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CNN Live Today

Interview With Cuba Gooding Jr.

Aired September 12, 2003 - 11:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: "The Fighting Temptations" comes to theaters next Friday. The movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as a down and out New York ad exec who returns to his hometown in the South, and he is our guest today. It's death in the family, or rather a large inheritance that actually brings him home, but there's a catch to the cash.
Let's find out more about that with Cuba Gooding Junior, joining us from New York this morning to talk about his new film.

Good morning. It's a pleasure to have you with us.

CUBA GOODING JR., ACTOR: Good to be here.

KAGAN: Before we get to the movie, I have to ask you on this day of such significant news coming from the entertainment business, have you ever had a chance to work with John Ritter or Johnny Cash, or to meet either man?

RITTER: I haven't. It saddened me to hear John Ritter passed away today. He was a blessing, and you know, he was a master at what he did. He made us all laugh.

KAGAN: Who more than you can appreciate -- it's not easy to do and to pull off comedy.

RITTER: Oh, yes.

KAGAN: Let's talk about this newest film. I understand your lead character has the name of Darren. I approve of that. That works for me.

RITTER: That's right. Yes.

KAGAN: Tell us a little bit more about the plot.

RITTER: Sure. I play an ad executive from New York City who tells one lie too many and loses his job, and thinks, you know, what am I going to do now? But then, by the grace of his good fortune, he hears about this bit of money left for him, and he's got to go back to this small town from where he's from, this little town in Georgia, so he goes down there and tries to collect the inheritance, but finds out he has to take this gospel choir to a competition. So he tells them he's a music producer.

KAGAN: Which is another lie.

And we are seeing a little clip right now. We can see Beyonce Knowles. That's a huge name to have in the movie.

RITTER: That's right. You know, we always wanted Beyonce for the movie. And when we got her, we knew it was going to be a coup, Because she has that disarming quality about her that makes you feel just welcomed by her. I think it was a good audition. And because of her, you know, so many other wonderful performers and icons in the gospel community, like Shirley Caesar, Ann Nesby, and Melba Moore and Angie stone, and we just got really blessed.

KAGAN: Yes, I was looking down the list. Of course there is going to be an incredible soundtrack that has to go with this movie, but nowhere on the soundtrack do I see any singing by you, Cuba.

GOODING: No, that's right.

KAGAN: How did you pull that one off?

GOODING: Last thing I want to do amongst a room of heavyweights is to try to sing a little bit. No, no, no. No, thank you.

KAGAN: Did they approach you about that?

GOODING: Nope. I will handle the dancing, you guys handle the singing. I'll handle the performances, you guys handle the bravado. And that was our deal.

KAGAN: Everybody played to their strengths. Very good.

Did you actually shoot this here in Georgia?

GOODING: We did. A little place called Social Circle, from there all the way down to downtown Atlanta, everywhere. All over.

KAGAN: Oh, shoot, you should have stopped on by here at CNN while you were in town.

GOODING: Yes, I stayed in a hotel right across from it. I can't think of the name. I remember the big CNN signs up in the sky.

KAGAN: So close, yet so far.

GOODING: Peachtree.

KAGAN: Peachtree. That's safe in Atlanta, saying something with Peachtree.

GOODING: Fifty streets called Peachtree Street.

KAGAN: We know you are in town if you can refer to that.

But getting back to the movie, doing a movie with a gospel theme. I think gospel is having a huge, not necessarily resurgence, but a lot of popularity and a lot of people getting into the music, even if they weren't raised into the tradition.

GOODING: Yes, and I came from a Baptist Church, Spirit of Christ Tabernacle Church in California, you know, when I read this script, I knew there was an opportunity here to expose this world. So much spirit and energy, and love, and you just feel it. I mean, the music, it really moves your soul. And coming from origins of slavery, the only means of expression was to recite lyrics from the hymns and whatnot, and we had the opportunity to show how it just moves people of all ages and race.

KAGAN: Looking forward to seeing that. Now you probably don't remember this, and I know you can't see this picture we are going to put up, because you don't have a monitor where you were, but and I have actually met. I sat next to you on an airplane about three or four years ago coming from Los Angeles to Atlanta. I think you were shooting a movie in South Carolina. And I'm showing this picture right now because I am a geek, and I asked to you take a picture onboard with me on this plane, and you were so nice to do it, and I still keep it in my office. And when I heard you were coming on today, I said, oh, I have a picture of me and Cuba Gooding Jr.

GOODING: You are so sweet. Well, hopefully, I will see you in person and I can sign it, or we can take another picture.

KAGAN: I look forward to that. And for the viewers out there, he really is a nice guy if you run into him in person.

Good luck with the movie, Cuba. Thanks for coming by. Appreciate it.

GOODING: Thank you. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 12, 2003 - 11:41   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: "The Fighting Temptations" comes to theaters next Friday. The movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as a down and out New York ad exec who returns to his hometown in the South, and he is our guest today. It's death in the family, or rather a large inheritance that actually brings him home, but there's a catch to the cash.
Let's find out more about that with Cuba Gooding Junior, joining us from New York this morning to talk about his new film.

Good morning. It's a pleasure to have you with us.

CUBA GOODING JR., ACTOR: Good to be here.

KAGAN: Before we get to the movie, I have to ask you on this day of such significant news coming from the entertainment business, have you ever had a chance to work with John Ritter or Johnny Cash, or to meet either man?

RITTER: I haven't. It saddened me to hear John Ritter passed away today. He was a blessing, and you know, he was a master at what he did. He made us all laugh.

KAGAN: Who more than you can appreciate -- it's not easy to do and to pull off comedy.

RITTER: Oh, yes.

KAGAN: Let's talk about this newest film. I understand your lead character has the name of Darren. I approve of that. That works for me.

RITTER: That's right. Yes.

KAGAN: Tell us a little bit more about the plot.

RITTER: Sure. I play an ad executive from New York City who tells one lie too many and loses his job, and thinks, you know, what am I going to do now? But then, by the grace of his good fortune, he hears about this bit of money left for him, and he's got to go back to this small town from where he's from, this little town in Georgia, so he goes down there and tries to collect the inheritance, but finds out he has to take this gospel choir to a competition. So he tells them he's a music producer.

KAGAN: Which is another lie.

And we are seeing a little clip right now. We can see Beyonce Knowles. That's a huge name to have in the movie.

RITTER: That's right. You know, we always wanted Beyonce for the movie. And when we got her, we knew it was going to be a coup, Because she has that disarming quality about her that makes you feel just welcomed by her. I think it was a good audition. And because of her, you know, so many other wonderful performers and icons in the gospel community, like Shirley Caesar, Ann Nesby, and Melba Moore and Angie stone, and we just got really blessed.

KAGAN: Yes, I was looking down the list. Of course there is going to be an incredible soundtrack that has to go with this movie, but nowhere on the soundtrack do I see any singing by you, Cuba.

GOODING: No, that's right.

KAGAN: How did you pull that one off?

GOODING: Last thing I want to do amongst a room of heavyweights is to try to sing a little bit. No, no, no. No, thank you.

KAGAN: Did they approach you about that?

GOODING: Nope. I will handle the dancing, you guys handle the singing. I'll handle the performances, you guys handle the bravado. And that was our deal.

KAGAN: Everybody played to their strengths. Very good.

Did you actually shoot this here in Georgia?

GOODING: We did. A little place called Social Circle, from there all the way down to downtown Atlanta, everywhere. All over.

KAGAN: Oh, shoot, you should have stopped on by here at CNN while you were in town.

GOODING: Yes, I stayed in a hotel right across from it. I can't think of the name. I remember the big CNN signs up in the sky.

KAGAN: So close, yet so far.

GOODING: Peachtree.

KAGAN: Peachtree. That's safe in Atlanta, saying something with Peachtree.

GOODING: Fifty streets called Peachtree Street.

KAGAN: We know you are in town if you can refer to that.

But getting back to the movie, doing a movie with a gospel theme. I think gospel is having a huge, not necessarily resurgence, but a lot of popularity and a lot of people getting into the music, even if they weren't raised into the tradition.

GOODING: Yes, and I came from a Baptist Church, Spirit of Christ Tabernacle Church in California, you know, when I read this script, I knew there was an opportunity here to expose this world. So much spirit and energy, and love, and you just feel it. I mean, the music, it really moves your soul. And coming from origins of slavery, the only means of expression was to recite lyrics from the hymns and whatnot, and we had the opportunity to show how it just moves people of all ages and race.

KAGAN: Looking forward to seeing that. Now you probably don't remember this, and I know you can't see this picture we are going to put up, because you don't have a monitor where you were, but and I have actually met. I sat next to you on an airplane about three or four years ago coming from Los Angeles to Atlanta. I think you were shooting a movie in South Carolina. And I'm showing this picture right now because I am a geek, and I asked to you take a picture onboard with me on this plane, and you were so nice to do it, and I still keep it in my office. And when I heard you were coming on today, I said, oh, I have a picture of me and Cuba Gooding Jr.

GOODING: You are so sweet. Well, hopefully, I will see you in person and I can sign it, or we can take another picture.

KAGAN: I look forward to that. And for the viewers out there, he really is a nice guy if you run into him in person.

Good luck with the movie, Cuba. Thanks for coming by. Appreciate it.

GOODING: Thank you. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com