"Mixing" It Up with Usher

It was inevitable; music legend hits the big screen in a leading role. No, we're not talking about 50 Cent or Eminem in 8 Mile or even Snoop Dogg or any of the other rap and r&b superstars who have crossed over recently. Usher Raymond, has developed his acting chops from appearances in several films like The Faculty and She's all That, and on TV with guest roles on "Moesha" guest appearances on daytime soaps and his gig as legend Marvin Gaye on "American Dreams".

On the music front, you know the drill: released a single "Call Me A Mack" at age 14, released a debut album one year later, then in 1997, "My Way" went platinum seven times in the U.S. alone. His concert album "Live" was a hit in 2000 and Usher went on to win Grammys as Best Male R&B Vocalist for "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". His dance hit "Yeah" won two MTV VMA awards and, with "Confessions", the singer hit the ultra bigtime with wins at the American Music Awards in several categories and he left the Billboard Music Awards with 11 trophies under his arm including Artist of the Year.. finishing out with three Grammy awards this year.

Now, the sexy singer, who admits he'd love to play the American version of James Bond and that he's currently looking for Ms. Right as well as Miss "Right Now", plays a D.J. named Darrell who falls for the Mafia princess he's been hired to protect in the romantic film In the Mix which he also co-executive produces.

We sat down with the star in a hotel near Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills recently to get the dish on his first lead film role, his music plans, what he wants in a romantic relationship, respect for his culture and all things "Usher".. Picture the chocolate cutie in burgundy velvet jacket over casual yellow tee and wearing jeans, subtle bling and black knit cap. Oh, yes, and we got him to sign a movie t-shirt which TeenHollywood is giving away! Check it out on the site. Today Usher is soft spoken (we'd swear he was really shy) and leans forward when he speaks...

TeenHollywood: This is your first big leading role. How was it? Everyone is saying you're a natural.

Usher: That's a good place to be. That's a compliment that I looked for the first time that I was bitten by the acting bug, I just hoped that, one day, this opportunity would be possible. I didn't know it would come this way, where I would actually be able to be associated with it as an executive producer, and have a say in which direction we should take it. But, so many actors go out to Hollywood, and are looking for that role that's going to make a difference in their career or their lives. When you're put in a position to dictate the direction of it, it is dangerous, but yet, at the same time, it can be very rewarding.

TeenHollywood: And are you happy with the outcome?

Usher: I'm very proud of this film, not only because I'm leading in it, but also because I wanted to create something that everybody could be a part of, which is what I do on my albums. That's what I'm trying to do as an actor. That's what I try to do in basketball. That's what I try to do with my label, in introducing other artists that everybody can enjoy.

TeenHollywood: Are you worried that less people are going to the movies in general?

Usher: I've always been taught to be optimistic. Hey, it's Thanksgiving weekend. Kids 5 to 80 can see the film. I'm taking my shirt off. [laughs] No, I don't allow myself to feel that kind of pressure. As an actor, you look for the right roles. If you have a good one, you have a good one. You continue to try to find the next best one. If you have one that's not as successful than you expected, it is carving who you are as an actor. It gives people a point of reference.

TeenHollywood: Many, many leading ladies would kill to play your love interest in this film. What was it about beautiful Emmanuelle Chriqui that clicked with you?

Usher: [big grin] She knew how to kiss.

TeenHollywood: Well, she said you're good too.

Usher: She was a great kisser. Nah. To be perfectly honest with you, she was the first woman that ever shocked me the way she did, as an actress. The kissing had something to do with it, but she was just so comfortable. The chemistry was there. I don't know if it was something that she had prepared for. I would have assumed that maybe she had read my bio, or something like that, to understand just how to conduct herself in front of me. But, I said, 'Wow, if there's any way to capture what we just had in that room on camera, I think we've got a hit.' To tell a story about love, or about a relationship, and the obstacles that you go through in it, you have to have some of that type of chemistry.

TeenHollywood: Getting serious, some of your Black female fans might have a problem with you having a non-Black actress as a love interest in this film. Any comment?

Usher: Well you're going to have a collection of people who might try to find something negative and then some people who look at it as a piece of life imitating art. The fact is that it's something of a reality. When you are a playboy, [like his character is at first] you're going to date a lot of different women. And this is not necessarily the direction that Darrell Williams was headed in. There are plenty of black actresses in this film. Some of them that were very familiar, like K.D. Aubert, she was my personal choice. Here is a guy who basically never found Ms. Right. Eventually, he found passion, the passion that I think he's looking for from the beginning. She just happens to be Italian.

TeenHollywood: Have you ever had obstacles in relationships?

Usher: [Laughs] Have I ever had obstacles in relationships? [Laughs] Whoo! I am all too familiar with obstacles in relationships. It's funny, there's this safeguard for me, as a man. It's my grandmother, my mother and my brother. If you get past those three, you're good.

TeenHollywood: So, they're like the guard dogs?

Usher: They are the guard dogs of Usher, yeah. I've had so many, that I can't even remember, that just didn't work.

TeenHollywood: What do you look for now? What have you learned from past relationships?

Usher: That it's important not to rush. Get to know each other, for sure, and spend time together. To get caught up in a serious relationship is kind of hard because there's so much attention on who I'm dating, and whether I'm single. When that next woman is in that position, they're thinking, 'Oh, am I going to be that woman?' It's a lot of pressure, but I try to just be as honest as I possibly can, up front. Right now, I'm not looking to rush back into a serious, serious relationship, until I have found that one person who I feel can be a companion to me, someone I can speak to, someone I can hang out with. I like to go on trips. I like to go places and do things. Companionship leads to friendship, which leads to, hopefully someday, more than that. I'll get back into a relationship, and then, before you know it . . . I can't say it, but you know that "M" word? [Laughs]

TeenHollywood: Are you aware that when people meet you, it's often going to be about your image because they don't know the you that's underneath all that?

Usher: Yeah. That's the harder part. However, I have to be willing to give a woman a chance to show what she's got. The same goes for me. It ain't all about her response to me, as an artist, but how does she feel about how I'm presenting myself as a man, to her. Of course, that's if it's a serious thing. If it's just a fling, or something, it's going to happen, and then it's over. But, eventually, you've got to calm down and have that real relationship. And, you actually don't find those people, believe it or not, I'm finding out. They find you.

TeenHollywood: How do you feel you're different than your image? How do you see yourself vs. how you're portrayed?

Usher: Oh, wow. There's a quadruple persona that I have. One is a side that people will probably never be able to see, until I do an autobiography on my life. There is a side that is very understanding, kind, accommodating and very humble. And then, there's that side that's very aggressive, strong, a go-getter and the most likely to succeed because of the physical energy that I put into what I do. But, it could be any one at any given time.

TeenHollywood: Since you were probably looking for a leading man vehicle for yourself, what was it about this character that made you want to play him?

Usher: There's a few things. Let me say this about Darrell Williams -- as a guy, he was built off of a lot of things that I'm around and that I've seen. He's a DJ who has turned into a mobster, who happens to be a bodyguard, guarding someone's daughter that he respects. That's a really hard combination. I would ask questions, even while I was on the set, about the pride of Italian men and their daughters, and how they viewed that. But, for me, this character was a new character. There's not that many American fly guy characters. It think that when Will Smith did his character in 'Hitch,' I thought that was pretty close to it. So, how do we get closer to creating our American James Bond because there's not one. I think that I might be the vehicle for it, so this is a step in that direction.

TeenHollywood: Do you see yourself as a role model for young kids, especially young black kids?

Usher: Well, I hope that the positive things that I do, and the positive light that is shone on me, as an artist, is motivating to kids. It's part of the reason why I do some of the work I do, as a philanthropist.

TeenHollywood: Can you explain how you got the New Look Foundation started?

Usher: The New Look Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia is a camp that I put together for 150 kids, that teaches kids, through real world experiences, all the options that they can have in life. I think that a child is motivated by his environment, so if you change that environment, and you give them hope, and you make them believe in themselves, and you encourage them, and you make them believe in their goals and their dreams, they are more likely to succeed. I gave the kids a curriculum of basketball and entertainment, as well as acting. And, having people like attorneys and managers come speak to the kids, along with production managers, football players, football agents and management, it gives the kids another opportunity to say, 'Look, I don't have to be an athlete. I can't run. I don't have an athletic build. I can't sing. I can't dance. But, I could be a manager. I might have a talent.' And, the only way you would ever find it is if you give them that opportunity.

TeenHollywood: How has your mother instilled pride in your culture in you when you were growing up?

Usher: Well, living in the South, where there's still some racism, you kind of confront it on a day-to-day. No matter how much you try to say it's not there, it's still there, to this day. As I walk outside this door, it's waiting for me, right outside. There's that stereotype. People continue to read books for the covers. They don't open them up. But, I think movies like this will make people pick up those books and open them up.

TeenHollywood: What was the first song that you ever wrote?

Usher: Wow. I was about 19 or 20 and it was a song called, 'How Do I Say?' It was about an Italian woman. Wow, that's funny. I happened to be in Italy, in Capri. I was there for someone's wedding, and there was this beautiful woman, up ahead, on the street. And so, I walked after her and she walked into this club where they play live instruments and they dance. She was sort of like a waitress. So, I sat back and I watched her. I didn't know how to say, "Hello." Eventually, she came up to the table and she spoke in her language, and I tried to point at what I wanted to drink. I asked her for a dance. And, the only way we could communicate was through body language. So, that's what the song was about.

TeenHollywood: Did you have a favorite book as a kid?

Usher: [Laughs] 'The Cat in the Hat.' As a child, to be honest with you, it was hard for me because I had vision problems. I would have to sit and read with my grandmother, all the time. So, it was more or less about us, as a team, doing it together.

TeenHollywood: If money were no issue, what would you make sure every child had for the holidays?

Usher: [looks serious] A place to rest their head, a family to care about them. You really can't pay for that.

TeenHollywood: Can you see a day where you might do more movies and less music?

Usher: I don't think I'm going to give up music, but as time goes on, I may do more acting. I have to carve out a specific amount of time, and keep to a schedule, when I'm working on films, as well as, as an artist. I have this ultimate plan. I set goals for myself. It's called the Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy [plan]. I've got a few Grammys. You've got to do films to get Oscars.

TeenHollywood: You have to go to the stage to get Tonys.

Usher: I'll be there.

And so will his fans...

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.