Got another email update today from Christopher Scott Cherot (writer/director of Hav Plenty). In the email, he informs me of another interview he just did for the New Times Holler this month, which, as you will see as you read it, was influenced in part by previous entries I posted on this site that wondered what Chris had been up to since his 1998 debut – you can read those past entries HERE and HERE.

Here’s a snippet of the new interview he just did with New Times Holler:

All I can say to that is: I’m still here, folks, still working, still editing. Even today, I still get offers to act (in mostly bad indie movies) or direct (mostly bad straight-to-DVD movies). I think I lacked the intestinal fortitude and moxie required to be a working actor. And it surprised me when I realized how uninterested I was in the showbiz hustle of self-promotion. I valued my privacy, perhaps too much. And I made a conscious decision to walk away from the spotlight a few years ago. No one made that decision for me. It was all me.

But I’ll be “back”. I’ve got too much love for the printed word and the framed image. I love storytelling too much. I used to hate the hustle, the game of showbiz, but now I know I hated it because I was young and I hadn’t figured out how to make it work for me, to showcase my specific talents. I literally wrestled with this scientific equation: In this new millennium, if black filmmakers create a good, lucrative name for themselves making broad, farcical comedies, and I have absolutely no interest in making broad, farcical comedies and couldn’t fake it if I tried, how do I succeed in a business where that’s the only thing they will allow me do? How can I do business like (Boogie Nights director) Paul Thomas Anderson does, successfully mixing personal and commercial? How can I do what (Jerry Maguire director) Cameron Crowe does?” And after a few years in private, I believe I have figured out the secret. We’ll see.

You can read the entire interview HERE.

Mentioned at the end of the interview is a short film Chris directed and co-starred in titled, Andre Royo’s Big Scene, which starred Andre Royo, (”Bubbles” from HBO’s The Wire) reenacting an amazingly true story of his first day on a big studio movie shoot – see if you can guess which one. Hill Harper also co-stars.

Below are part 1 and part 2 of the film.

PART 1

PART 2