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The tagline: "In marriage, no one can hear you scream," sums up the feelings of Richard Cooper (Chris Rock) in "I Think I Love My Wife." These sentiments are played out by Rock as a man bored with his married life and finds himself at a crossroads when an old flame comes back to town to tempt him away from everything he knows. Although the film doesn't open until March 16, the Phoenix caught up with Rock while he was in Chicago.Seeing him clad in a smart green sweater, casually sitting on the couch, you'd never guess that this is the same man known for his shouting antics and high energy. He exudes calmness. His jokes are even funnier in person, but instead of hammering you over the head with insight, they're more relaxed, almost side notes. His presence is a reminder of his depth.
Phoenix: You take a turn for the dramatic in this film. How does that feel compared to what you're used to playing?
Chris Rock: I know this doesn't make any sense, but because I was more dramatic, it led to more funny scenes.
Phoenix: So, this was based off of an older movie?
CR: An old movie called "Chloe in the Afternoon." I believe it [was released] in '68.
Phoenix: What were your experiences with the first film?
CR: It was just a movie I bumped into. I was looking through the aisles of Tower Records - remember that place? It's like the Charlotte Hornets or something. They used to be a team. No Bobcats. Anyway, I probably bought 20 foreign movies that day, and this one had a naked girl on the cover so … so I watched the one with the naked girl on the cover and loved it. I called up Louis C.K., and got him a copy of it. He loved it. And it's a drama, but we both saw where the comedy could go and there you go.
Phoenix: This is your second time in the director's chair. So what's it like this time around as opposed to the first? What's different?
CR: I think [this] movie is better than the last one. I think [this] movie looks better than the last one. The camera is moving. I got better actors in this one. I think the last time I directed, I was just shooting jokes; I mean there's some good stuff in "Head of State," but I was just shooting jokes, I didn't care about the "movie" of it all. This one I'm trying to tell the story but also visually at the same time.
Phoenix: How does this film relate to your married life?
CR: Just like it. No, A little details here and there, like spelling [words] around the kids and "The Wiggles" on TV, crap like that.
Phoenix: So then who were you channeling to get into the role of the conflicted husband?
CR: Most of my friends are married and we all commiserate - but lovingly commiserate - that's the thing single people don't understand, how you can be both miserable and happy at the same time. Single people are all like, "Why don't you leave?" and we're like, "Are you crazy?!" It's like a composite of all these married guys in this movie.
Phoenix: Throughout the movie, there's this other theme about what it means to be growing up as a black family in a primarily white environment. Do you want to talk about that a little bit?
CR: It's more like the middle class. This guy's got some money, so he's around white people. One of the movies that I watched a lot while we sat down and wrote was "Lost in Translation." It's weird, to me, "Lost in Translation" is like the blackest movie ever. It really captures like what it's like to be black and middle class in America. It's like, "Oh, that's odd. We're kind of in a foreign country." That's how I feel a lot.
Phoenix: How do you think this movie will relate to many college students?
CR: It's weird. I always say when I'm talking to movie studios, "Kids will see adults, but adults won't see kids." When I was a kid, I saw adult things. It's easy to get adult things, it's not that foreign. It's not like, "I don't understand what's going on. Where are the tits? How come no one is [expletive] a pie?" I think that it's the relationship because even in college you have the relationship - you're not married, but it's married to you - and there's a lot of temptation in college and how you deal with it.
Phoenix: What were some of your favorite moments when filming this movie?
CR: Like all of the Steve Buscemi stuff just cracks me up. He's just perfect. Some of the lighter stuff, too, like with Kerry [Washington], throwing the money out the window, taking off her panties … No! (laughs). That was a good day. That was a well deserved day (laughs).
Phoenix: In the scene you just mentioned, the one with the money… not the panties, the two of you are dropping dollar bills out of a skyscraper window and watching people below you scramble for the fallen cash, where did this idea come from?
CR: It was Louis' idea because they used to do that when he used to work at Conan [O'Brien]. That's an obnoxious thing to do. A bunch of rich, young comedy writers … even though it's just "ones," it's so obnoxious.
Phoenix: What else did you add that came from real-life experiences?
CR: That dinner party scene, that's like a real scene. That's black people (laughs).
Phoenix: You mean that every dinner is about strained race relations and then ends with a digression about Michael Jackson?
CR: Yeah (laughs). We'll go from Iran to Iraq to the Dutch to Michael Jackson (laughs).
Phoenix: How would you describe your style of humor?
CR: In my own words: "Hip hop smoothed out on the R&B tip." I don't know. That's an old one: Bel Biv Devoe. Remember that?
Phoenix: Sadly. I was just listening to the album a week ago.
CR: Really?!
Phoenix: We just had it on while working in the office.
CR: It's a fun record. "This girl is po-i-son" (sings).
Phoenix: Yeah it is. It's a little different to listen to it now. It's not as good as I remembered it being.
CR: I have to [yell] at the studio for not using that in the ads.
Phoenix: Speaking of breaking out into song, what inspired the musical ending of the movie?
CR: I will take all of the blame. It's Fox Searchlight, they don't have a lot of money - so I knew that I'd never have the chance to reshoot the ending. Like what happens on so many movies where it's like, "Oh, that ending didn't work, let's try another one." So, I knew I just had to get it right. I knew a lot of people would [get upset and think] "this movie is so serious." People had to walk out on a big laugh.
Phoenix: Are you a fan of musicals in general, or did you just want the number at the end?
CR: I liked THAT musical number. I'm a fan of musical numbers, not a big fan of musicals. I like a good musical number in a straight movie. It's always a breath of fresh air.
Phoenix: This character is a little calmer, more subdued than your larger-than-life characters, how is this different for you?
CR: We tried to keep the tone real, at least until we break out into song. I don't see any comedies where the tone is real. Nobody plays their age in movies, that's the thing. They always play some guy who won't grow up. "He won't grow up" (he says in mock narration), "He's gotta learn a lesson. He'll grow up by the end of the movie. A little bit." It's always some grown guy, he's 40 and he's playing PlayStation.
Phoenix: So out of your many talents of directing, acting and writing, which one would you rather do?
CR: I prefer acting, but you have to find scripts that you like and you're not embarrassed. It's fine coming here for a movie people like. I prefer to act, but most scripts suck.
Phoenix: Is there anyone who you really want to work with?
CR: Hilary Swank. She's kind of hot. Spielberg, the biggies. I want to work with all of the people who I'll probably never work with. Woody Allen, Scorsese, all of the people who I have no [expletive] chance of working with.
Phoenix: What do you see as the big difference between going on tour with your standup and making a movie?
CR: Well, a movie is a collaborative effort. It's a bunch of people. Standup is a straight ego trip. It's just me. Either they laugh or they don't. They'll laugh because I really work on it before I hit the road. It's more fun because I have nobody to answer to. I can wear what I want. There's no continuity.
Phoenix: We're almost out of time - is there anything we haven't covered that you want to talk about?
CR: Global warming. No, I'm just kidding. I just want the kids to come see my movie. Sorry I don't [expletive] a pie or have my face in a guy's ass.
Phoenix: Maybe next movie?
CR: Maybe next movie my face will be in a guy's ass. You can't top a guy's face in a guy's ass. I wish this movie was coming out next year because it's too close to "Borat." If your face wasn't in a guy's ass then you have to be wondering why you're doing comedy. You can't top that.
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