Interview: Comedian Red Grant opens up about his life purpose

Red Grant recently took the time during his tour schedule to speak about his life on the road, his busy schedule, his fond memories of the past, and his incredible plans for the future.

There’s more to this comedian than meets the eye. Yes he’s funny, and yes he can make you lose your cool laughing your guts out, but Red Grant is also a dedicated family man and an extremely talented and creative actor and director.

There is also a deep meaning behind what he does — something that drives him forward even in the midst of a schedule that would cause most of us to think twice about our careers. Here is the latest from Red Grant.

Hidden Remote: So what’s life like for you these days?  Are you enjoying your crazy schedule?

Red Grant: Life is definitely moving fast these days. My schedule is hectic, probably one of the busiest comic schedules in the world with the film and television and the writing part and trying to direct at the same time. So I’m in the comedy tour schedule here. I kind of like it. I asked to be busy, so I’m finally super busy and I don’t want to stop.

HR: So you’re a comedian and an actor. Do you like one more than the other? Do you enjoy doing standup more or acting?

Grant: I don’t think it’s more or less — I think when I’m telling jokes, I love telling jokes way more than acting. And when I’m acting, I love acting way more than telling jokes if that makes sense.

HR: When you act, do you generally like to improvise or do you follow a script?

Grant: I like to improvise, but directors don’t like you to improvise (laughs). So I like to read the script really good and really know the script so I can add my little crazy flavors to their words. So yeah, I do I go off book, but mostly I stay on because most directors and writers hate when you change their words.

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HR: What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened on the set of a movie or a TV show? Any funny stories to share?

Grant: I would say when I did Leprechaun In The Hood. I hadn’t seen the leprechaun and I was scared to death. And my oldest daughter came to me and was like, “Dad the leprechaun is out there!” And I was totally scared. I was scared to death. And even though it was a movie and I knew it was a fake character, I just was scared as heck and everybody was laughing at me.

HR: What has been the single most memorable experience for you in your entire career in the entertainment business?

Grant: I think when I first got on TV — that weekend I think — because I was 19 and I did Def Comedy Jam and I did the Apollo the same weekend, like back to back. I did Apollo first and then Def Jam. That probably was the most memorable thing [in my career] in comedy. There’s a lot of memorable things, but my first time being on TV was super memorable.

HR: For your standup, where do you get your inspiration?

Grant: I think from my family, friends, situations that I end up in. I have so many friends that are superstars, it’s just easy right now, ya know?

HR: What is the main purpose behind what you do?

Grant: The main purpose is to help people laugh. I try to inspire people to laugh if that makes sense because there’s a lot of sad people dealing with situations. And I feel like when I’m on that stage, that it’s my duty to give them everything I’ve got. 

HR: Do you connect with different cities in different ways?

Grant: Yes, every city has its own flavor; every city has its own Red Grant, ya know? It’s amazing that the underground following that I have right now is super wild — I would say crazy, ya know because every city you go to you has different personalities and different people in the audience. You might have somebody yelling out in one city and some cities they might be quiet, just like very reserved and laid back. So every city has its own flavor.

HR: You’ve been vocal about your love for your family – how do you balance your crazy schedule and family life?

Grant: It’s not easy. I just think that communication [is really important]. My wife always tells me that I need to communicate better. But, ya know, … because my job is not like a regular nine to five, I might get a call today and have to leave in an hour. So [you’re] creating your schedule sometimes on the go. And then I have so many projects that I’m working on that it keeps me really busy. But my family — I have the best family in the world. My family, my wife, she understands and she supports the heck out of me — all of my family does. My career is a selfish career, but my family is very selfless.

HR: What’s on the horizon for you? What’s next?

Grant: I’ve got a new movie coming out with Katt Williams called #Twominutesoffame. I have my Golf Beef project that’s coming out on TV. Just created a new Madden league called RGIFL, the Red Grant International Football League; we did that up for a tournament for Twitch. [And] I just started this new tour called the Red Grant Grow Up tour. You can see the schedule on redgrant.com.

Catch some laughs with Red Grant in a city near you the next time you get a chance! And be sure to stay tuned for his future projects!