story by DeWayne Rogers
Images and Styling by Dave Ellis for Steed Media service
It was 4:45 on a Friday afternoon when the call came through. “I’m sorry, but can we push back the photo shoot a bit? Columbus has been working hard to promote the film all day, and just needs a few moments to lie down. Is that OK?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
That’s typically the type of phone call that no publication wants to receive, but in this case it was both understood and acknowledged. In fact, it wasn’t a surprise that actor Columbus Short was battling fatigue; his breakneck pursuit of excellence has been tiring to observe as well.
From the moment he officially exploded on the scene in the surprise hit, Stomp the Yard, the former choreographer has been working hard to build a buzz among moviegoers, as well as Hollywood’s most influential insiders. While both have noticed and appreciated his work, it wasn’t until his scene-stealing turn in Cadillac Records that Short’s stock began to rise, and his name began to get mentioned as the next big thing for black male leads.
Now with a new film, Armored, set to hit theaters this holiday season, Short is poised to not only fulfill the lofty expectations set by himself and by critics, but to exceed them.
So as the weary actor finally made his way up to the 14th floor of the W Hotel to begin his afternoon photo shoot and interview, his eyes hinted of the long and winding journey that had brought him to this moment. But as we began to discuss his path, a spark ignited and the life begin to re-enter his body — almost as if the very thought of accomplishing his goals was all the recharging that his battery needed.
Our discussion, which lasted roughly three hours, covered everything from a black man’s struggles in mainstream Hollywood to his poignant plea for leniency from our resident neighborhood bootleggers … yeah, it was that kind of talk.
Here are some of the highlights.
There seems to be a lot of buzz surrounding your new film, Armored. Tell us about it.
Well, it’s my first lead role since Stomp the Yard. I play a rookie armor truck driver that gets coerced by veteran armor truck drivers — played by Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne — to steal $42 million dollars. The plan starts to unravel and puts my character in a moral dilemma of doing what’s right [or] doing what’s wrong.
The last time we spoke, you were hinting at a master plan for taking over the entertainment industry. Has that been going according to plan, or have you found it difficult to transition into the mainstream as a black actor?
It is hard because you are constantly trying to determine how you can crossover, yet maintain the audience that got you where you are. That fine line is tough, so this year I’m also doing Death of the Funeral that has Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence. It’s a comedy, so not only is it a different genre that I haven’t really explored, it’s also a movie for our people. So I go back and forth, because I want my people to stay with me, but I also want to … take over the game in a big way.
When you go into scenes with respected actors like Laurence Fishburne and Matt Dillon, do you feel pressured to prove that you can hold your own?
When you’re secure in your talent, there’s no thought to that. What you always want to do — whether you’re working with greats, a peer that’s new in the game, or somebody that’s coming in under you — you just want to come in and work humbly. Working with these greats is an honor, but I feel like I’ve worked my whole life to be on screen next to them. Not only is it an honor, and not only do I learn, but I also hope that they’ll learn something fresh and new from me as well.
How do you use your craft to help you become a better man?
This game tests your moral fabric every day. So depending on how I deal with day-to-day situations, each decision molds me into the man that I’m becoming — both in the game and outside of it. Decisions you make in life affect the game, and decisions you make in the game affect your life. It’s kind of a symbiotic thing.
You’ve always been a straight shooter, but in Hollywood that’s not always the best path to take. Have you had to change your philosophy as a result of that?
That’s deep … I learned that my opinion is not always necessary. I’m always real, and I don’t say things just because I think it’s going to sound good to say. But I learned that you have to think about what you’re saying because people are listening. Early in the game, I didn’t care … I was going to say what I wanted to say and do what I wanted to do. But I’m now … more [reserved] in my opinion about certain things. Hollywood didn’t really teach me that, I just kind of peeped that. I could say something and then say, ‘Oh my God, they’re really running with what I said right there. Wow, I can’t believe it.’ I didn’t know people cared that much about what I had to say in front of the camera, so it was a lesson that I had to learn very quickly.
Your future depends a lot on the money that’s generated at the box office. What do you want to say to the neighborhood ‘bootleg man’ that sells your movies in the barbershop?
Bootleg man, I ain’t mad at your hustle, and I ain’t mad at your grind. But listen, I put in the time trying to make that dime, so please be easy on bootlegging my stuff. At least buy some tickets and go to the movie’s opening weekend if you’re going to sell the bootleg. At least then I know you bought your ticket, paid your contribution, and I can’t be as mad.
Do you feel like you’re in a position to make a real difference in the black community?
That’s a good question, because there are times when you feel like ‘I can’t change the world, and there’s nothing that I can do.’ But overall, I believe that I can. It’s more about making a difference one day at a time and one individual at a time. My challenge is to go out and meet people where they are. We don’t have a lot of positive examples out there, so it’s important to get out there and let our voices be heard in a way that inspires kids.
Does your career ever get in the way of your personal life?
Every day it collides, and people want pictures and want to come up to the dinner table to talk. It affects my son, and he doesn’t like it … he actually hates it. He hates that I’m in the limelight. So it can really affect my personal life. But I have a really boring life outside of what I do. I chill, I play a lot of poker, and I watch a lot of basketball and movies. That’s it. It’s not boring, but it’s not as exciting as people would think. I’m not jet-setting off to Paris with a supermodel on the weekends. I’m just a regular guy, doing regular things.
Sports Center with C. Short
No matter the subject, our discussion with Columbus Short continued to drift back to sports — particularly football. So it only seemed right to explore Short’s musings on athletes, entertainers and spectator sports.
On Football…
“There are a lot of good teams out there, but I honestly think it’s going to be the Colts, Pittsburgh, or the Vikings that win it all this year.”
The Link Between Athletes and Entertainers …
“I wanted to be an athlete, like most entertainers. If I could do anything, I would be a starting tailback for an NFL team … that’s my dream. I really wanted to play ball but I couldn’t do both. My senior year in high school, I had to choose between performing arts and football, because most of my magnet classes and football practice was at the same time. Once I saw my boys dropping like flies, and everybody getting hurt, I just made the cognitive decision that football might not be worth it.”
