The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative influences and inspirations of some of today’s great screen artists.
Every installment asks the same five questions. Today’s subject is Cedric the Entertainer, who figures to get major awards shows like the recently rudderless Emmy and Oscars back into the business of having a skilled host center the proceedings and liven them up with sharp humor. Cedric began his rise on the stand up comedy stage, which led to cohosting BET’s ComicView and Def Comedy Jam. He costarred on The Steve Harvey Show for the WB, and was part of the roster of The Original Kings of Comedy. The versatile comedian and actor’s movie work includes the Barbershop films, Johnson Family Vacation, Intolerable Cruelty, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Madagascar trilogy and the Get Shorty sequel Be Cool. He stars in and is executive producer of the hit sitcom The Neighborhood. Here he explains the influences that forged his career.