He's been a rapper for quite some time, but Snoop Dogg is now stretching his legs into acting. One of his biggest roles is in the new movie Starsky and Hutch, opening Friday, playing the lovable pimp Huggy Bear, alongside funnymen Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. During a conference call earlier this week with nationwide collegian publications, Snoop was asked questions ranging from the Bush administration (he's against it) to his action figures to his rap albums. Snoop also had a few things to say about his new movie, too.
There are no cutting corners with Snoop Dogg: of the two, Stiller is the funnier. He also relished the idea that along with Stiller, Wilson and Will Ferrell (who appears in Starsky and Hutch), Snoop might be part of a new comedic Rat Pack, since he also cameoed in Old School. All Snoop had to say was, "I'll be Sammy Davis, Jr."
He seemed to be in a bit of a daze throughout the interview. Perhaps he's just that laid-back, but even his most serious answers seemed to be spoken through a haziness, which just made him funnier. For example, when asked if he consulted with Antonio Fargas (the original Huggy Bear), he said, "I just spoke with him 10, 15 minutes ago about going to London for the Starsky and Hutch premiere." To his credit, he did also say that Fargas pleased with how Snoop portrayed his role.
Hazy or not, Snoop Dogg was fiercely confident in the call. There had been a rumor that fellow rapper Sean "P. Diddy" Combs wanted the role of Huggy Bear, but Snoop blew that off by saying that he had a "slim to none" chance of getting the role. He also talked humbly of being a pop-culture icon: "I just like to entertain people."
Snoop sang the praises and virtues of Wilson, Stiller and Ferrell, saying, "I just like to work with good people...these guys make my job easy." It may not sound like much, but when you're dealing with a guy whose fingers are in so many pies, from acting to music to merchandise, it's hard to stay on one topic.
When asked about Huggy Bear being the hero (or one of the heroes) of Starsky and Hutch attracted him to the role and whether he should have his own movie, Snoop said, "I did like that he's a black guy like myself, playing a fly character, and I do think that Huggy needs to spin off and do his own thing." Snoop also said that there was little question or persuasion needed to get him to be Huggy Bear; he just wanted to be Huggy Bear as soon as he heard about it. He cited Richard Pryor as one of his main comedic influences.
When it comes to his acting in such diverse movies as Half Baked and Training Day, Snoop Dogg said, "I like to lose Snoop Dogg, to where you don't see Snoop Dogg, but you see an actor...the hardest part is transforming into that character on the screen." In Starsky and Hutch, a movie that seems built on low-key improvisation, Snoop didn't want to improv but make things more believable.
Rap music was a big topic, as well as the consumerism and drug innuendo constantly surrounding it. Snoop said, "We do have some rappers who don't talk about weed. It's not all of us, it's just some of us." He also placed a bit of blame on the government for its drug laws. When asked if his quitting marijuana has changed him, he said, "I'll always be Snoop Dogg, whether I smoke weed or not. Whether I do it or not has nothing to do with people's appreciation of my music."
However, Snoop Dogg's music has nothing to do with trying to educate the kids, as he thinks of himself as "being a positive role model, and doing the right things and making the right decisions in my life. My music is an expression of what I'm feeling, and sometimes I feel like an adult."
Josh Spiegel is an entertainment reporter for the Web Devil. Reach him at joshua.spiegel@asu.edu.
