How did you approach your role opposite David Duchovny in "Evolution"?
In this movie, I wanted to do a black-white relationship that wasn't playing on all the old clich茅s. Y'know, the black guy has just got out of jail or whatever. You rarely see black people in science fiction movies. In "Evolution", we're just friends. That's it. The comedy is based on the situation that these two friends get into, and not based on the fact that they're from different walks of life.
What do you think of your character?
I think he's like anybody. Most of my friends between 21 and 31 are at different stages of figuring out what the hell they are going to do with their lives. It's a big part of our generation. What is the next step? That was one of the things that interested me about the character. He doesn't want to be a hero, and has no real desire to save the earth or discover aliens. He's sniffing around looking to see what will fall in his lap. In this case, this discovery leads him to think, "I'm gonna win the Noble Prize. I'm gonna be on Easy Street. I'm finally gonna have that life that everyone dreams of." I don't think he even thinks about geology; he's far more into teaching volleyball to the girls. But in the movie, he uses his geological knowledge more and more. It's his own evolution as a character. He grows up.
You also play a double-amputee pilot in the Farrelly-produced comedy "Say It Isn't So"...
Yeah. Every time I ever saw a paraplegic, the story is always about that person's handicap. I said to the Farrellys, "If I do this movie, I don't wanta make fun of his handicap." If we got it right, people will forget that he's handicapped.
Read an interview with "Evolution" star David Duchovny.
Read an interview with "Evolution" director Ivan Reitman.
Watch an interview with Orlando Jones and director Ivan Reitman.
