CLOCKWISEFROM INSET: SUZANNEHANOVER/COLUMBIAPICTURES; ELISABETHCAREN;MARCBAPTISTE/CORBISOUTLINE
22
JUNE 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
{ MOVI ES }
JusttheBeginning
Thoughhisnewmovie iscalled
This Is theEnd
,
CRAIGROBINSON
’s
upward trajectory showsno signsof stopping.
T
,
-
gling from the previous night’s
escapades onThe SecondCity’s
star-makingcomedycircuit,20-something
Craig Robinsonwouldwalk bleary-eyed
intoaSouthSideChicagoelementaryschool
everymorningand shapeyoung lives—by
shatteringtheirchoraldreams.“Iwasturn-
ingkids away,”Robinson laughs abouthis
days as a perfectionistmusic teacher, an
experience that serves as inspiration for
his in-development comedy forNBC. “You
don’t turnkidsaway fromachoir,”he says,
bemusedbyhisbehavior. “You justdon’t.”
Of course, thiswasall beforeRobinson,
now41,moved toLosAngelesand, thanks
tohisroleasDarrylPhilbinon
TheO ce
—
nottomentionaslewofmemorablebitparts
(
KnockedUp
,
PineappleExpress
)—brokebig
asoneof his generation’shottest comedic
talents.With
TheOffice
having recently
wrapped itsnine-season run, Robinson is
forced to distance himself from his star-
makingshow.“It’sbeenanamazingjourney,”
hesays.“But let’sseewhathappensnext.”
He needn’t wait very long: Robinson
has already emerged as a go-to player in
Hollywood’s burgeoning improv-based
comedyscene.Sofarthisyear,he’svoiceda
ratlikealienintheanimatedcomedy
Escape
fromPlanetEarth
; nailedhisfirst lead role
asareunion-crashingboyfriendintheTyler
Perry–producedcomedy
Peeples
;andplays
himself alongside SethRogen and Jonah
Hill in the apocalypse-themed
This Is the
End
, out thismonth. “It’samazing tobe in-
cluded,”hesaysofthe latter’sstar-studded
cast,whichalsoincludesJamesFrancoand
DannyMcBride.“ButIfeellikeI’mcarrying
myweightnow.”
So does theHollywoodmachine now
haveRobinson in its grasp, sweatingbox-
office receipts andminglingwith studio
execsatTheIvy?Noway, he insists. “Ican
bringmyselftotherole,Icanbringpassion
and get lost in thework, butmy job isnot
to sell tickets,”he says. “My job is to rock
my lines.”
And though he jokes about the some-
times slowpace of his ascent to stardom,
he knows it happened this way for a rea-
son.“It’sfunny,”hesays.“Godgave ittome
a littlebitatatime.Butnow it’s justgrand.”
—« ¬®¯° ¬
WorkingGirl
Withher first childdue lastmonth,
actress
JOANNAGARCIASWISHER
—alongwithher husband, Cleveland
Indians first basemanNickSwisher
— is takingon thebiggest jobof her
life: parenthood. Inher newmovie,
The Internship
, thehard-working
nativeof Tampa, Fla., plays a
similarlydedicatedwomanwhohas
littlepatience for the career-stalled,
slackerwaysofVinceVaughn’s
character.Wegrilled the33-year-
old—and21-year industryveteran
—about her career.
AMERICANWAY
:
What’sbeenyour
mostembarrassing
project?
JOANNAGARCIA
SWISHER:
I’ve
never beenafraid
toembarrassmyself
on-screen. I think
that’s theessential
part of doing
comedy: lettingyour
guarddownand
not beingafraidof
gettingugly. That
said, thereare
momentswhen I see
NotAnother Teen
Movie
onTVand I
blushand squirm
seeing theawkward
years and terrible
haircuts.
AW
:
Haveyouever
liedona résumé?
JGS:
[
Laughs
] I
shouldhave— I
probablywouldhave
gottena lotmore
jobs. But I’moneof
thosepeoplewho
plays things safe.
AW
:
Are thereany
otherprofessions
you’dpursue?
JGS:
Either animal
rescueor interior
design.
AW
:
Whatdefinesa
goodworkethic?
JGS:
Gratitude. I
think that if you
always liveyour
lifewith that, you
appreciate the job. In
acting, itmakes you
want to showupon
time, knowyour lines
andbe supportive
and respectful.
—JULIE JACOBS
Robinson’s role in
This Is theEnd
(far left) isdownright apocalyptic.
ITINERARY
