that.
KW: Ling-Ju Yen asks:
What is your earliest
childhood memory?
Katt: I can remember
thinking, at the age of 3,
that I invented the con-
cept of lying. By a bril-
liant thought process, I
figured that I could fib
and avoid the repercus-
sions for something I
had done, because lying
meant that it never hap-
pened. However, by the
time I was 5, I came to
hate lying and to think
of it as the worst thing in
the world. That’s my ear-
liest memory. Weird, but
true!
KW: The Morris Chest-
nut question: Was there
any particular moment
in your childhood that
inspired you to become
the person you are to-
day?
Katt: No, I could only
envision myself doing
something that was im-
portant to people. But
years later, when comedy
came into my life, I was
so ready for it.
I had already watched
the great comics. It had
just never occurred to
me that that was some-
thing I could be doing,
too.
See INTERVIEW on page 11
Information is powerful.
The power is
in your hands.
KW: Was there a mean-
ingful spiritual compo-
that’s
simultaneously
godawful!
Excellent HHHH
Rated R for sexuality,
nudity and pervasive
profanity
Running time: 104 min-
utes
Production Company:
Good Universe / New
Line Cinema / Ramona
Films
Distributor: A24
To see a trailer for “The
Disaster Artist,” visit:
TheSkanner.com.
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