He was the childhood crush of most girls in the 80s and still remains eye candy for most women today. Malcolm Jamal Warner, in his role of Theo Huxtable, played the son of Dr Cliff and Claire Huxtable, a lawyer on the hugely popular sitcom The Cosby Show. Currently garnering new fans for his recent role on the Lifetime sitcom Sherri, Warner has proven that he is not a flash in the pan actor. Now, 39, with a thriving music career, the ever-busy Warner took some time off from his schedule to talk to WomanWise Associate Editor ESSIBA SMALL exclusively about his band Miles Long, his transition from child star to adult actor, women and approaching 40.
Q: After all these years do you still feel tied to Theo, or have your fans been kind enough to take you for who you are rather than your character?
A: A consequence of being on a long running worldwide number one television show is an unbreakable association, so that goes with the territory. I understand that fully. And part of the game of longevity is constantly re-inventing yourself, expanding and showing versatility in your chosen craft. So that remains a constant. I feel I've been fortunate enough that people have allowed me to grow and expand, but there will always be those who will refer to me as Theo. I look at it like this: people still call (Director) Ron Howard "Opie" and it doesn't hurt his career one bit. But seeing me in a musical setting helps a lot because after seeing me perform live people go, "That ain't Theo" or "Theo done grown up!"
Q: What have you been up to in the last five years? I see your band, Miles Long, has been talked about a lot. How often do you guys play out?
A: The last five years seemed to have gone pretty fast-especially this last year of trying to get this interview done! (Laughs) When I first started the band we were playing Los Angeles 2-3 times a month but it was hard to get full houses because people always knew if they didn't go one week, they could catch the show next. So I scaled it back to where we play LA every couple of months so now folks know they'd better catch the show because it could be a few months before we hit again.
I also do a lot of out of town gigs every few months as well. On the acting side, the last five years have been pretty busy too. I spent five and a half months in Australia shooting a big-budget studio film, Fool's Gold, with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, playing a bad guy with a bad Bahamian accent (laughs). I also launched my one man theatrical play, "Love & Other Social Issues," (kind of the stage version of my CD), which got the kind of rave reviews you couldn't pay for, which was quite gratifying. And most recently, I've been playing Sherri Shepherd's immensely irresistible cheating ex-husband on the Lifetime Network sitcom, Sherri.
Q: Was Miles Long formed post Cosby or pre Cosby?
A: Very post-Cosby. I picked up the bass in November '96, the first season of Malcolm & Eddie, as a hobby. I soon realised practising scales to a metronome in my dressing room wasn't going to hold my interest, so I started holding jam sessions at my house so I could interact with other musicians. Then in 1988 I finally formed the band because I knew if I surrounded myself with incredible musicians in real playing situations, it would really make me step up my game. So because I didn't start playing until I was 26, and since acting is my first job and what pays the bills, I find that I'm always working hard as a musician just to keep up! It takes a lot of time, energy, and discipline just to be an okay musician so I have an incredible amount of respect for extremely talented musicians because I know the work, sacrifice, and dedication it takes.
Q: What surprised you most about how people reacted to Miles Long?
A: How immediately receptive they were to the vibe we were creating. That same first gig we were supposed to play three songs. They double booked bands so we never got any kind of soundcheck. At the last minute, we decided to improv a quick joint before our first song so the engineer could set levels. The crowd got so into it, that the opening soundcheck jam lasted 10 minutes. Then we played Living Colour's, Love Rears It's Ugly Head, followed by an original blues song, and then Coltrane's Equinox, which we played through different stylistic changes. After that last song, the crowd (and the club owner) wouldn't let us leave before playing another song. We didn't have anything so we made another one up on the spot. So our three-song set became five and we were only the opening act.
Q: You turned 39 last August. How was that for you?
A: These last two years of my 30s have been very interesting because I've found myself once again, finding myself; searching for what defines me. Looking at what I've accomplished and what's next. I've been very blessed to have achieved a lot starting at a young age, but then I found myself facing one of my biggest fears: not having that fire drive I had when I was younger that drove me to those accomplishments. Getting so jaded by the politics of the entertainment industry–and life in general–that for a quick moment I reached that point of "what does any of it matter?" And honestly, that's a scary place to be. So turning 39 has been a year of re-evaluating what's important to me; re-defining my purpose, and taking the necessary steps and actions to fulfil my potential and carry out my life's purpose.
Q: Music or acting? Which of these was your first love?
A: They are both a first love. When I was seven, I told my mother I was either going to be a famous actor, a famous poet, or a famous basketball player. Also at seven, I got my first record player and the first record I lifted from my mother's collection was Larry Graham's Graham Central Station; so bass was what I was always attracted to. I started a theatre workshop when I was nine and have always had a keyboard, drum machine, and four-track studio in my bedroom all throughout my Cosby years.
Like every other teenager, who grew up as part of the hip-hop community, I had aspirations of being a rapper so I was always making beats. Miles Long was actually the name of my first rap group some 20 years ago!
You know, we were "so deep" and so "ahead" of the rap game that the road between us and other rappers was "miles long." I thank God nothing ever happened with that group. (laughs) The concept was cool though and even when I go back and listened to our demos, there was always a certain consciousness with which we wrote, but I'm a much better poet than rapper. I've found a good mix of the two and in some of my songs you can definitely hear the spoken word MC in me. So the term "Miles Long" now refers to my musical journey – I've come a long way, yet still have a long way to go. But it wasn't until I made the decision to become a musician and study the language of� music that the music really started to happen for me.
Q: What instruments do you play? And are you a self-taught?
Electric and upright bass are my main instruments. Though my only formal music training was a 10-week intensive at the renowned Musician's Institute, I do study with different bass teachers, coaches, as well as glean a lot from other musicians. So I can't really say that I'm self-taught. Fronting my own band after only a year and a half of playing made for a quick on-the-job education. Forming a band and playing bass to support really talented musicians put me in the hot seat immediately. Any other musician can mess up and it would go somewhat unnoticed, but let the bass player mess up, it affects everything. Because my music is so groove oriented, my mistakes can resonate-especially if I'm not on focus.
Q: I know you are a master of the spoken word. Do you get to write as often as you would like to?
A: No, I don't, for which I'm the only one to blame. I could blame it on being so busy or not being inspired. I could blame it on the atmosphere in the poetry community, not being like it was before poets were–on tv and getting paid. But at the end of the day, it's all on me.
Q: What other projects are you working on?
A: Right now, the biggest project is me. (Laughs).
Being where I am today is not by accident. I've spent all of my life planning for my 30s. Even before I was acting at nine years old, my mother (Pamela) used to always tell me to work hard and bust my behind young so when I'm in my 30's, and the rest of my friends are scrambling and struggling, I could chill. She was the one who impressed upon me the importance of life after "Cosby" so instead of living the life of a teenage star on the number one television show, I was hustling as an actor and director. I understood the awkward and sometimes impossible transition from being seen as a child star to being taken seriously as an adult actor so I was planting seeds and showing the world that there is more to Malcolm Jamal Warner than just Theo. Not being a "Where Are They Now?" kid was probably, no, was absolutely the biggest element of my drive as a younger person. Now that I am successfully living life after Cosby, that main force of my drive has dissipated whereas leaving/forcing me to discover a new drive, which entails more introspective work than I have ever done before.
Q: A lot of women make up your fan following. What was the strangest thing a female fan ever did to get your attention?
A: Though I'm sure it's relatively tame compared to experiences of other cats in the public eye, it's still not a story to be published. (laughs)�Suffice it to say that as a man who loves women, I dig being so loved by women–but the mistake people in the public eye make is that they begin to believe that it's all about them.
I really don't want this to be misinterpreted as ungrateful, but the female adulation goes with the territory. If you're on tv, in a movie, have a hit song out, play on a winning sports team women are gonna go ga-ga over you. That reality keeps it all in perspective for me. I believe that I am a good person but I can't let having my large base of female fans get to my head. Besides, I don't want to tell any strange stories to give women any ideas! (Laughs)
Q: What type of woman attracts you?
A: I like strong, independent women. I was raised by and around fiercely strong and independent women who, not that they didn't need a man,�but didn't need a man to run their lives. For me, a woman who knows how and will do for herself is a turn on; it makes me want to do for her. I like a confident woman who understands her worth and but also understands reciprocity in a give and take relationship.
I am a very affectionate person and as I say in my song "Ascension," (track 10 on my CD) I want to get as good as I give. Since I'm very passionate, whether it's my art or my woman, I give pretty good.
Q: You're on the cusp of 40. Would you say you are in a place now that you've always wanted to be?
A: I've achieved the things I've wanted to but never planned on what happens afterward. So looking at 40 is like looking over the horizon and seeing this blank canvas on which to paint/write the next chapters of my life and believing that, just like I created my path this far, I have the power to successfully chart out my next journey. It's exciting and overwhelmingly daunting at the same time.
So this process of finding myself and being comfortable in my own skin will invariably have a positive effect on my crafts. Once I learn to stop holding myself back, I believe that I will do amazing work. As unbelievable as it may sound, where I am in life doesn't negate the same fear of failure and/or success that immobilises many people. The difference is that I live in the public eye, have a healthy Leo ego, and I'm driven by the awareness that the older you get in this business the more you struggle to remain relevant. That is why this process is so crucial to not just my personal development and maturity but also my professional crafts as well.
Q: Have you ever been to Trinidad and Tobago? Ever heard of it? If yes, what have you heard? And would you ever visit for Carnival?
A: No, I've not been yet, but have been hearing about the Jazz Music Festival in Tobago and would love to get there and perform with my band. And of course I've heard about Carnival there. Something tells me I'd be slightly overwhelmed...but I'd love the opportunity to find out.
Q: What are your immediate future plans?
A: Well, we're still awaiting a second season pickup on Sherri. We had a great first season run. My ultimate goal is to compose music for film and television. What a great way to combine both of my careers! Most immediately, I'm working on completing my third CD, which should be released by summer. My last disc came out in 2007 and your readers can check my stuff out at
malcolmjamalwarner.com,
facebook.com/malcolmjamalwarner and
facebook.com/mileslongmusic.