In this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and co-host Jasmin Leigh sit down with comedian, actor, writer, and game show host Anthony Anderson. There result is a lively and entertaining start to 2020. The topics are wide-ranging -- spanning Anderson's journey from Compton to Hollywood, his rough start as a standup comic, and his huge breaks (first being cast in the film "Life", alongside Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, and Bernie Mack, then, only a year later, landing "Me, Myself & Irene" with Jim Carey). Later in the hour, Anderson shares an amazing story of a meeting with Martin Scorsese that led to his role in the movie "The Departed", and details a life-changing realization he had in Australia, while working on the film "Kangaroo Jack."
Finally, the trio discusses in length everything surrounding the creation and evolution of Anderson's multi-award-winning sitcom Black-ish, dealing with social issues that so many other shows over the years have shied away from. Anthony also tells a few of his own Prince stories, giving us an idea of what it was like having the honor of being invited to one of the mega-star's legendary parties.
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Interview timing:
1:51 -- Talib: "So,...straight outta Compton. Crazy Motherf*cker named Anthony...tell us about your journey from Compton to the bright lights of Hollywood."
4:50 -- Anthony expresses his thankfulness, being a symbol of inspiration to his community as one of the lucky ones to achieve success, growing up in Compton during it's most tumultuous of times.
6:44 -- Anthony tells the story of his disastrous start as a stand-up comedian, the advice Guy Torry gave him, and how he learned from that failure to succeed later in life.
13:24 -- Talib asks Anthony what lessons he took away from his experiences early in his career, working with some of the all-time greats such as Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and Bernie Mac in the movie "Life".
17:12 -- Anthony shares what it was like working with Jim Carrey, and the Farrelly brothers on the movie "Me, Myself & Irene." He describes learning the "element of specificity" in comedy from Jim. He also speaks on his tutelage under Ozzie David and Ruby Dee.
21:51 -- Anthony tells an incredible story of all the factors that lined up for him to land his part in Scorsese' Oscar-winning film "The Departed."
26:47 -- Talib asks Anthony about working on the film "Kangaroo Jack," for which he won a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for "Favorite Fart." He shares a "Life" changing epiphany he had while living in Australia, shooting the movie for seven months.
33:15 -- Anthony speaks on his hit series "Black-ish." Talib asks him if he had any clue that it would become the cultural phenomenon that it did. Anthony goes on to explain how the show came together, with a focus on honesty and authenticity being paramount, and Talib gives his reasons why he feels it's one of the most important shows on television.
42:20 -- The trio break down and react to black stereotypes in modern-day society.
45:32 -- Talib mentions how special the relationships were with the people he started out his career with, and asks Anthony what it's been like watching the young actors on Black-ish grow up on the set of the show.
49:49 -- Anthony details Tracee Ellis Ross' casting call for Black-ish. He also tells a behind-the-scenes moment at the Vibe Awards that they hosted together, which resulted in Tracee holding a grudge against Anthony for quite a while.
53:33 -- Anthony talks about how important he felt it was to tackle the "N-Word" subject so early on in the series.
55:42 -- Anthony asks Talib, as a member of the hip-hop community if he feels culpable to some extent in aiding non-blacks to feel comfortable using the N-Word.
1:00:08 -- The trio go on to discuss the theory of "intersectionality" -- leading different groups to find common ground in their marginalization and standing up for one another.
1:01:23 -- Talib asks Anthony if he agrees with all the approaches of how they deal with social issues on Black-ish, zoning in on the hot-button topic of corporal punishment. They also discuss the iconic "Lemon" episode, addressing the Trump election.
1:14:24 -- Anderson tells about his friendship with Prince and how that inspired the Prince-themed episode of "Black-ish." He also tells multiple fascinating stories about being invited to party with Prince and what a late-night hang with the legend would sometimes look like.
1:22:15 -- Talib asks Anthony important he feels historically black collages are, himself being a Howard University graduate.
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