HOT TUB TIME MACHINE
An Interview with Craig Robinson
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By Wilson Morales

March 25, 2010

If you're a fan of 'The Office,' then you have to appreciate what Craig Robinson brings to the table as Darryl Philbin. He's just as hilarious as his co-stars.

Coming up next for the Chicago native is 'Hot Tub Time Machine,' an ensemble film with John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, Chevy Chase, Sebastian Stan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe, Charlie McDermott and Kellee Stewart.

The film follows a group of best friends who are bored with their adult lives: Adam (Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend; Lou (Corddry) is a party guy who can't find the party; Nick (Robinson) is tired of his wife controlling his every move; and video-game-obsessed Jacob (Duke) won't leave his basement. After a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, the men wake up, heads pounding, in the year 1986. This is their chance to change the past and their futures. One will find a new love life, one will learn to stand up for himself with the ladies, one will find his mojo and one will make sure he still exists!

You've been doing a lot of films lately, what was the feeling on this one?

Craig Robinson: They offered it to me? (laughs) I read the script, thought it was funny. Discussed it with my team, we thought, "Let's see what happens." We saw some rewrites. When we heard they were looking at John Cusack, I joined.

Wasn't he a producer on the film from the start? CR: Yeah, they brought him in. He did make this movie a lot different than it was. This is a movie about the '80s, and if someone who wasn't him hadn't been cast, someone who wasn't a movie icon in the '80s, it wouldn't have worked.

Since you're a comedian by nature, were you able to go in and ad lib?

CR: It was more like just throwing stuff out in the moment. Steve [Pink] was really cool about getting ideas in, everybody was able to do that, the entire cast. It was really a collaborative effort. They say too many cooks spoil the pot. I think we had just enough cooks.

Director Steve Pink and John Cusack have worked together so many times. They must have a real short hand by now. Was it hard to break that or did they bring you into the fold right away?

CR: They would talk at the same time and give two different directions so I wouldn't know what to do. They were like an old married couple. It started from day one, but it turned out all right because I would just look in the middle between the two of them, say okay, and then just do whatever I wanted to do.

What kind of hairstyle did you have in the '80s? CR: I had the high top like you see. I think that's how they made it. How long did you go before you cut it down? Rockin' it like Kid from Kid N Play? CR: I had it for a minute, man, especially when I crossed over to college. I remember it being so high, it was this high-boxed cut. It was well taken care of.

When you're working with these other comedians is there a lot of give and take or tripping over lines?

CR: There's pacing and timing and listening to each other. Some of that stuff happens and you start over. You cut it, redo the scene, rehearse in so many ways.

When you see Samuel Jackson you can only imagine him in certain, hard-edged roles, and I always see you as the black guy who's keeping it real in a movie. Is it easy for you to do these R-rate comedies?

CR: My career has lent itself to only those. Being a comedian and having some freedom with words... I don't want to say anything is easy, because going in you rarely know how something is going to be. That's the danger, too. How do you have your edge if you know exactly what it is and you don't get a chance to breathe and grow and develop? Being in hard Rs has served me well. I actually had a thought not long ago to do some PG stuff. People are starting to hit me up on MySpace and Facebook saying, "Why is everything you do so vulgar?" Yeah I guess I should do something my parents can be proud of.

You also sing a song in the movie but I don't remember seeing any brothers singing Rick Springfield back in those days! CR: It's funny you should say that ... no. I guess I've thought of singing and stuff in movies because I do sing. I have a band called 'The Nasty Delicious' who played on the soundtrack and behind me on these song,s so it was nice to live that. Did you ever offer to do Run-DMC? CR: I actually love that song. Next time I do that at karaoke after this comes out it's going to be mayhem.

You're in 'Shrek Forever?' What's your role in that?

CR: Yeah. I play a female ogre named Cookie. I was very elated to get it. We had so much fun filming it, doing my lines. They kept writing lines for cookie to do. I made a video game and they've got Cookie doing things, she's all about eating chimichangas. It was a great experience because the director said, "Look, I tell people all the time if you want funny, get Craig Robinson." I was like, "Thanks bro." 'Course no one's hired me yet. (laughs)

What would you want to do next? CR: There's a couple things I've had in my mind. The story of Samson & Delilah has always appealed to me, a different modern-day take, maybe keep it in Biblical times. I could see something there. Arthur Ashe could be something. Stuff like that. Random ideas about playing certain people like Donnie Hathaway. What else is next? CR: I'm on 'The Cleveland Show.' I'm on 'The Office,' and I'm in negotiations for this one movie called 'The Pretender,' where I play two roles, one is a famous boxer named Honey B. Jefferson and this other guy named Walt who has to impersonate Honey B. It's directed by Jeremy Garelick. He wrote 'The Break-Up' and he did punch-up on 'The Hangover.'