While '
Everybody Hates Chris,' nobody hates
Tichina Arnold. The veteran actress of ‘Martin’ fame currently plays the role of Rochelle on UPN’s and Chris Rock’s breakout show. Arnold recently won a NAACP Image Award for outstanding actress in a comedy series for her characterization of Rochelle.
We went Off Topic with Tichina to talk about the 80s and what was really going on between Pam and Martin all those years.
We all know you can sing from the ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘Martin’ days. Any singer you would ever want to play in a movie?I would love to play somebody strong. A strong black woman like
Gladys Knight or
Nina Simone.
Besides being really funny, ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ is a tribute of sorts to the 80s. What do wish would come back from the 80s and what do you hope never comes back?Shoulder pads. I don’t want them to come back. I looked through all my pictures in the 80s and I was like what the hell was I thinking. In all my outfits, good God.
I would love to bring back my Mustang. It was a red Mustang. A convertible Mustang. Good music. The 80s were weird. In the early 80s, we didn’t have ‘Video Music Box’ yet. All we had was MTV so we watched
Cyndi Lauper. So I grew up off all these different white groups and it’s so weird now hearing all these old songs and singing along with them. All the young black kids are like, huh, how do you know that? This is all we had.
What would a show about your childhood be called?‘The Yenta.’ I was a busy body. I was just all over the place. I was a very high energy kid which is one of the reasons my mother was like you have to go in show business. Real busy, a lot like my child now. I’m getting it back 10 times worse. My mom said when I was a little baby I would just walk into people’s houses. I didn’t have a shy bone in my body.
What was really behind all the beef between Pam and Martin?The way my character developed on Martin was because of the way we used to joke off camera. We would crack on each other off camera and it clicked. Martin, he’s just an incredible comedian and he’s somebody you just have to roll when he rolls. Martin taught me how to keep on my toes. Keep my chops up. Think quickly on my feet. That relationship between our characters just totally came from us kicking it.
Who are you the most like? Rochelle from ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ or Pam from ‘Martin,’ or Sharla Valentine your character on ‘All My Children?’I would say I’m more close to Pam. Rochelle was more like my mother, my aunt, my grandmother. I pulled from them and how they raised me. But I’m more like Pam. I’m snooty tooty as well. I like certain things. Snapping and going back and forth, being witty.
What’s the biggest difference between being a working actress and a working mom actress?It’s an extra title. I tell people all the time, I might work a 16 hour day but I got to go home and wipe somebody’s butt. I may go to the Grammys and all these huge functions but someone is at home waiting for me to wipe her butt. That’s the highlight of my day! It’s rewarding.
