Tichina Arnold is fearless when it comes to comedy. Just ask
Everybody Hates Chris executive producer Ali LeRoi, who has worked with Arnold for three successful season and watched the Queens, New York native turn her loud-mouthed character Rochelle into one of most endearing and likable television matriarchs today.
"Tichina doesn't have shame when it comes to comedy," LeRoi said. "She doesn't worry if she looks cute. She's willing to get ugly for a joke."
This is because Tichina Arnold, 36, firmly believes comedy should see no limits.
"I love to be entertained, and sometimes I'll do something silly to entertain myself,” Arnold told
The Detroit News. “Comedy should have no boundaries, and I love physical comedy.”
Arnold has been in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, and although her body of work is mostly comprised of comedic productions, including
Martin,
The Cosby Show,
The Jamie Foxx Show,
The Norm Show and One on One, she has also worked on some drama series, including
Ryan's Hope, All My Children and
Law & Order. In fact, the 36-year-old actress claims that when watching television, she often tunes in to more drama-fueled programs.
"I love
Family Guy. I'm addicted to it. But that's the only comedy I watch, really. The rest is forensic science shows and documentaries,” the
Everybody Hates Chris star explained. “I like
CSI: Miami. I do comedy every day and most times I'm looking for something serious."
Undeniably though, it is Tichina Arnold's talent in comedy that has made her one of the biggest and most memorable stars in television. She claims to have been inspired by such comedy greats like Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, Lily Tomlin, Gilda Radner (
Saturday Night Live) and Gene Wilder, but surprisingly has not tried her hand in stand-up comedy.
"People think I started in standup, but I have never done standup,” she told
The Detroit News. “It takes a different kind of person to do standup. I'm tough, but I'm not that tough. I haven't wanted to explore that part of myself. But I never say never. If someone wanted to write a woman show for me, I would do it."
Catch more of Tichina Arnold on
Everybody Hates Chris, which airs Monday nights on The CW.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Detroit News Online
(Image Courtesy of WireImage)