Interview Exclusive Interview with Robert Ri'chard (Chocolate City) (1 Viewer)

[Neil Middlemiss]

Robert Ri’chard has appeared in a number of film and television projects, including Coach Carter, House of Wax (2005), One on One, Veronica Mars and Meet the Browns. With energy and piercing green eyes, he has an energy and likeable presence on camera, and behind the camera he has been able to roll that energy into interesting projects as producer and co-producer.


For his latest film, Robert Ri’chard is taking it all off and clearly having fun portraying a student struggling to help his mother pay the bills, working extra hours in a diner, and trying to stay on top of his studies. When he’s given the chance to earn the money he needs by stripping at a premiere club, he reluctantly signs up. But soon, he’s the name all the ladies are chanting to see come on stage and do his thing.


Clearly inspired by the success of Magic Mike (something humorously alluded to in the opening moments of the film,) Chocolate City is designed to entertain fans of chiseled and finely formed men with sexy dance routines, as handsome men writhe on stage to the sound of screaming ladies and the shower of money. Magic Mike was based in part on the star of that film, Channing Tatum’s life. Tatum, who worked with Robert Ri’chard on 2006’s Coach Carter, reportedly gave his seal of approval for the project which, alongside Ri’chard, stars international supermodel Tyson Beckford (Zoolander), Michael Jai White (Spawn), Darrin Dewitt Henson (Soul Food the series), DeRay Davis (21 Jump Street) Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day) and a brief appearance by R&B artist, Ginuwine.


Chocolate City arrives on DVD and Digital HD from Paramount Home Entertainment on August 4, 2015.

HTF: I appreciate you taking a few minutes out of your busy day to talk to Home Theater Forum about Chocolate City. So, I imagine this is the kind of movie that a group of people will rent and sit down with popcorn and probably a lot of drinks and enjoy the heck out of for 90 minutes. Is that kind of how you imagine this movie finding even more audiences once it hits on August 4th?


Robert Ri’chard: Man, that's exactly how I imagine it. You have no idea how many feet I've seen in selfies of somebody kicking their feet up watching Chocolate City. It's been amazing. We've got a great film that's entertaining, we've got superstars in the movie, and people are going to enjoy this so much. It's funny, it's sexy, it's a thrill ride, and we made the best film that we could.


HTF: So, tell me about how you became involved in Chocolate City, how'd you get the call?


Robert Ri’chard: One of the producers from Takers (with Chris Brown and T.I.), says, "You know what, you know who would be great in [Chocolate City]? Robert Ri'chard would kill this film." So, they called me and they're like, "Listen, we want you to play the lead character in this stripper movie." And I thought, "Stripper movie, I don't know if I should do all that, sounds like a career killer." But then I realized this is actually God answering my prayers, because ten years ago, they have called and said, "Hey, we want you to do this movie and it's about stepping." I said, "Stepping?" I'm like, "Nah, that don't sound too good," and that movie became Stomp the Yard.


HTF: Which was a good movie.


Robert Ri’chard: Listen I'm like, "Yo, listen to me." I'm like, "Yo, God, if I ever get an opportunity in a film this great, please don't let me pass it up." And so I was like, "Ah, this is the good Lord right here taking care of every one of my prayers." I'm like, "You know what?, I'm definitely excited about Chocolate City."


HTF: You got to work with a really fun cast. I mean, you had a couple of-- the beautiful young girl that plays your girlfriend was in Everybody Hates Chris, as was the diner owner. You were working with Darrin who, of course, was superb on Soul Food, which was a great show - I miss that show - and DeRay Davis playing your brother, so there was just a fine cast all around you. So, talk about what it was like to work among that much really good talent.

Robert Ri’chard: Yeah. I mean, I loved working with DeRay. I mean, seriously the whole brother chemistry in that movie, and this is how we make the sequels, this is how we make the third one. That's his character and my character together. It's kind of like he's the funny brains in the family. I'm playing the younger brother with the hot bod up on stage. And then the whole other cast, like Vivica playing my mom and Imani Hakim playing my girlfriend, Tyson, Michelle, Darrin, Michael Jai White's in it. Carmen Electra's in it. Ginuwine's in the film. We even got a little talent in the movie - Bolo the Entertainer, he's actually an erotic male dancer [?] gets back from the Worlds, and he's also-- I just feel like all the stars aligned when they made Chocolate City, and I'm just glad that I'm at the helm of that.

HTF: So, you started quite young in the business, and throughout your career, you've worked on a bunch of different kinds of entertainment. So, children friendly programming, family friendly sitcoms with your many years on One on One. You've done horror, you've done comedy in Meet the Browns. I always think it's interesting and it's exciting when an actor is willing to work across genres, different types of roles. But I wanted to ask you, really, two questions based on that. Is there a certain genre or style of film or television that most appeals to you? And is there a genre that you haven't done yet, like science fiction or fantasy, but you really want to dip your toe in?


Robert Ri’chard: Yeah, no. I mean, I've been blessed that I have been in so many genres, and it's kind of like how it's been for me my whole life. I played sports my whole life, and I played a lot of sports. I played baseball, basketball, football, and I ran cross country, all that stuff, and so for me it's kind of like the same joy that I got off playing multiple sports I got in playing multiple genres. But I love thrillers though. That's my go-to. My character running, shooting a gun, and carrying a girl to safety, that's my biggest thing. And I was talking like-- you know what movie I want to make? I want me and Ariana Grande to get together and make The Bodyguard redone. With her as the Whitney character and me as the Kevin Costner character. So, that's the thing that I gravitate towards, looking out for a woman, every guy in America would like to do that, and to hear, "Oh, Ri'chard's like my protector." That's the bit that I love (laughs).

HTF: Besides acting, you also have produced, and are producing some interesting pieces. Can you tell me a little about that?


Robert Ri’chard: I'm an L.A. native. A lot of my friends write and direct, and they want to get their stuff out there. I've was raised to pull as you climb. As I extend my career, I'm always trying to pull up somebody who I love along with me, and empower them. That's where that comes from. I just love entertaining America, and I've learned in front of the camera, and obviously I've learned a lot behind the camera as well.


HTF: You've made some great inroads into the industry, but it's one that's notoriously difficult for minorities to break into. And once they break into it, it's hard for them to be offered roles, or for roles to be written for minority characters. It's one of the great challenges and disappointments, so it's great to hear that you want to help others achieve in the industry. What do you see as a possible positive change in the industry in opening up for minority characters? One of the things that I think is probably helping is the change in the entertainment landscape and the amount of great quality television that's being produced, and the more outlets we have for solid, quality entertainment. And with that surely will come more opportunities for minority characters. Do you feel the same way?


Robert Ri’chard: Yeah, man. You're absolutely right. Entertainment at its core is show business. The ‘show’ part, which is the talent and the things that I care about, because I can bring that to the table. The other part is really the ‘business’ and it’s very important for people to put those dollars and their money behind what they're entertained by. If you compare to like a grocery store, if the grocery store knows that the brown eggs sell faster than the white eggs, then they're going to market and advertise brown eggs, organic eggs more, because it just moves off the shelf. Really what they're motivated by is where the dollars are and what's being supported. The same thing goes with television. If you love your favorite show, you've got to hit like buttons on social media, you've got to buy the DVD and you've got to show corporate America that you’re supporting it. So when I make a film, like Chocolate City, we need people to get behind it and support it. And that support of purchasing, buying this project is what's going to make Chocolate City 2 happen.

HTF: So, pretty much put your money where your mouth is. If you want to see more minorities in entertainment, then you've got to support those projects.


Robert Ri’chard: It's a cliché that everyone knows, right? Put your money where your mouth is.


HTF: Of course, the flip-side of that is that people have got to take a chance on projects with minorities in the first place. I think we're seeing a little bit more of that, but the industry still seems to be surprised that films like The Butler and 12 Years A Slave did well, financially and critically.


Robert Ri’chard: If you look at one of the most amazing television sitcoms of all time, we're talking about The Cosby Show - everyone watched The Cosby Show, and that's helped make Martin, Fresh Prince, My Wife and Kids with Damon Wayans; it helped those shows be possible because the predecessor was a highly supported show. And so, as long as you continue to support the shows that you love, with eyeballs and money, you're going to continue to see that sort of lane in entertainment become a boulevard.


HTF: Now, if I remember correctly - because I was a very big fan of My Wife and Kids - you guest-starred on an episode, didn't you?


Robert Ri’chard: Yeah, I sure did. I did My Wife and Kids, I did The Jamie Foxx Show, I played Arnaz on One on One. I loved those shows. And television is really back right now. People are so excited about television. I'm going to get a television show next, because everyone loves television. Whether it's like Orange is the New Black or shows like that, it shows that television right now…that's the lane right there.

HTF: You've got a couple of projects that you're starring in coming up. Kungfused, and Bolden! which I read that you have been working on here in my state of North Carolina. Talk a little bit about that film and where in North Carolina you've been working on that?


Robert Ri’chard: So I've been in Wilmington, North Carolina, and we shot in Atlanta and New Orleans. Bolden! is about one guy named Buddy Bolden who invented modern day jazz music, which essentially meant that he started all of modern day pop music. I kind of compare him to R. Kelly like a hundred years ago. This guy was an amazing musician, a trumpet player, who had his shenanigans; he's dating up a bunch of girls, he's a womanizer, he's beating up people, he's having all these things that are crazy, things we see happen in the media with the R. Kelly types, but a hundred years ago. It's a biopic, and I get to play one of the members in his band, one of his right-hand men, named George Baquet. This movie is epic and is coming out in January. I have another film called The Man in 3B, that's coming out in September. That one’s based on a New York Times best-selling books. It's been a good year, and I just love to talk about how I get to entertain fans in all these different lanes in different genres. I play a killer in The Man in 3B, and I play this clarinet player in Bolden!. Yeah, this is like my dream come true.


HTF: I know you play guitar as you did in One on One, are you a clarinet player as well?


Robert Ri’chard: I play the clarinet. I went to class for ten months and learned how to play all my songs and I've been working on them. All the songs I play on the show I play in real life.


HTF: Well, that sounds like a very exciting project. So, is Chocolate City 2 a certainty, or is it dependent upon people running out, picking up drinks, margaritas, popcorn, and chips, getting groups of people together, and sitting down to enjoy and support the project to make a sequel happen?


Robert Ri’chard: It's already become a reality. Chocolate City 2's gotten approval. We got Paramount as a great partner for the first film, that's partnering on our second film. I got the script about a month ago, and I'm starting to train right now. I'm getting in shape for Chocolate City 2. It's a fantastic script and I love the fact that we get to tell more of the story.


HTF: Well, that's exciting. Robert, it was a pleasure speaking with you today. I wish you the very best of luck with Chocolate City and your future projects. All the best.


Robert Ri’chard: It was my pleasure to hang out with you. God bless you, I love you guys. Go see Chocolate City. It's on DVD August 4th and digital HD. I promise you, you will love this film. Watch it with your friends. Even invite your enemies over, because you're going to make new friends [chuckles].