To celebrateMartin Lawrence’s first stand-up specialin 14 years,Martin Lawrence Doin’ Time Uncut, which premiered last month on Showtime, I recently got on the phone with the comedian to talk about getting back on stage. As you might expect with Lawrence, nothing is off-limits, as he talks about everything from sex and relationships toPresident Obama,Bill Cosby, Hollywood and more.
During the interview he talked about his writing process, how he tests out his material, if anything is off-limits, his favorite part of being on the road, what fans always want to talk about, his early career in films likeHouse PartyandBoomerang, what it’s like being friends withEddie Murphyafter being a fan, if he’ll ever direct again, and more. And for fans of theBad Boysfranchise, he confirms they’re hard at work onBad Boys 3. Check out what he had to say below.Martin Lawrence Doin’ Time Uncutis now available on DVD and digital download including iTunes, Amazon, X-Box, and Google Play.
Finally, Martin Lawrence is currently on tour.Click hereto see if he’s playing in your area.
MARTIN LAWRENCE: Steve, how you doing?
COLLIDER: How are you doing sir?
LAWRENCE: I’m good. Thank you.
I have to jump right in, so first of all great to see you back in the ring if you will.
LAWRENCE: Yes, thank you.
Talk a little bit about your writing process. Because it’s been a number of years since your last stand-up special. Have you been writing jokes along the way or was it when you decided to get back in you said, “Okay now I gotta write my material.”
LAWRENCE: Nah, I’ve been writing along the way. I’ve had materials for years that I’ve written down and it was just a matter of time for me to go to the comedy clubs and try them out and stuff like that. So I’ve been writing them down as I go along.
Well talk a little bit about testing your material. I mean certain comics like to go to a smaller club and try things out and see what’s working. But you’re possibly a little too famous to go into a small little room and not have someone with a phone.
LAWRENCE: That’s not true at all. No matter how famous I am I still go to small clubs and work material out and everything else. That’s a treat for everyone else to fans that get somebody on my level to come into a comedy club smoke filled room and bless the mic that night. You know, that’s what I do. I go in those comedy clubs and I work out.
Well talk a little bit about how the material changed. I’m curious about when you first write down a joke…is it pretty much what you write is gonna end up on stage or how much of the material is getting refined along the way?
LAWRENCE: Well it depends, it depends when you try a joke out I mean if it works then it is what it is. But if you try the joke out and then you can better the joke and add something to the joke and make it better then it just all gets better.
Well if you could talk a little bit about the showMartin Lawrence Doin’ Time: Uncutit’s pretty raw. Is there ever a line you refuse to cross or is everything fair game?
LAWRENCE: Fair game for me. I don’t edit myself in my comedy. It’s my one man show and me with a mic that’s what I do. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole stand up career.
Well I want to jump into directing. You directed one thingA Thin Line Between Love and Hateand I’ve always been wondering was getting back as a director something that you’d ever want to pursue or did you just do it once and said that’s enough?
LAWRENCE: Well yeah once is enough for me. I never say never that I wouldn’t do it again but it was one of the hardest things that I ever did. So I learned a lot about it and I learned how easy it’s not. So I’m not in a rush to get back into doing that.
It’s funny I’ve spoken to a lot of people, a lot of actors, and after they direct their first thing they have a whole new appreciation for directors. Is that what happened with you?
LAWRENCE: Exactly.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give people after director your first thing?
LAWRENCE: Be prepared. Be prepared to answer all questions. Be prepared to make decisions for everything.
You’re on the road doing stand-up from now to December. What’s your favorite part of being on the road?
LAWRENCE: The camaraderie with the fellas, with the team. When we go out, go to restaurants, get stuff to eat and just seeing the city and the people and everything.
When you’re on the road are you still writing new material or how does your set change when you’re on the road?
LAWRENCE: Well it doesn’t really change. A joke might get better I might add to it or something like. Or if a joke does come up and we can add it in the show we add it in the show. So I have room to add or take out either way.
Does it ever get old people like me asking you aboutBad Boysmovies?
LAWRENCE: [Laughs] Does it get old. No it doesn’t get old, yet.
I love Joe Carnahan and I’m incredibly excited that there does seem like there’s going to be another bad boys film. What can you tell people?
LAWRENCE: Well I can’t confirm nothing, but ya know we’re working on it. I talked to Joe [Carnahan], talked to Will [Smith], Tom [Rothman] over at the studio. Jerry Bruckheimer. Everybody’s just doing their part trying to make it come together and get the right script.
Yeah, it does seem that the studio is very interested in it. For a number of years you guys have talked about it but it never seemed to really be gaining any momentum, but it really does feel like this actually could be happening.
LAWRENCE: Yeah, and that’s what’s going on.
Can you talk a little bit about meeting Joe [Carnahan] and you know just talking about what you guys want to do.
LAWRENCE: No, well we can’t really get into that. Joe’s a good guy but I just met him for the first time about a month ago and we talked aboutBad Boysfor a minute and that’s about it. I don’t really know too much about him other than that.
Well jumping into other things, early in your career you didHouseparty,Boomerang,Do The Right Thing, you did some of these classic films. When you think back on like the making ofHouse PartyorBoomerangwhat do you remember about making those films? Is there anything that really stands out?
LAWRENCE: Well I was just young and I was new to the game and I was so excited to be part of all that. I was just very happy and eager to get my career going and people to know who I was. You know, just deliver. Become somebody to be reckoned with and that’s why I was so excited about that time.
Did anyone pull you aside back then and sort of like give you any advice that you’ve taken with you throughout your career? Or if you could talk about that.
LAWRENCE: Well people always give me advice in the past saying, “Keep doing what you’re doing. I love what you’re doing. You’re funny man, you funny. You’re gonna do big things.” They would say a lot of things to me, and I would take it and embrace it and let it work for me.
I know that early in your career I know you were a big fan of Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy and now you and Eddie know each other. Can you sort of talk about what it’s like dreaming about making it and all of a sudden being inside of that tornado?
LAWRENCE: Well it’s cool because I watched Eddie [Murphy] over the years and everything that he’s done. I’ve been a big fan and wanted to do what’s done and everything else. Now to know him and know him as a person I’m happy to know he’s not only a great talent but he’s a great man, he’s a great person. So to know that about him personally makes me feel good.
I want to jump backwards. I recently spoke to Michael Bay and he told me a great story about the making ofBad Boys 2and that scene at the doorway where the kid’s coming up to go out on a date and how you and Will basically wouldn’t talk to him and basically were acting in character. He told me some great stories about the making ofBad Boys 2. Can you reminisce a little bit about the first two films maybe what you remember or any highlights.
LAWRENCE: Well it was just a lot of work. I mean working with Michael Bay ain’t no joke. Takes a lot of hard work, a lot of time, time and effort. But it was a lot of fun it was fun the way it all came together and everything. That particular scene he’s talking about yeah me and Will we wasn’t speaking and everything until the scene started. Then we kind of scared the kid a little bit just to get the best out of the scene and it was fun, it was fun.
Yeah, he told me that kid was scared out of his mind. That was really real fear what you see on his face.
LAWRENCE: Yeah, yeah he was a little nervous.
I love stories like that.
LAWRENCE: [Laughs]
Getting back into your special…talk about how long you were writing the material before you realized I want to get on stage. Were you all of a sudden like, “I want to do this” and then two months later you’re on stage? Talk a little bit about how it came together.
LAWRENCE: Well I’ve had material for years so I have material since and then I decide I’m gonna go perform at the Comedy Store or whatever and see how the materials working out. Once I went on at the Comedy Store stuff started working out and I just got back into the rhythm. So I started going every week and it built up into a tour.
I know you did the show in L.A. was that always the intention or were you thinking of other places?
LAWRENCE: We were thinking of other places, but L.A. just worked out.
I’m also very curious about, listen you’ve done so many cool movies throughout your career are you one of these people that has all these ideas in like a desk?
LAWRENCE: Nah, I don’t. I just take it step-by-step moment by moment you know. I deal with whatever I’m dealing with at the time. I don’t try to look past it. I just stick with what I’m doing at the time.
When you’re standing in line and people run into you what is it that people always want to talk about is itMartinis itBad Boys?
LAWRENCE: Just the fact that they love my work and they enjoy all the work that I’ve given them over the years. When am I going to do anotherBad Boysthey can’t wait to see that. They enjoy theBig Mama’s Housemovies things like that.
Talk a little bit about when you’re doing the special are there certain jokes that didn’t make the final cut that you’ve been writing? I’m just sort of curious about the material.
LAWRENCE: Yeah, just the material. I mean some stuff makes it and some stuff doesn’t. Some stuff is funny some stuff is not funny. Some stuff works in certain places for a certain audience, some stuff doesn’t. The stuff that you see now inDoin’ Timethat’s the set, that’s the material.
I know that obviously the way that you present the material in a show you have to decide on the order. So can you kind of talk about how you decide which joke is gonna fit into the set?
LAWRENCE: How I decide where it’s gonna fit it just however I want to set my show up. If I want to talk about sex first, I’ll talk about sex. If I want to talk about getting old I’ll talk about getting old it doesn’t matter, it’s just how I want to set my show up. It doesn’t matter as long as people understand what I’m talking about.
Absolutely. I will thank you so much for your time and I really mean it sincerely. Big fan of your work I really hope that you guys get to make anotherBad Boys.
