When it comes to his creative process, Jordan Rock always strives for authenticity.
"As long as it's authentic, we will figure it out," said the actor/comedian. The younger brother of well-known comedian and movie star Chris Rock and comedian Tony Rock, Jordan is quietly yet assuredly pushing his way into the world of creating -- whether that be on a stage, in front of a camera or just making moves.
Rock is in town to headline weekend shows at The Funny Bone in Westport Plaza along with feature comic, Michael D'Bey. I had the chance to catch up with Rock, getting to know his origin tale and what drives him.
Around 15 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, Rock was traveling with Tony and got a shot, albeit a small one. “At a comedy workshop in Jacksonville, Florida. I just went on stage. Back then, I would go wherever my brother, Tony, went," Rock said. "The comics would do Tuesday through the weekend. I sat with him in the hotel. Saturday morning, they had an opening, and I did four minutes."
Right then and there, Rock's foot was in the door and the fire was lit. But truth be told, the match was struck many years before, inside a household of brothers.
“I grew up around comedy, watching my brothers. They are inspirations," Rock noted when asked about his comedy inspirations. "There's a drive in you that makes you want go over and over and over again."
Does he feel competition around Chris and Tony?
No. Here's a guy simply trying to keep his head up in a fierce game and pay his bills. “I don’t have any competition. I am not competing with anyone. I’m the youngest, so they had a head start. I just want to pay my rent," Rock said.
If the four minutes in Florida, which Jordan marks as the time when Kanye West released his album, College Dropout, was the start, a Netflix series, Love, produced by Judd Apatow was the big break.
“That whole experience with Judd was the big break. I didn’t have one until that happened. I went to work and didn’t know what I was getting into. It felt like a ride and I am amazed that it happened," Rock said.
Rock's comedy has been showcased on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and The Last Call with Carson Daly. He also co-stars in two other Netflix Original films, Take the 10 and The After Party.
When asked what he's doing at the moment, Rock said he is reading lots of screenplays, but not just for the next big role. He wants to write one. "I’m reading screenplays right now in order to learn how stories are told and look like on paper," Rock said. The practice could help with a potential future project that would be a family thing, meaning a movie with Chris.
Jordan is very open to it. "I would like to, but I think I would have to write it." If he can help the whole family get work, he'll make it happen. That's Jordan, the younger, selfless brother.
When asked about advice for younger comics, Rock was honest. “There are so many lanes and ways to get in right now, so it's weird. It used to be: get on stage, and get the best you can. I don’t know what to tell people. Just do it and don’t quit. There’s no logic to it anymore," he said.
D'Bey, who is hitting the stage first this weekend, said the late Patrice O'Neal inspired him as a comic and talked about his first time on stage 13 years ago in LA. “I just showed up. A guy named Red Grant put me on stage. He put me up there. I bombed horribly, but it lit a fire," D'Bey said.
Like Rock, D'Bey craves the stage, saying he loves to open himself up in front of an audience.
At the end of the day, it's one big hustle. As Joe Carnahan, a director, once told me -- it sure beats moving furniture for a living.
Jordan Rock is the younger brother of Chris, but while some younger siblings would use that as a crutch to lean on or a chip to place on his shoulder, he is using it as pure inspiration. He didn't stop at merely being a comedian. He started acting. Now, he wants to write a screenplay.
He's not settling on the floor where he's standing. Instead, he's staring up wondering if there are higher levels in the building.
In the world of make-believe, slowing down is death. One must keep their feet moving and their head up at all times. Jordan Rock is playing the game, but he's staying close to the ball at all times.
Go see him and D'Bey at The Funny Bone in Westport Plaza.
