 You might not know Chris Tucker by name, but his constantly running motormouth and bulging bug eyes make him hard to miss on the big screen. Fresh off of a memorable turn in The Fifth Element, he plays a con on the run opposite Charlie Sheen in New Line's new comedy Money Talks, which opens Wednesday. Impressed by his co-star's manic energy, Sheen describes Tucker as "Eddie Murphy squared." Tucker's first taste of stardom came at Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia. "I was always getting in trouble. Your typical class clown," he admits. "But my teachers liked my humor. They knew I meant no harm." One day, a favorite teacher suggested Tucker take his wise-cracking antics to the stage and host the school's talent show. Instead of being dumbstruck, Tucker was awestruck. "I got up there and did it. Ripped it up. After I heard everyone laughing, I decided this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was one of the best feelings I've ever had," he recalls. Tucker rips it up again playing schmoozy Franklin Hatchett, the ticket-scalping car-wash entrepreneur who uses his wits to out-con a gruesome team of French diamond smugglers in Money Talks. The twenty-four-year-old comedian's rise to stardom is pretty meteoric considering how long it takes most actors in this town to land a really great table-waiting job. After performing in amateur nights at various comedy clubs in Atlanta, Tucker surprised friends and family by leaving for Los Angeles to pursue stand-up comedy and acting at age twenty. An early lucky break landed Tucker in House Party 3, which eventually led to roles in Panther and the Hughes Brothers' Dead Presidents. His breakout role came as aptly named Smokey in the cult comedy Friday. Then came Tucker's screen explosion as ambisexual radio host Ruby Rhod in The 5th Element. Busy as he is, Tucker recently completed a sold-out national comedy tour and just launched his own record label with Sony. Tucker, who already understands the power of retaining creative control, played a pivotal role behind the camera in Money Talks as well--that of executive producer. "After I found the script, I punched it up, wrote a couple of set pieces, then once it was a go, I hired the director, helped cast the movie, chose the cars that were used in the film--just everything!" Tucker explains. "Even the way the posters eventually looked. There were so many decisions that had to be made. It was a learning experience. Trying at times. But I had a lot of help, too."
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