Durban - In just three months, award-winning actor and comedian Chris Tucker will make his way to South African stages as part of his international tour for his stand-up show.
Best known for his role as Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour films, Tucker will perform in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town in November.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent on Saturday, the US comedian said he’d been to more than 14 African countries and he was excited to be coming back to South Africa.
“I’ve had a lot of great experiences throughout the continent so I definitely have a lot to talk about in my shows when I perform there.”
Tucker’s first stand-up film, Chris Tucker Live, was released on Netflix in 2015.
Speaking about what made him get back into stand-up, he said: “I started out doing stand-up so it’s my foundation. It’s what’s helped me get to where I am today and get into films. It gave me the confidence I needed. And with movies, you get to act and play different characters.
“I always put a lot of me in the characters, but with stand-up, it’s real life. It’s all me. I enjoy both and it’s both intertwined and it gets my creative side flowing.”
Asked what happens if the audience doesn’t laugh or respond too well to his material, Tucker says: “Oh man, you keep going and you just keep talking. You need to find something that connects with the audience, keep searching. And I prepare ahead of time, so I know what works and what doesn’t work. You need to always prepare.”
Tucker is involved in philanthropic work through the Chris Tucker Foundation.
Asked if he would be visiting any of the foundations here in South Africa during his visit, he said: “I hope so. If time permits, but at the moment, there are no plans yet.”
* Chris Tucker will perform at the Durban ICC Arena on November 9. Tickets range from R345 to R2 000 at Computicket.