Native New Yorker Tracy Morgan was born in Brooklyn on November 10, 1968 and raised in the Bronx where he attended De Witt Clinton High School. He started doing standup as a teenager and was discovered in 1984 at the Apollo Theater on Amateur Night which kickstarted his showbiz career on the comedy circuit. He eventually landed a recurring role on the Fox sitcom \u201cMartin,\u201d which by 1996 he had parlayed into a gig as a member of Saturday Night Live\u2019s ensemble cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the course of his seven season tenure on SNL<\/em>, the irrepressible funnyman introduced a variety of colorful characters, including Brian Fellows, Astronaut Jones and Woodrow. He also became known for his impersonations of pop culture icons like Al Sharpton, Mr. T, Star Jones, Aretha and Mike Tyson. In 2003, he left SNL<\/em> in order to star on his own sitcom, The Tracy Morgan Show. Meanwhile, he began appearing on the big screen in such films as Head of State<\/em>, The Longest Yard<\/em>, Little Man<\/em> and First Sunday<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Currently, Tracy is co-starring opposite Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin on the hit NBC series \u201c30 Rock.\u201d And back in January, he delivered the most memorable speech of the awards season at the Golden Globes (http:\/\/www.nbc.com\/golden-globes\/video\/clips\/30-rock-wins\/926745\/<\/a>) when he accepted the Best Comedy Award on behalf of the entire cast, explaining that \u201cTina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on. Welcome to post-racial America! I am the face of post-racial America. Deal with it, Cate Blanchett!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, Tracy talks about his new movie, G-Force<\/em>, where he does the voice of Blaster the guinea pig, an animated character. The film revolves around a crack squad of FBI-trained animals called upon by the U.S. Government to put a stop a diabolical billionaire bent on world domination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kam Williams<\/strong>: Hi Tracy, thanks for the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracy Morgan<\/strong>: Wassup?<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What interested you in doing G-Force<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Let\u2019s see\u2026 Walt Disney\u2026 Jerry Bruckheimer\u2026 Nicolas Cage and everybody else involved. I thought it would be cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Was it hard on you playing an animated character and being restricted to doing a voiceover?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: No, actually it wasn\u2019t. People recognize my voice, and that\u2019s what you want. And I\u2019m not the first person to ever do this. I mean, Eddie Murphy\u2019s done it\u2026 Martin Lawrence has done it\u2026 Seinfeld\u2019s done it\u2026 Chris Rock has done it\u2026 so I wanted to make the most of my opportunity to do it. And I had fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Laz Lyles was wondering who you based Blaster on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I wanted Blaster to be a part of Tracy Morgan. So, I just kept it simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Attorney Bernadette Beekman points out that a PG-rated kiddie adventure marks a bit of a departure for you, since most of your comedy shtick has been adult-oriented. How did you enjoy the change of pace? <\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I loved it because I have nieces and nephews, and little cousins, and it\u2019s not often that you get a chance to be the cool uncle. So, I made this for my nieces and nephews and other young people I know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Did you spend any time on the set during the shooting of the film\u2019s live-action sequences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Actually, no I didn\u2019t. They would just fly me in and I\u2019d go into the studio to lay down my vocal tracks and mix it up with Hoyt [Director Hoyt Yeatman]. He would direct me and share his vision of the film with me. But I never visited the set of G-Force. We kept it simple like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: How did you like the final cut when you saw how Hoyt had blended your voice and all the animation in with the live-action?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I just went to see the movie yesterday, and I thought it was beautiful. And in 3-D, the special effects were awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What is G-Force\u2019s message?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: That at the end of the day, family is everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What type of audience do you expect it to attract?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Kids! Families! Young adults! Older adults! It\u2019s universal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Are you planning to do a Brian Fellows movie, or to make a spin-off of any of your other SNL<\/em> characters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: No, absolutely not. I\u2019ve been off Saturday Night Live<\/em> for seven years. Why would I do that now? I have a very busy career. Whatever I did on Saturday Night Live<\/em> is going to stay and remain on Saturday Night Live<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I understand. I see that you\u2019ll soon be starring in a remake of Death at a Funeral<\/em> with Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s going to be awesome. Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence are a couple of my heroes in terms of show business and comedy. I\u2019m grateful just to get to work with them again because they\u2019re both brilliant guys. I really appreciate their allowing me to be funny in the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Yeah, it\u2019s like a reunion for you, because you worked with both of them earlier in your career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Yep, it\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Bobby Shenker wants to know which character you\u2019ll be playing in Death at a Funeral?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: My character\u2019s one of the close friends of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: [Thinks about it] No, reporters ask you pretty much everything. They\u2019ve pretty much covered the bases with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I\u2019m happy, but then sometimes I\u2019m not. I\u2019m a human being. I feel all emotions. I\u2019m not just happy all the time. Sometimes, I\u2019m sad and feel the blues. Sometimes I even want to feel the blues. Sometimes, you want to feel down. I\u2019m human, and human beings change more than the weather. So, sometimes I\u2019m happy, sometimes I\u2019m sad. I\u2019m just honest about my feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I loved your Golden Globes acceptance speech. How did you come up with the idea for what you said? <\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: It wasn\u2019t pre-planned or anything like that. It was just a speech that came from the heart, and I just wanted to share how I felt at that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Bobby Shenker also had a couple of questions about 30 Rock. He asks how working on it is different from SNL and what it\u2019s like working with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: First of all, it\u2019s prime time and single camera. We tape it everyday, while SNL was live. As for working with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, I had already worked with both of them on SNL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Yeah, I\u2019m afraid sometimes. I\u2019m a human being. I feel all the emotions. I think it\u2019s good that I get scared, because if you never get scared, you don\u2019t have any need for guts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Teri Emerson would like to know, when was the last time you had a good laugh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM: The last time I had a good laugh? Hmm\u2026 [Pauses to reflect] I\u2019d have to say the last time I read something about me that wasn\u2019t true in the [New York] Post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The music maven Heather Covington question: What music are you listening to nowadays? <\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Right now, I\u2019m listening to Bob Marley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I\u2019m not much of a reader. I don\u2019t read books. Most of the time I\u2019m reading people, because I\u2019m from New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Are from Brooklyn or the Bronx? I\u2019ve read articles saying both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, but I grew up in the Bronx once my parents divorced. My father lived in the Bronx while my mother lived in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I went to high school in Bed-Stuy near Nostrand Avenue and Eastern Parkway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Yeah, I know where that\u2019s at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What has been the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Racism! The politics of it, man. More than the racism, the politics. And there\u2019s politics in any and everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Rudy Lewis question: Who\u2019s at the top of your hero list?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: My father, Jimmy Morgan. He\u2019s my hero. He died in 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: I\u2019m sorry to hear that. The Laz Alonso question: How can your fans help you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: By just laughing. They don\u2019t have to do much. Just open up and laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: What do I see when I look in the mirror? I see Tracy Jamal Morgan. I see my history, I see my present. And I like to think I\u2019m looking at the future. I\u2019m looking forward to the future, because I have a lot to look forward to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What is your favorite meal to cook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Cowboy food. Pork and beans, and franks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Don\u2019t follow in my footsteps. Make sure to blaze your own trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: How do you feel about Barack Obama\u2019s becoming President of the United States?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: As long as he\u2019s a strong powerful leader who can take the people in the right direction, I\u2019m with it. I\u2019m not really hung up on black or white, as long as he\u2019s a good leader, not just a politician. And so far, I\u2019d say he\u2019s proving he\u2019s a good leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: How do you want to be remembered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: As a funny mother-[expletive. \u201cHere lies a funny mother-[expletive].\u201d That\u2019s it. That\u2019s what I want on my tombstone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: \u201cRealtor to the Stars\u201d Jimmy Bayan was wondering, where in L.A. you live?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I don\u2019t have a place in L.A. I live in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Are you still doing standup comedy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Absolutely! Why would I ever let that go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: We\u2019re out of time, but I had so much more ground I wanted to cover with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Look, you\u2019re not going to find out everything about me in one interview, dude! I\u2019m 40 years-old. It would take you 40 years. I think we\u2019re good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: True, I appreciate the time, Tracy. Thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: I appreciate it, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: Best of luck with the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TM<\/strong>: Alright, later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To see Tracy Morgan\u2019s acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, visit: http:\/\/www.nbc.com\/golden-globes\/video\/clips\/30-rock-wins\/926745\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n