Accomplished actor Anthony Anderson has appeared in over 20 films, and his stellar work on NBC\u2019s \u201cLaw & Order\u201d earned him three of his eight NAACP Image Award nominations. Prior to launching his acting career, Anthony grew up in Los Angeles and attended the High School for the Performing Arts, where he earned first place in the NAACP\u2019s ACTSO Awards with his performance of a classic monologue from \u201cThe Great White Hope.\u201d That performance, along with his dedication to his craft, earned him an arts scholarship to Howard University. He first gained national attention as one of Jim Carrey\u2019s sons in \u201cMe, Myself, & Irene.\u201d Over the years, Anthony has displayed his range of talent in everything from \u201cTransformers\u201d to Martin Scorsese\u2019s Best Oscar Oscar-winning feature film, \u201cThe Departed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His additional feature films include \u201cScary Movie 3,\u201d \u201cBarbershop,\u201d \u201cKangaroo Jack,\u201d \u201cExit Wounds,\u201d \u201cCradle 2 the Grave,\u201d \u201cTwo Can Play That Game\u201d and \u201cMalibu\u2019s Most Wanted.\u201d He starred opposite Eddie Griffin and Michael Imperioli in \u201cMy Baby\u2019s Daddy,\u201d alongside Frankie Muniz in \u201cAgent Cody Banks 2\u201d and enjoyed a cameo in \u201cHarold and Kumar Go to White Castle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anthony brought his talent and humor to the small screen in his own sitcom, \u201cAll about the Andersons,\u201d which was loosely based on his life. He appeared in the police-drama television series, \u201cThe Shield,\u201d opposite Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close, and starred in the New Orleans-based drama \u201cK-Ville.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anthony is currently starring on three TV series, \u201cGuys with Kids,\u201d \u201cTreme\u201d and \u201cGolf in America,\u201d and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Alvina, and their two children. Here he talks about hosting the United Negro College Fund\u2019s 34th Annual \u201cAn Evening of Stars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kam Williams: How ya\u2019 been, Anthony? It\u2019s great to have another opportunity to speak with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anthony Anderson: Hey, Kam. I\u2019m alright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: I wanted to say congratulations on your eighth NAACP Image Award nomination, this time for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy TV Series for \u201cGuys with Kids.\u201d You got my vote again, as a member of the nominating committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: Thank you. Maybe one day I\u2019ll win one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: What interested you in hosting the UNCFs\u2019 Evening of Stars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: You know what, they reached out to me to host, and I couldn\u2019t turn them down. I\u2019d grown up watching the show with my parents every year back when it was hosted by Lou Rawls. We didn\u2019t have much money at all, but my folks always found a way to give a little. And now, here I am 30 years later with a $25,000 United Negro College Fund scholarship in my name. That\u2019s something that interested me as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: Will that scholarship specifically go to a student at your alma mater, Howard University?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: No, I didn\u2019t want them to think I was biased, even though I am. I haven\u2019t figured out whether we\u2019re going to give it all to a single student, or break it and give it to five different students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: What did attending Howard University meant to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: It meant everything. This is the sort of creative energy you could find on campus when I was a student there: Paula Jai Parker, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Wendy Davis, Carl Anthony Payne, Sean P. Diddy Combs, Ananda Lewis, Laz Alonso, Lance Gross, the music of the group Shai, and the list goes on and on. We were all there at the same time. For all of us to then go off in our respective fields independently of one another and become successes can\u2019t even be quantified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: What are the major challenges facing the Historically Black Colleges and Universities today? Is there any truth to the rumor that they are having a hard time finding black male students?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: I would assume so, and I say that because only about 5% of African-Americans who graduate from high school are college ready. And only 28%<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of that 5% eventually graduate from college with a bachelor\u2019s degree. You asked specifically about African-American males. When I was in college, the ratio was 7 females for every male on campus. So, that\u2019s been the case for a long time, but I don\u2019t know what the reason is for that drastic difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: You\u2019re currently starring on the series \u201cGuys with Kids\u201d and \u201cTreme,\u201d as well as hosting \u201cGolf in America.\u201d How do you manage to juggle all that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: They all shoot in different locations but at different times, fortunately. So, I\u2019ve been able to work everything out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: No. Why do you have one in mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: Nope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: Let me think\u2026 Nobody\u2019s ever asked me, \u201cIf you could have a superpower, which would you choose?\u201d I\u2019d like to have the ability to make money whenever I need it. [Laughs] What I\u2019d really like is to be able to fly because I love freedom, and being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: Hmm, that\u2019s a good one! Dr. Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: Another good one! Happiness is a state of mind. Most people automatically assume that we\u2019re happy because we\u2019re famous and some of us are rich. But material things don\u2019t make you happy. And the more success you achieve only amplifies who you are as a person. If you\u2019re miserable, you\u2019re just going to be miserable and rich and famous. I know people like that. I have friends who are that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: Late night Taco Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AA: 50 Shades of Grey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n