Comic jokes on the big screen

Tommy Chunn picks on the big guys.

Actor Ving Rhames, boxer Mike Tyson and rapper Ice Cube get the brunt of his jokes.

“I look like those guys,” Chunn said. “I'm kind of husky, so I do characters that are close to my natural look. I don't look like Urkel, you know.”

Chunn will perform Friday at the Shark Club's “First Funny Fridays” comedy series.

We caught him in between sets picking up food. Here's what he had to say about his latest film project and some others:

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about the film?

A. Uh, no.

Q. Really? You can't say if it's an action or comedy?

A. It's like action, drama and comedy. I get shot in the movie. I'm dead.

Q. How far into the movie?

A. I can't really say. I have to keep it on the low-low. But I can tell you about some other movies I did. I'm in “Chicago Pulaski Jones,” a film about a young championship dancer who is forced to avenge the death of his uncle. That's with Cedric the Entertainer, Tommy Davidson and Kel Mitchell. It's Cedric's directorial debut. It's coming out in the fall. I'm in another movie called “Hollywont,” where they spoof Hollywood movies like “Scream.” And I'm playing Ice Cube in “XXX: State of the Union.” I'm spoofing him.

(Chunn's voice drops a few octaves, and he starts impersonating Ice Cube.)

“Like Ice Cube be doin' everything in every movie,” he said.

Q. How'd you land that role?

A. They actually requested me because I do Ice Cube in my stand-up. I didn't have to audition.

Q. Honestly, what did you think of “XXX”?

A. I laughed. My joke about him … I love Ice Cube as a rapper, but as an actor he's the same guy in every movie. In “Friday” and other movies like “Anaconda” … (Chunn flips into Cube mode) “You mean they've got snakes this big?” … Everything sounds the same. He was in N.W.A. and taught us how to survive South Central, now he's an actor. In L.A., you can become whatever you want.

Q. That is the beauty of Los Angeles.

A. Yeah, you can become a rapper or an actor.

Q. What about you? You were originally from Detroit.

A. I had to leave because of my career. It was either New York or L.A., and I was tired of the snow.

Q. When did you get into acting?

A. I did “I Got the Hook Up” with Master P and that's when I got my (Screen Actors Guild) card back in 1999. After that I did “Foolish” with Eddie Griffin.

Q. Do you prefer the acting side of your career?

A. Yes, I want to get more into acting. One feeds into the other. You get into more movies and then you get more notoriety as a stand-up.

Q. Will you eventually branch out into serious roles?

A. I want to do some serious roles. I get calls for comedy. This movie is probably my first serious thing, except it's kind of funny.

Q. How so?

A. I'm dead like the entire part of this movie. And they're driving around with me dead in the car.

Q. Ah, now you're sharing?

A. Yeah. Well, you know. Acting is really what I want to do. The next natural role for a stand-up comic would be a sitcom, but networks stopped giving out many development deals because they're doing a lot of reality shows. Comedy has always been in me. I love words and people. … Well, not people. I'm really hating people right now. I used to love people.

Q. OK?

A. It's my natural calling to be social.

Q. Is the transition from acting to stand-up difficult?

A. It is. In stand-up, you've got to stand up on stage and be tight with what you're saying. If a comic doesn't get on stage for a few weeks, he'll get spacey. In acting, you're taking someone else's lines and embellishing those lines. You can get lazy with acting. Stand-up is the hardest thing in the world next to boxing.

Q. Why boxing?

A. It's like you're in a fight when you're on stage. You've got to be thinking on your feet, remember your material and be able to respond spontaneously to other people. And you've got to be original. Stand-up comedy is stressful. When people pay you to come to town, they don't want you working on new stuff. They want you to be polished.

Contact the writer:

444-1075, j.loza@owh.com