Whoopi’s making funny in ‘Chris’
As the title implies, young Chris of “Everybody Hates Chris” is accustomed to every upside having a downside.
But in tonight’s season premiere of the CW comedy (7 p.m., KSKN-22), the downside comes with an added wallop: Whoopi!
Whoopi Goldberg guests stars as Louise, the overly protective grandmother of a cute girl who’s just moved into Chris’ Brooklyn neighborhood.
“Stay way from my granddaughter, you cock-eyed hooligan,” her Louise yells at Chris (Tyler James Williams) the minute he works up the courage to talk to the girl.
Repeating the scene a number of times on Paramount Studios’ New York Street set here, Goldberg threw in a few variations, dubbing poor Chris “a scrawny runt” and worse – stuff that clearly won’t be used in the final version.
“She doesn’t have to improvise, but she can ad lib,” laughs Ali LeRoi, co-creator with comedian Chris Rock of the half-hour comedy inspired by Rock’s childhood.
Louise, Goldberg says, is “a snob.” Having moved from Queens to the grittier Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, she thinks she’s better than her new neighbors.
She’s also trying to compensate for any mistakes she may have made raising her daughter by being ultra-strict with her granddaughter.
“We had heard last season that Whoopi was a fan of the show and interested in doing it,” says LeRoi.
So he deliberately created a role where “it wouldn’t be a necessity for her to be here every week, just in case she’s busy. She’s got things she can do.”
“That’s what you all think,” laughs Goldberg. “There I am praying for roles and you all think, ‘Oh, yes, she’s got a lot of work!’ “
Goldberg, 50, first became famous for her one-woman comedy shows. In 1991, she won an Oscar for her supporting role as the psychic in “Ghost.” She’s also hosted the Oscar show three times, and has won at the Tonys, Emmys, Grammys and Golden Globes.
Previous TV appearances included a long stint on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; guest spots on “Strong Medicine,” a Lifetime series she helped develop; and her own short-lived NBC sitcom, “Whoopi.”
As for “Chris,” Goldberg was attracted to the show’s realistic take on the African American family.
“This is a rich viable family, with two parents who love their kids,” she says. “Everybody has their job in the house, everyone has chores. It’s a normal American family trying to keep it together.
“For us to be able to see a family like this, knowing the outcome is Chris Rock, who doesn’t want that?”
The birthday bunch
Actor James Whitmore is 85. Pianist Roger Williams is 82. Actor Tom Bosley is 79. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 71. Actress Stella Stevens is 70. Actor Stephen Collins (“Seventh Heaven”) is 59. Actor Randy Quaid is 56. Actor Esai Morales (“NYPD Blue”) is 44. Actor Christopher Titus (“Titus”) is 42. Model-actress Cindy Margolis is 41.