Most people know Nick Cannon as the "guy from Drumline." Though the 24-year-old looks like he's still in high school -- which is fitting because of his portrayal of a cop who goes undercover at a prep school in his new movie, Underclassman -- Cannon is now leaving his mark all over the entertainment industry. From the days when he was booed off the stage as a fifteen-year-old at comedy clubs in L.A. to last summer when he was booed off the stage opening for Dave Chapelle, Cannon has showed the world that he perseveres and tolerates nothing less than his best.
You may remember him from Nickelodeon's mid-90s sketch comedy show All That, where he played alongside Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, but few people know that as a sixteen-year-old, Cannon was a writer for the spin-off Kenan and Kel. For Underclassman, Cannon created all of the concepts and did much of the writing himself. He was confident that a major studio would pick up the tab, and Miramax did on his first visit to a studio.
Cannon's close ties with Will Smith (he had a minor role in Men In Black II), one of his mentors, have driven him to never stop trying for more. In addition to Underclassman, Cannon has already finished shooting the films Roll Bounce and Even Money, scheduled for release later this year, as well as Monster House and The Beltway, due in 2006. Another major project is the new sketch comedy show Wild 'N Out, which debuts on MTV tonight. The show features celebrities like Kanye West and Method Man performing sketch comedy bits, sort of a rapper's Whose Line Is It Anyway. And keep a lookout for Cannon's hip hop grooves -- one of his next major goals will be to continue gorwing his record label and record more songs.
Cannon has come a long way from "needing gas money," his most commonly performed bit when he toured the comedy club circuits in high school. Because his family lived in San Diego (two hours from L.A.), Cannon spent many nights sleeping in his car or crashing on couches while he waited to perform or go to auditions.
When asked if he's ever been Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher, Cannon said he's survived five Punking attempts that ranged from a failed hold-up at a restaurant in which he was eating to people being strip-searched at MTV Studios to fending off the "angry father"of a girl he was dating. Each time, Nick was sure it was Ashton behind the stunt.
Nick's best comedic moment during the interview came when asked whether he was an only child. He responded, "I'm my mother's only child, but my father's got a whole basketball team."
With his combination of wit, charm and drive to succeed, Nick Cannon will likely continue his climb to the top, despite the high casualty rates Hollywood frequently sees.
