Print
Email
Share
NEW YORK — It’s hard to imagine a breakthrough role more surprising, and startling, than that of John Coffey, the unjustly convicted murderer with extraordinary healing powers played by Michael Clarke Duncan in the 1999 film “The Green Mile.” That performance earned Duncan Academy Award and Golden Globes nominations, and propelled the former ditch digger, stripper and bodyguard into a successful acting and voice-over career.
He’s become a regular in films (“Planet of the Apes,” “Sin City”), TV (“CSI: NY”) and as a voice in animated pictures (“Brother Bear”) and video games (God of War II). Now, in “The Slammin’ Salmon,” the 52-year-old gentle giant — 6-foot-5, 275 pounds — takes on a comic role, playing a former heavyweight champ who owns an upscale restaurant.
Lewis Beale caught the L.A. resident while he was in New York on a publicity tour.
Q. People don’t automatically think “Michael Clarke Duncan — comedy.” What made you want to take on funny stuff?
A. It was the script; it was so well written, and so funny, I wanted to do it. And I wanted to do some comedy, I didn’t want people to just see me as a drama or action guy. I’m not a joke teller, but jokes fly off me really easily. I think comedy is funny with me because I’m not really funny.
Q. Was it tough doing comedy?
A. Some people think it’s harder than drama.I definitely had to adjust. It didn’t come naturally to me. The director told me to just be me, let it go. When they told me that, they gave me free rein to ad-lib, and I felt more comfortable.
Q. Actually, it seems to work because you’re not one of those big guys who comes off as really scary.
A. Some people come off hardcore, but I don’t come off like that. I’m having fun, I have fun with people. And when you study martial arts, you know what you can do to a person, and you don’t have to act that way. That’s the type of attitude I take; I’m cool.
Q. You had been in a few films before “The Green Mile,” like “Armageddon,” but the Stephen King film really established you. What exactly did it do for you?
A. That shot me off like a rocket going into outer space. It was me doing “Armageddon” and then getting “The Green Mile” the next year. The role couldn’t have been more perfect for me. I didn’t think anyone could play that role but me. And once I got that notoriety, well, Tom Hanks (his co-star) told me, “You don’t know what will happen to you; your whole life is about to change.”
Q. You grew up in Chicago, dropped out of college to support your family, and at one point worked as a stripper called Black Caesar.
A. That was back in the day in Chicago. I used to do bachelorette parties. I worked as a bouncer, I was security for other strippers. I had to make money any way I could. Those parties were wild, especially if you didn’t do “extras.” I didn’t do extras, and if you followed a guy who did, they would boo you.
Q. You also worked as a bodyguard in L.A., for stars like Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Jamie Foxx. You’re so big. Did anyone actually try to mess with you?
A. It’s all how you carry yourself. I always wore a suit, was very professional. You talk to people a certain way, you let them know you mean business in a nice way. Nine times out of 10, I never had to put my hands on a person.
Q. You were also supposed to be doing bodyguard work for Biggie Smalls the night he was murdered in 1997. What happened?
A. I had drawn Biggie Smalls, and another guy in my company had Baby Face, who was more my style. I knew rappers like to stay out all night, and I don’t, so I didn’t want to go with Biggie, and me and this guy switched. I quit the business the next day. I was not ready to kill for my client. I was making $800 a night, and it was not worth it. When you’re doing security on a set, it’s different, you’re securing an area, but when you’re working with rappers, they have a violent following. Your eyes and head are always on a swivel.
