Chris Tucker doesn’t believe in offensive, curse-filled comedy. ‘I very rarely curse,’ says the comedian.
Let’s get this straight. Chris Tucker made US$25mil (RM75mil) for Rush Hour 3, making him the highest paid actor in Hollywood at the time (2006).
Prior to that, he made US$20mil (RM60mil) for Rush Hour 2. We’re sure he made a fair bit on his movies prior to that, too — to name just two, there was The Fifth Element (with Bruce Willis) and Money Talks (with Charlie Sheen), both from the year 1997.
Yet, despite that kind of earnings, he still owed Uncle Sam US$12mil (RM36mil) in taxes in 2012.
Although he says the issue’s settled now, how it actually happened in the first place is a mystery. If you took Tucker’s earnings for Rush Hour 2 and 3, and paid off his tax debt, there would still be US$33mil (RM99mil) left.
Where did the US$33mil go? What exactly did Tucker order on eBay? Did he bid for a pink-skinned giraffe? Did he place an order for two Millennium Falcons? Perhaps his Labrador retriever needed a bigger garden … something the size of the Isle of Man perhaps? Just where did the money go?
“Well, you’ll have to come and see my show to find out. I talk about all that,” Tucker says on the phone from Sydney, Australia where he’s done three sell-out stand-up shows, as part of his The Return Tour 2013 .
The show sees him returning to his stand-up roots. Tucker, 41, began his career as a stand-up comedian on the HBO show Def Comedy Jam in the early ‘90s. Now, besides being a movie star, Tucker is also selling out shows all over the world in places like The Middle East and Australia with his stand-up.
“It’s nice to know I’ve got fans all over the world,” he says.
When you speak to Tucker, you expect a loud, motor-mouthed, wise-cracking man on the other end of the line. But what you do get is a relaxed, friendly, affable person who wishes you a hearty “Good Morning,” and discusses comedy seriously.
“Comedy should make you laugh but it should also makes you think,” says the man who won critical acclaim for his performance as a meth addict in last year’s movie Silver Linings Playbook.
Although Tucker is into Eddie Murphy and the late Richard Pryor, he is not into offensive, curse-filled comedy either. “I very rarely curse. Every now and then it might come out, but I don’t rely on it (to carry the show),” he says.
In Tucker’s show, he talks about his own life, relationships and friendships. This includes his famous friends like Michael Jackson.
“I think it’s pretty funny and interesting because nobody knows this kind of stuff about him. I’m in a unique position that I know people like Michael and (ex-US President) Bill Clinton. I talk about things you wouldn’t hear unless you come to my show. So I’m in a unique position,” he says.
For his stand-up shows, don’t expect a James Carter (the wise-cracking detective character he plays in the Rush Hour movies) type-persona prowling the stage, either.
“In the movies, I play characters but when people come to my show, they get to see the real me and they get to see some characters,” he says.
Speaking of Rush Hour, since Tucker successfully negotiated a whopping US$25mil (RM75mil) salary for Rush Hour 3, would he do Rush Hour 4 for US$30mil (RM90mil)?
Tucker says with a laugh: “I don’t know how much (money) I’ll get. That’s not important as getting a good story. We are still looking for the script. Me and Jackie (Chan) want to make the fourth one the best yet.”
Meanwhile, there’s still his stand-up shows to get the laughs going. “It’s going to be lots of fun and lots of energy,” he promises.
Will he heckle anyone? “I don’t normally but you never know!”
Catch Chris Tucker at KL Convention Centre on June 24 at 9pm. Tickets are available at www.ticketpro.com.my, all authorised TicketPro outlets and by phone at 03-7880 7999. Ticket prices start from RM195, plus applicable ticket fees.
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