Sherri Shepherd
She can you make laugh and entertains us in so many different ways. No matter if she is in a movie, TV show, doing her comedy act, or co-hosting The View, Sherri Shepherd has been there. The rumors have been swirling around that she might replace Rosie O’Donnell or become a permanent part of The View. Sherri speaks on many topics regarding The View, celebrity weight criticisms by the media, trying to work out her marriage, and weighs in on Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger being a celebrity parent herself.
Listen to the Sherri Shepherd CYInterview:
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Chris Yandek: Who’s Your Caddy is a movie where somehow rap and golf come together. What attracted you to this project?
Sherri Shepherd: “Don Michael Paul just wrote a story that I thought was really very touching about a man who’s a rap mogul, and he comes to this country club because he just wants to get some honor brought back to his father who was fired. It’s really touching and very funny. So I thought ok I will audition for it.”
CY: This is a diverse cast that includes Susan Ward and Big-Boi of Outkast. What was working with this cast like?
SS: “We had such a great time after I got over the intimidation of being around Big-Boi. Hey! It’s like oh my gosh. Once I got over that intimidation we just had a great time. Susan was wonderful and she’s beautiful. I think we ate out all the time and we went to movies and Andy Milonakis. We would go to the mall and we had a great time for five and a half weeks.”
CY: Doesn’t seem like the usual movie cast atmosphere.
SS: “Well, you know there were times when we got on each other’s nerves. There was a time where Andy, we would party and then it was like ok everybody go home, get out of my hotel room. I want to sleep. I don’t want to see anybody for three days. We had some breaks in there.”
CY: You have been part of numerous TV shows including Less Than Perfect, Everybody Loves Raymond, Suddenly Susan, and The Jamie Fox Show. What’s the hardest part of being a TV actress?
SS: “Not working. I think that’s probably the hardest part in between jobs. Being an actress is great. You have your ups and you have your downs. When you’re working it’s great. When you are not working oh my gosh we are the worst people to be around.”
CY: Why do you think you are the worst people to be around?
SS: “Because we don’t have any money. No. It’s hard. This is not like nine to five where you go in every day you know. You just put in your time and get your pension. You are always hustling trying to get that next job. In the Screen Actor’s Guild Union, only two percent of the actors out of a hundred percent of the actors are actually working. Everybody thinks you have the Jennifer Anistons and Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolies, but that’s not a lot of people. That’s in the minority. You got your actors out here where we are trying to make a living and pay the mortgage. I think that’s probably the toughest thing for me being an actress.”
CY: Well, I think the thing that separates you from others is that you’ve done TV, you’re doing movies now, and you can always go back to comedy. I think you’ve definitely separated yourself.
SS: “I have been trying. Now I am doing films. That’s a little scary stepping into that pond of water. It’s a step of faith now because I haven’t auditioned for any TV shows. As you said, I want to do film. So we’ll see.”
CY: I think you represent the look of everyday women in this country, but the Hollywood coverage has continued to even criticize the looks of the more petite women in the business. I don’t know how that’s helping young girls who see this stuff. Has it gotten out of control?
SS: “I think it’s absolutely out of control. It’s heartbreaking. The problem is you look at Nicole Ritchie who when she started doing The Simple Life she was a little chubby. She never got any coverage on the red carpet, in the magazines. It was always Paris. When Nicole Ritchie got down to my niece who’s ten years old, her weight of 90 pounds, then all of the sudden she was on the cover of every magazine. You saw pictures of her on every red carpet. She was news. I think that young girls look at this and it’s a lot of the media. It’s a lot of the media’s fault because they put that out there. You have the Olson Twins who darn near look like death walking.
You got young girls looking at this. Then they look at magazines that you have a picture of Beyonce and Janet Jackson, those pictures have been air brushed. This is not reality. It really is play pretend, but girls don’t know this. I think it’s so out of control. I look at Jennifer Hudson, not that she shouldn’t lose weight. I am not getting on anybody. You should be the best you can be health wise. You see girls that were bigger.
They are losing weight. I am losing weight because hey it’s a reality. Sometimes it’s hard to get a job when I am really…really big. I go out there and I say I gotta bust my a**. I gotta bust my butt because they aren’t going to see me for this role at this weight. When people say, ‘Oh you guys have made strides.’ Yeah, well, think again.”
CY: I think when you see Jennifer Hudson on the cover she represents the everyday woman as you do. Do you find yourself ever having trouble landing roles because you aren’t the size of a Paris Hilton for example?
SS: “No. I am not gonna go in with that because Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba and I will not be auditioning for the same roles. You also gotta know as an actor or actress when you try get into this business you have to know where you fit into the puzzle. For me to go I can’t get any roles because Halle Berry is getting them all, Halle and me aren’t the same type. I am not trying to be Paris Hilton’s size, but also if I am going for a certain role no they aren’t going to cast me if I am walking in at 200 pounds.”
CY: We have seen you recently guest co-hosting The View. Some have put you as one of the favorite candidates to replace Rosie O’Donnell. Has Barbara Walters, Bill Geddie, or anyone else called you and said they are considering you to replace Rosie or become a permanent co-host?
SS: “Rosie’s shoes would be hard to fill. I am a size nine. I don’t know what size Rosie wears. I don’t know if they were looking for me to replace Rosie. I think people were looking for me to replace Star’s chair. Rosie, I don’t know if I could follow that woman. I love her to death, but that would be a hard act to follow.”
CY: But has anybody been in touch with you regarding possibly becoming a permanent co-host? I know there were talks a little while ago. People have called you the most notable guest co-host.
SS: “Well. I am going back to co-host on the 23rd and 24th [May]. So I guess if Barbara Walters is around, I will shove a note under her door and go hey, you want to talk? So we’ll see.”
CY: Rosie took The View to a whole new level this year and you were holding your own with her. I think everyone has a right to their own views, but why does the rest of the media care so much about what she says?
SS: “I think Rosie is not afraid to speak her mind. Political correctness, that means nothing to her. She wants to speak her mind. I think she’s passionate about what’s she’s talking about whether you agree with what she says or not. She’s passionate about it and I think you don’t have a lot of that nowadays. You have so many people who hide behind oh I have to be politically correct and I can’t say this and I can’t say that. Then you have a person who says no. This is what I believe. This is what’s in my heart and I care. I think you get that from Rosie so it’s been exciting to watch. I watch The View every day because what’s going to come out of her mouth today so I think that’s what it is.”
CY: Barbara Walters misses that minority voice and we think you bring those mother experiences and comedy that the show is lacking full time.
SS: “Right. When I get on there with Rosie it’s so much fun. Like I tell Rosie all the time, I don’t know how you manage to raise four children, do a cruise, keep your wife happy, the arts and crafts, and be so politically involved. Rosie will give me websites to go to and books to read and my baby just pooped in his diaper. I don’t have time to read all this stuff. It’s nice that I get my little political viewpoint from her, but it’s just nice to sit on that panel with the women and give my life experience.”
CY: You publicly stated on The View you went through a rough divorce. Are you in a better place right now personally?
SS: “I absolutely am. We are in marital counseling right now. I haven’t killed anybody and it’s really been pretty…pretty good. We decided to try and work this marriage out and see what we can do with it. I absolutely believe that God can restore a marriage. I would not like to be on that Alec Baldwin Kim Basinger side. That is what scares me.”
CY: What’s your take on what happened with Alec Baldwin, and does someone in your position feel like your family life is less private being a celebrity?
SS: “Yeah. Absolutely. Thank goodness that I am not on the level that they are on. I told Jeff the only reason why our divorce and cheating stuff didn’t make page one was because we are on the low totem poll of celebrity. They are worried about Brad and Angelina and Alec and Kim so that was great for me. I think it was really…really unfortunate. Anybody that has children, we all say things that we would love to take back. It’s very unfortunate that they filed for divorce in 2002 and here it is 2007 and there is no forgiveness there and there is no moving on. Now you have a little girl that’s in the middle of this drama and it’s so heartbreaking.”
CY: You started as a stand up comedian and have a DVD titled No Refund, No Exchange and people can get at your website www.sherrishepherd.com where anyone can write you and even book you for an appearance.
SS: “It’s my stand-up comedy. I have been doing stand-up since 1991. I had all this material and I said oh gosh let me make a DVD because I was getting so many emails from people asking if I have a DVD. Can I come see you? Because I have my baby, I don’t have the desire to go on the road as much as I did. So I made this DVD No Refund No Exchange. It’s available for anybody to get. I just tell people remember I am a one-man show. I don’t have a distribution company. This is me and my son stuffing envelopes while he’s got a pacifier in his mouth so you won’t be getting it in like five days.”
CY: The comedy industry seems to be very competitive right now. What do you advise someone who wants to be in the industry and stand out?
SS: “It’s very hard. So many people are trying to do comedy because they are trying to get a TV show. If you want to do stand-up comedy eventually when your act is strong enough you will, you must have come to New York or L.A because that’s where you get seen. I think to stand out you have to have a point of view. Nobody wants to hear oh boy, I was on Southwest for 12 hours and they share peanuts. I had a hair weave. You have to have a point of view. The way you have a point of view is your life. What’s going on in your life because no one can copy or imitate your life. That’s what stands out. That’s what makes people in the industry come and say I want to book this person, I want to build a television show around this person because of their point of view about life.”
CY: Finally, after the cancellation of the TV show The Wedding Bells, what’s coming up for Sherri Shepherd?
SS: “It’s so terrible. David Kelly, he’s such an amazing writer. I actually was not a regular on the show. I was a recurring. I had done my episodes and they had aired. It was unfortunate, but thank you David Kelly for the material for my demo reel. So what’s next for me? Like I said, I will be co-hosting The View and my future with The View is up in the air. We will see. I have The Transformers, my movie coming out Fourth of July so I’ll be in that movie. I have Who’s Your Caddy coming out July 28th so thank you for that info. Right now I am just kind of hanging out with my son.”
You can find more information out about Sherri Shepherd and her DVD No Refunds, No Exchange at her official website www.sherrishepherd.com.
Dimension Films in association with BET’s Robert L. Johnson releases Who’s Your Caddy on July 28, 2007.
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