Chris Rock Embraces His Softer Side

Chris Rock is a comment who defies definition on one hand he's a scathing comic delivering cutting commentary about class, politics, and racism. On the other hand, he's a dedicated father with two duaghters, Lola - 4, and Zhara, 2, with wife Malaak Compton-Rock, and has developed a more tender edge which can be seen on the show inspired by his childhood, Everybody Hates Chris. In latest project, I Think I Love My Wife, which he cowrote, directed, and stars in, he definitely shows us more of his softer side. He recently talked with Life magazine about his career and family. Here's some highlights from the article:

LIFE: When did you know you had made it as a comedian?
ROCK: I still don’t know. I could still go down the tubes at any moment. . . . But who's to say I wouldn't have had a more fulfilling life driving a truck? I love my life, but I don't think I'm any happier than my younger brother Andre, who drives a garbage truck.

LIFE: If kids aren’t born with hate . . .
ROCK: All people naturally hate. My kid bites people now. I didn't teach my kid to bite anybody. Kids say mean stuff. Only through love do we get this evil out of them. Only through love and structure and discipline do they not hate. The kids that hate didn't learn anything, that's the problem.

LIFE: Your new movie examines a marriage that’s in a slump. Do you think it’s possible to have a happy, loyal marriage?
ROCK: Yes, yes, yes. Definitely. It's one of those things you notice later. I'm talking about happiness in general. While you're in it, it's hard, but look back, and it's like, "Wow, that was great." I don't know if you can walk around every day and say "Being married is so great." But after you put in enough time, you can look back and go "This was worth it."

LIFE: There have been reports of trouble in your 10-year marriage—that you even filed for divorce. Is any of that true?
ROCK: No, no, no. My marriage is just like everybody else's. Great like everybody else's and whatever like everybody else's. Everything's fine.

LIFE: What do you love about being married?
ROCK: I love having somebody there—that companion thing. You know who you're going to eat with, who you're going to see a movie with.

LIFE: What’s challenging about it?
ROCK: Comedians are used to working alone, so, if anything, I have to learn to be inclusive.

LIFE: Your parents had a strong marriage. How were they good role models for you?
ROCK: If you live with a single parent, you don’t see compromise. You witness a grown person living in a world where they do what they want to do. When you are raised by two parents, you are constantly watching compromise take place. Just by observing that, it made me a better person.

LIFE: Your father, Julius, passed away in 1988. What did he teach you about being a dad?
ROCK: I used to watch my father go to work every day and come home and be so beat. We had seven kids. I always wondered what he really wanted to do. Now that I’m older and have my own kids, I realize there’s nothing better than to work for your kids. I’m sure he got more gratification from his work [driving a New York Daily News truck] than I do. With me, if I make X amount of money tomorrow, is it really going to affect my kids’ lives? My father was feeding his kids every week, paying the heating bills. If he didn’t [work], then it didn’t get done. There’s a tremendous amount of gratification from that. And a tremendous amount of pressure, too.

LIFE: In what ways has fatherhood changed you?
ROCK: I’m more patient. I’m less of a recluse. I’ve been on TV for a long freaking time, and it can definitely isolate you. You get to where you only have things in common with people in the business, and kids open you up to a new world. You have something in common with just about everybody. I think I’m a better artist. Everything I’ve done since I’ve had kids is better than the stuff I did before I had kids.

LIFE: How do you stay grounded in the maelstrom of celebrity?
ROCK: Seinfeld always says you have to be in harm's way. You can’t have a wall up between you and the people. You gotta just walk. I have friends that don’t associate with regular people. They get in their chauffeur-driven car. [They'll] close off the back of a restaurant. I don't really do that. I go out and walk around, and people come up to me.

LIFE: What's your most prized possession?
ROCK: When you’re a kid, you're like, "Ooh, my Porsche, my house." But when you get older, you realize none of it is really your possession. You’re renting everything. The only thing that's yours is your family. That was very Deepak of me.

LIFE: So how would you define happiness?
ROCK: I'm happy if everybody else is. I'm a big brother, the oldest. If you're happy and I'm not, I'm cool with that. If I'm happy and you’re not, I’m sad.

LIFE: Would you be happy if your girls married a guy like Chris Rock?
ROCK: I'd be happy if they married any guy or girl. I don't care, just be happy. Marry a giraffe for all I care. Just be happy.

LIFE: What makes you happy?
ROCK: I’m happy any weekend that Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks has an animated movie out. Typical suburban weekend: We get popcorn, see Flushed Away, then we go to Barnes & Noble and read books with the kids. I’ll do pretty much anything with my kids. Hey, I’ve seen the Wiggles more times in the last four years than I’ve seen Prince, okay?