In the coming days, actor-producer Nick Cannon is set to grace the cover of rolling out. For many people, Cannon still remains a largely unknown quantity. I mean sure, we all know that Cannon is now married to pop star Mariah Carey, and that he rose to fame through his work with Nickelodeon. But what else do we really know? My point exactly. As we prepare to delve into the mind of one of this generation’s most successful young stars, we felt it best to share some of the unknown secrets that led to Cannon’s impressive rise to greatness. Three major points stand out in particular.
Cannon Had a Sense of Destiny at a Young Age
For some, the path to greatness is a winding journey where success is haphazardly stumbled upon. For Cannon, that wasn’t the case, as he begged his mother at the age of 12 to let him live with his father in Charlotte, N.C., where he could hone his craft on the stage of Dad’s public access TV ministry. “He kept a lot of humor in the house,” Cannon’s father James recalled. “I’d let him used my video cameras, and, with his brothers, they’d write plays and act them out. He’d bug me and just say, ‘Dad, just watch, just watch.’ “
He Was Groomed For Greatness
Cannon not only studied the greats, he also patterned his behavior and work ethic after them thanks to the guidance of his father. “I wasn’t allowed to watch much TV, so I used to sneak into the living room late at night and watch Arsenio Hall,” Cannon said. “My father read that Arsenio used to make up 100 questions to ask his guests, so he made me type out my questions on a word processor.”
He Refused To Take No For An Answer
The entertainment industry is extremely difficult for adults, so you can imagine the toll that it takes on an impressionable young man. But Cannon remained unflappable in the face of the emotional strain caused by disappointment after disappointment. Even when agents would promise him the world, only to fail to produce, Cannon continued to press on. “My child would be hurting, depending on these people,” Cannon’s mother reflected. “He didn’t give up. It was really hard for me, but I had to stand behind him.” –dewayne rogers
**Be on the lookout for photos and video from our exclusive interview with Nick Cannon. **
