EMGWORLD CHATS WITH A VETERAN ACTOR CLIMBING HIGHER AND HIGHER WITHIN THE INDUSTRY
From "Cousin Skeeter" to Coach Carter, Robert Ri’chard has literally grown from a boy to a man in front of the eyes of America. His passion to succeed in his craft has allowed him to rise above the struggles that stop so many child actors from moving forward. Robert’s talent has awarded him the opportunity to work on some of Hollywood’s most noteworthy films and television shows. The Los Angeles native explains the drive, determination and discipline it takes to be a working actor within the industry.
EMGWorld: At what point in your journey did you officially know that acting was truly what you wanted to pursue?
Robert Ri’chard: When I was about 12 or 13. I had been training for about two years and I was on stage at a stage play. I could feel the audience holding their breath while I was on stage acting. I knew I wanted to be an actor once I saw how much I was affecting other people.
EMGWorld: If not for acting, what other career would you have pursued?
RR: I wanted to be an astronaut when I was growing up. I went to space camp and space academy. I was very passionate about it.
EMGWorld: You've been in this business for quite some time. How much of a challenge was it to maintain good grades as a kid and pursue your dream as an actor?
RR: That's the most critical challenge of being a young actor. The government and state do NOT play. You have to have good GRADES to pursue acting as a kid. Your school has to give you permission to be on set. You literally have to get your principal to sign off for you to do a movie or television show.
EMGWorld: Is there any one movie or project in your catalog that you would say stands out to you as the most memorable?
RR: I would say "Cousin Skeeter" because it was a family show and everyone watched it. I'd also say Coach Carter because that was the movie that opened up the MASS appeal. Everyone was able to relate to Coach Carter. There have been so many different people that have approached me and told me how much they enjoyed seeing me in that movie. I'd say that's one of the biggest things I've done.
EMGWorld: Rumor has it you actually met the real Coach Carter long before you even began shooting the film? Is this true?
RR: [Yeah]. I actually met Coach Carter two years before we even made the movie. He asked me for a ride that was an hour away. So we had lunch and I gave him a ride where he needed to go. He told me I reminded him a lot of his son. I thought he was joking. He said he was going to get Denzel or Samuel L. Jackson to play him in a movie about his life. I asked if he had a script and he said no. I was like "get out of here man." Two years later, he calls me up and says Samuel L. Jackson is going to play him and I would play his son. The rest is HISTORY.
EMGWorld: What's it like working with Tyler Perry on "Meet The Browns?"
RR: "Meet The Browns" is a very funny show, but please DO NOT be fooled. None of that stuff is improvised. All of the material you see is SCRIPTED. That show is a well oil shipped. If your call time is 9am, you'd better be there by 8:45am. Otherwise, you're LATE. I've been on a lot of sets and sometimes they can be relaxed. I was on "CSI Miami" and was impressed by how quickly they moved. But Tyler Perry Studios is more well-run than that show I did on "CSI Miami."
EMGWorld: What's more challenging? Working on a TV set for a full season or filming a movie for like 4 or 5 months?
RR: The pressure is bigger on a TV show. There are more EYEBALLS on you. Things happen so fast and you have to deliver your best immediately. In a movie, you already know about the bigger scenes and you have a lil bit more time to prepare for those scenes in advance.
EMGWorld: Who within the industry has had the most influence on you up to this point in your career?
RR: The most significant person in my career was Louis Gossett Jr. We worked [together] on the movie "In His Father's Shoes." Louis Gossett is an Academy Award winning actor and he spent so much time giving me confidence and showing me how to manipulate my mindset to becoming a stronger actor. He taught me how to translate what happens on the inside of me to the outside on camera.
I ended up winning an Emmy for that movie. I would say Louis Gossett is without a doubt the most important person.
I ended up winning an Emmy for that movie. I would say Louis Gossett is without a doubt the most important person.
EMGWorld: What's been you're best experience on any set or on any project?
RR: I'd say Feasts of All Saints. I was about 17 years old at the time we filmed it and they treated me like an adult. Anne Rice wrote Feast of All Saints 25 years ago and personally told me the face she imagined when she wrote it was my face. The producers invited me to all the producer sessions and always encouraged me to speak up and give my input. They told me “this is your movie and you have to be the captain of this ship.” The president of Showtime even came and talked with me. That movie put alot of confidence in me.
EMGWorld: What's the worst thing an aspiring actor can do who desires to be in this business?
RR: I'd say the worst thing you can do is be in this business for the wrong reasons. And that's just for the FAME. You have to respect the acting profession and go to school and train. If you're not training then you're not really trying to be an actor. There's no career in the world where you can just wing it. To think you can just do this on the fly is just kidding yourself.
EMGWorld: You've been on countless TV shows. Out of all the TV shows you've been on which one would you say has been the most challenging for you?
RR: "CSI: Miami" was the most challenging. I worked the hardest on that show. I was playing a young man who was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. My character goes through a rough time with jail life. To prepare for the role I didn't sleep on a bed for 8 DAYS. I only laid down on a marble floor. Every day on set I looked like 'walking pain.' Everyone was floored by how I translated that pain on camera. People say it was one of the best "CSI: Miami" episodes ever shot. The president of Paramount walked up to me and said “you blew me away.”
EMGWorld: What would you say is the best way for an aspiring actor to network themselves in with the right crowd?
RR: Theater is hands down the BEST way. If you're doing stage productions someone is going to notice you. That's how I got noticed. I did theater exclusively and someone in the audience said he wanted to represent me. If you're doing great work in the theater world people are going to hear about you. I saw an amazing actor in a theater play in downtown LA and now he's on a huge television show.
EMGWorld: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since you began to pursue your career in this business?
RR: You have to do your homework and be prepared for every day. To be OVER prepared is to be barely prepared. If you think you're over prepared, you're just barely prepared. You have to continue to train and be prepared. That's what it takes to develop your craft.
RR: You have to do your homework and be prepared for every day. To be OVER prepared is to be barely prepared. If you think you're over prepared, you're just barely prepared. You have to continue to train and be prepared. That's what it takes to develop your craft.
EMGWorld: What can fans out there expect from you in the near future?
RR: At some point, I'm looking to migrate into a producer in Hollywood with children's programming. That's the life that I came up in. Two awesome gentlemen named Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin showed me as a kid that you can do business with your friends and put out the best product. I started a company with friends David Brundage and Brandon Meyers. We want to do some awesome programming and be the same production company that Tollin/Robbins was throughout the 90s and 2000s.
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