Spiral marked a departure in Chris Rock’s decades-long film career. Moviegoers are used to seeing the comedy legend as the funny guy, not the intense lead of a horror thriller. And in the movie he was able to show audiences his serious side without compromising his comedic timing. But the role punctuated a gradual shift in Rock’s Hollywood career. Rock revealed the one aspect of Hollywood that’s changed for him between Lethal Weapon 4 and Spiral.
Chris Rock has spent the last few years shifting away from being funny to more dramatic roles. Of course, the comedian has been more than capable of handling those roles. So, the parallel between Lethal Weapon 4 and Spiral makes sense. Rock said about his Hollywood journey:
As I get older I realize there’s definitely some roles I’m just not going to get anymore. So, you know, you see me playing the veteran cop. I used to be the young cop. In Lethal Weapon 4, I have Max’s part, you know what I mean? So, I’ve gone from basically playing Max to playing Danny Glover. I’ll probably never play the Max part again unless I’m acting against Morgan [Freeman] or something. But I’m good with it. You get older. The next time I’ll be the Sam [Jackson] part. So, there you go.
The comedian seemed to embrace the evolution in his acting career at this point in his life. As Chris Rock pointed out, certain roles are in his rearview now as he now enters the middle point of his career. Being the comedic relief in Lethal Weapon 4 and a straight man in Spiral showed his growth as an actor after being in entertainment for four decades. At least, Rock is looking forward to becoming the next Morgan Freeman or Spiral co-star Sam Jackson in his later years.
During his interview with Kinowetter, the Spiral star spoke more on his evolution as an actor in Hollywood. Chris Rock admitted success in the entertainment business came easy early on in his career. He mentioned not feeling like his time to get certain roles were limited. Coming off the success of Saturday Night Live, Rock found immense success in film and television before his comedy specials and his hit HBO series The Chris Rock Show pushed him into the mainstream. But his career has taken many twists and turns over a decades-long career.
But Chris Rock’s evolution to roles in projects such as Spiral and Fargo has been a welcomed surprise to viewers. Growing out of those “rookie” roles hasn’t stopped Rock’s career from moving forward as evident by his upcoming projects. Hopefully, Rock will continue to evolve as his career rolls on. To see Rock in the new phase of his career, you can currently watch Spiral in theaters.
