Actor Larenz Tate remains one of the most beloved and respected movie stars in the African American community. A major factor in his continued appeal is the fact that Tate has always remained grounded and after more than 15 years in the spotlight, Tate hasn’t forgotten that it’s the community and the people that have gotten him there. While in Los Angeles to show support for his longtime friend and Crash co-star Ludacris, Tate discussed the importance of giving back and challenged celebs to make the community an ongoing priority, and the “Rescue Me” star challenged Hollywood to churn out more than mindless “reality” shows.
Why has the community remained such a high priority for you?
I think it’s really important for people to give back. Sometimes celebrities take [criticism] for not being connected to the community, and any time celebrities can give back it means so much. It’s the least we can do for all the things that people have done for us and all the support we’ve gotten from fans and the people that have supported us in the community.
What’s your take on Ludacris’ community activities?
Luda has been a very successful individual for so long and it’s really nice to know that when a person gets to his stature, he hasn’t forgotten about the people that he’s come up with. He hasn’t forgotten about the community. This is something that Cris has been able to do in a real way.
You’re a star on ‘Rescue Me,’ but are you a big fan of most TV?
I’m not really big on a whole lot of reality shows and I don’t watch a lot of television at all. But it’s for entertainment — some people find it good, but for the most part a lot of them don’t really have [much] content. Unfortunately, I think some of the programming out there underestimates the sophistication of viewers. We’ll see if we [can] change some of that. –todd williams
