I agree 100% wholeheartedly. We are very limited in the roles that are available to us. And the limited roles available to us are given to a limited number of actors. With so many Black actors in Hollywood, we still use the same ones over and over. Denzel Washington can’t play a 24-year-old basketball player anymore. C’mon. And even though he didn’t, I’m just using that as an example. There’s a whole lot of Black talent not being tapped into and we’re only being portrayed how they believe us to be and how they want us to be portrayed.
Do you want to branch out beyond comedic roles?
For me, comedy will be an excellent segue into doing everything that I want to do. Societal and social restraints will always be here but I think we’e mostly held back by our own process and our own ideas. I want to play a doctor one day. I want to play real roles. I want to be a soldier. I want to play an action hero. I want to do a biopic. I believe that through comedy and the opportunities it presents me, I can do that. I really admire Jamie Foxx. I want to model my career after his.
Do you do music as well?
Hip-hop and rap was my first love. I was signed as a rapper to Too Short as Slink Capone. I traveled and did shows with Too Short in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I have not had the chance to use it on the show but in connection with Black Jesus I’ve been able to get back into the studio. I’m definitely getting back into music. I’m working on a mix tape. The mix tape is called “The 40 Year Old Virgin.”
Don’t you think there’s an age limit to making rap music, though?
It’s only an age limit if you ain’t making no money. If you a 43-year-old clown at here still trying to make it rapping at the swap meet, God bless you, but people see you as a failure. If you’re Jay-Z, he’s 44 and still out here rapping. But what’s different from a guy who’s 23 and he’s still rapping at 43 but he never made it? Let’s say he has a day job and still supports his family but he likes to rap at night. Is anything wrong with that? Rap is an acronym for Rhythm and Poetry. Rap is conversation. Now what are you talking about as a rapper? If I’m talking about some stuff that 40-year-old guys go through in a way that we can understand, people are going to feel that.
Have you learned anything new about faith or religion since you started playing Jesus?
I think for me, and I will tell you the truth, what I get out of it is that I believe that God is there. I believe in God. I believe he’s there and working in our favor and he’s working in all of our favors. He has his way of reaching us all. He gave me a divine opportunity to represent him on Adult Swim and I don’t take it lightly at all. So what I get from it, is to try to be more Christ-like. I do know that I’m representing a power much greater than me so I need to reflect that in my daily actions.
Are people taking Black Jesus too seriously? Should it be about just turning it on and laughing?
Yes, you can turn it on and and laugh but that’s the beauty of Aaron McGruder’s amazing writing, is that there are layers there. You can stay at the first layer or take that layer off and say ‘Oh, he’s making me think.’ Some people are just enjoying that stop layer but I always tell them take that one off and look a little deeper into what we said.
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‘Black Jesus’ Star Gerald ‘Slink’ Johnson Talks About Stereotypes, Salvation And Music [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CLIP] was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
