Interview: Notorious Star Jamal Woolard

Jamal Woolard wasn't exactly a nobody when he was selected to play Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., in this weekend's Notorious. He had made a small name for himself with his stage name Gravy, and became a little notorious himself when he was shot just before recording an interview at the New York radio station Hot 97.

But still, when Woolard walks in a room, he's got the demeanor of a guy who has struck lightning, and is holding on to it for all it's worth. When we spoke a month ago, the publicity whirlwind hadn't really kicked in for Notorious, but I imagine he's feeling just as overwhelmed right now, with his face on posters all across the country. Woolard spoke with me and other journalists at a New York recording studio, talking about his connection to B.I.G., their similarities coming up from poverty in Brooklyn, and how what happens on Jan. 20 in Washington is his biggest priority of all.

Were you intimidated by the fact that you were playing this icon?

No! I feel good girl! [To prepare] I just went to Biggie boot camp, and I just built that myself. Put it into my brain. I just wanted to go eat, and get big-- the manners, the behavior, the voice lessons. I went and got Willie Nelson's greatest hits, because they said, one of the things is Mrs. Wallace loved country music. I wanted to be just that far in. I didn't want no flaws. I studied both albums from front to back, every lyric. I was already a rapper anyway, so it was easy to do. I made sure I was talking to Faith daily. The footage online, I couldn't get Christopher. I was only getting Notorious B.I.G.

What do you remember most about his music, and how did it impact you?

The closest I got to Big was the funeral, sad to say. Just coming from Brooklyn, man, he put a dent on that game. We tried to follow him. He was our hope, he was our everything, and when we lost him, we felt like we lost everything there is.>

How was seeing the movie for the first time?

My eyes teared up at the end. My wife grabbed me and was just like, I'm so proud of you. She knew my struggle. It meant a lot. Just knowing-- I've been through some things in life with my woman, and seeing Big and how he treated women. I had my own little incidents, and he had the incident, and I'm looking at him now. The realness of it, and how strong a woman she was to say 'I'm proud.'

How is to be be bringing this legacy to the next generation?

i feel like I'm the chosen one. Not conceited or arrogant at all, just humble and just enjoying my life.

So what do you want to do next?

I want to have fun, man. I just want to live. Just being in y'alls presence is enough for me. I want to do everything. But mostly I'm focusing on acting right now. I'm trying to focus on the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is the first black president. I'm trying to go to the inauguration.

What does it feel like seeing your face on billboards in Times Square?

I'm just happy. It's a blessing. I'm just living with this man's legacy. I just want you to feel like he's still here. I don't want you to forget about him. If you ask the new kids 'Who's the king?' they might say 50. They don't know. They're lost. You've gotta know. B.I.G. B.I.G. bought the swag, the shades-- the lifestyle. There wouldn't be nothing without B.I.G. He's the Shakespeare of rap.

You brought a level of humanity to the role. What did you do tap into that?

That's a god gift, man. Maybe I'm just the right one for the job. B.I.G. was a hell of a role to play. He wore many hats, as one person. I don't know what was in my mind. The footage was not giving up nothing. For B.I.G. to actually take off his shades and talk to you... I didn't know what he was like when he kissed, what he liked to eat, how he liked to act. I just had to do me and feel like I was doing the right thing. I didn't know. I just tried my best to get my point across. Like I said, the bulk of it, coming from Brooklyn, coming from struggle. Real recognizes real. You know how to make salad dressing when you're broke-- mayonnaise and ketchup. You're used to it, every day.

A lot of people who portray someone onscreen who has passed away, they talk about feeling their presence. Did you have any moments like that?

The whole movie. The whole movie I felt like I was speaking through him. The whole movie, just the way it comes off. I cried, man. it's just too deep. The way George shot that, my first time seeing it yesterday-- wow. It took me by storm. It's a movie, like a real movie. It's the life story of Christopher Wallace. I think we delivered that perfectly. I hope it touched you.