10 Questions for Chris Rock

By Belinda Luscombe

Is there something or someone you would never make fun of?-- Felipe Cabrales, Barranquilla, Colombia

Oprah, Cosby -- your black billionaires. There are just not enough of them, and you might need them one day.

At what moment did you realize you had made it?-- Rachel Van, Baltimore

It was a long time ago, when I was with my friend Mario. We went out with two girls that we met, and I got the tall one. I was like, Wow, I must be famous--I used to always get the short ones.

There has been a lot of hoopla surrounding the N word recently. Are you ever going to stop using it? -- Nyamisi Muindi, Buffalo, N.Y.

Will I stop using the N word? I won't even say "the N word." Will I stop saying "nigger"? Nope, not me. Never. I'll stop using it in church. Is that O.K.?

Pootie Tang was in my opinion a brilliant film and a totally new kind of cinema. Do you see it as arty and postmodern, or am I just tripping?-- Rebecca Shaeffer, Washington

I see it as very arty and postmodern, and a movie that absolutely gets better with time. Someday it will be recognized as the classic that it truly is.

Do you embrace the African-American experience? Do you feel a responsibility to lift up others?--Pamela Chan, Lafayette, Calif.

That's a weird question. I am African American, so whatever experience I am going through is the African-American experience. If I decided to go to Antarctica and raise polar bears, it's still the African-American experience. Should I lift people up? Everyone, black or white, should feel a responsibility to help others.

What do you think of the relationship of African Americans with Africa and Africans?--Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Nairobi, Kenya

This is Time magazine. I might not be smart enough to be in Time magazine. African Americans and Africa. That it is a hard relationship. Africa is so far away, so people don't really get a chance to visit it. You add in the poverty that African Americans, my people, suffer in America, and it makes it really hard to think about another country. I've been a couple of times, but you know it costs a lot of money to go to Africa. It just shows you how bad slavery was, even if you take out the fact that my people were beaten, raped, and all our religion and culture was stripped from us. Just the boat trip alone is one of the worst things that have ever been done to human beings.

What do you think of illegal immigration? Do you think it hurts other minorities, or is it just an overblown plot by the Man to foster black-on-brown hate?--Shon Lyles, Raleigh, N.C.

It's America, you know. People should be allowed to come in. I guess they should register at some point. I see it as white people finding a loophole in the slavery laws.

Does Barack Obama's presidential candidacy put your film Head of State in a whole new perspective? -- Garrett Turner, Plainfield, N.J.

Why does everyone keep bringing up that movie?

[Laughs.] Head of State is a comedy. It has nothing to do with Barack Obama. Mr. Obama is pretty serious and should be taken seriously. You know, I like him. I like Gore. Hillary too--she's O.K. She can get a job in the Cabinet.

Why is your comedy so political while your movies are so mainstream?-- Anonymous

I don't think my comedy is that political. It's more social. But whatever. When you make comedy and you do stand-up, you work alone. Movies have to go under so much scrutiny. A stand-up special is a vision, and a movie is a consensus in a lot of ways.

Why does bacon taste so good?--Sam Goldman, Brooklyn, N.Y.

'Cause it's bad for you. Why does cocaine smell so good? Cause it's bad for you. To read more answers from Chris Rock and to submit questions for upcoming interview subjects, go to time.com/10questions