Cool, calm and a wicked comic wit

By Greg Braxton

Dec. 1, 2002 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Larry Wilmore’s set jaw and focused eyes illustrated his resolve. He had too much to do and too little time.

“The Bernie Mac Show,” the hit offbeat Fox family sitcom that Wilmore created for Mac, the volcanic comedian who came to mainstream prominence with 2000’s “The Original Kings of Comedy” movie and tour, was breaking for lunch after a long morning of shooting on its Studio City set, and Wilmore had numerous details to attend to.

Pausing for a few moments to take some photos, he provided the thinnest of smiles. But when Mac sneaked up behind him and began to make faces at the camera, he knew he was in trouble. After only a few more seconds, a laugh leaped almost involuntarily from his throat. Mac had done it again. He cracked Wilmore up.

The moment was a reflection of the chemistry between Wilmore and Mac. Their pairing has been referred to as an edgier version of the potent partnership between Jerry Seinfeld and “Seinfeld” creator Larry David -- an odd yet perfect mix of diametrically gifted producer and talent who have taken each other to the next level.

Wilmore’s calm exterior also seems at first glance to be at odds with Mac’s outrageousness. In his comedy routines, Mac is loud, cocky, brash and even crass at times, with stylishly long hair. Wilmore looks more like a college professor -- spectacles, pressed jeans, close-cropped black hair invaded by gray.

There is little in the way the 41-year-old Wilmore carries himself that suggests he could write a comedy script with lines such as “I’m gonna kill one of those kids” or “I’m gonna bust her head until the white meat shows.”

Wilmore’s wicked comic style was also evident in “The PJs,” the controversial animated series he helped create about a family living in a housing project. The comic sensibility between Wilmore and Mac -- sharp, culturally flavored humor that can be universally appreciated -- seem to be made for each other.

“God brought us together,” Mac says about Wilmore during a break in his dimly lighted dressing room. “I truly believe that. It truly works, and it’s the way it’s supposed to be. I get his clean version of me, and I can communicate the raw side of him.”

Even though Mac is the bigger name, it was the quiet Wilmore who scored an upset victory for the outstanding comedy writing Emmy for “The Bernie Mac Show,” which is produced by Regency Television and 20th Century Fox Television. The award was for the show’s pilot, which introduced Mac as a successful African American comedian who is suddenly the guardian of his troubled sister’s three children.

In winning the award, Wilmore became the only African American writer to win a solo Emmy Award for writing a network show.

But milestones are of little comfort when there are still concerns about ratings and Mac’s and Wilmore’s mandate of maintaining the series’ momentum during the crucial sophomore season. And there has already been a bump in that road.

This season presented “The Bernie Mac Show” and its two key creative forces with a new challenge. Fox moved the “Bernie Mac” show from last season’s 9 p.m. Wednesday slot to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, butting heads with ABC’s “My Wife and Kids” starring Damon Wayans, the only other comedy on a major network about an African American family.

When Wayans protested the move, saying the two comedies should not have to compete against each other, Wilmore and Mac stayed quiet.

But now the outcome of the battle is clear. “My Wife and Kids” repeatedly beat “The Bernie Mac Show” in ratings, prompting Fox to switch the comedy back to 9 p.m. Wednesday.

If Wilmore is stressing over his competition and the post-Emmy crunch that comes with success, it’s hidden behind his soft-spoken demeanor and hands-in-pockets stance. He remains driven.

Adding to that drive is the energy he gets from Mac. The comedian will come into the writers room and tell stories that often turn into story lines.

“Bernie is just great to feed off of,” Wilmore says. “It’s marvelous to see what he responds to.”

It’s not always smooth sailing between the two forces, says Wilmore. “He helps me keep on track. It’s a real collaboration. And I push him too. There was this fantasy episode last season, kind of a ‘Twilight Zone’ thing, that Bernie just did not want to do. He says, ‘Man, that’s not Bernie Mac.’ But he trusted me. He may not have trusted anyone else.”

From stand-up to sitcom

Pre-WILMORE, Mac had resisted television for many years. But during the “Original Kings of Comedy” project, he was approached by Wilmore, who seemed to know how to showcase Mac’s pointed humor.

Wilmore had already had a small taste of the stand-up life. After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona (“It was an agricultural school, so of course I was a theater major”), he began what he called a successful career on the comedy circuit, performing political humor.

He moved into writing for sitcoms. In addition to his stint on the groundbreaking “In Living Color,” he also worked on “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “Sister Sister” before signing on as an executive producer for “The PJs.”

That series, which ran from 1999-2000, centered around life at a predominantly African American housing project -- complete with crime, poverty and flying bullets. Among the residents were a crack addict, and men guzzling 40-ounce malt liquor bottles. “The PJs” almost immediately drew fire from some black activists who argued that making light of urban squalor was offensive. But it was low ratings that ultimately killed the show.

Wilmore is still stung by the failure of “The PJs,” calling it a brave comedy that took chances but was also caring about its characters: “I still think ‘The PJs’ didn’t get its fair shot. Some people took it much too seriously.”

After seeing “The Original Kings of Comedy,” Wilmore says he saw great sitcom potential in Mac -- particularly in a routine where he made fun of taking care of his sister’s three children. Mac immediately sensed there was something different about Wilmore as opposed to others who wanted to work with him.

Wilmore, who’s been married for eight years to actress Leilani Jones and is the father of 6-year-old Johnny and 4-year-old Lauren, found that he and Mac -- who has a grown daughter -- shared the same values about life: “We both believe in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. We both know how important it is to be a strong father.”

For the show, Wilmore conceived a “confessional” that allowed Mac to regularly plead his case to his audiences. Comments and descriptions are written on screen. Mac regularly reminds viewers that he is only saying “what the rest of you wish you could say.”

Particularly Wilmore.

‘True to his vision’

Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman says much emotion is hidden under Wilmore’s subdued surface.

“Behind his quiet demeanor is tremendous passion,” says Berman. “He is very clear about keeping true to his vision.”

His offbeat comedic style has resulted in some passionate creative differences with Fox.

“Networks are always afraid,” Wilmore says. “Fox has always been supportive of me, but we often don’t see eye to eye on the way I tell stories. I don’t write plot-driven episodes. They are character-driven. I don’t have cliffhangers at the end of Act 1. I like unpredictability, which doesn’t always go over well.”

Though he sometimes ponders life after “The Bernie Mac Show,” nurturing the comedy is his top priority. One plan is to explore the bond between Mac and his wife, Wanda (Kellita Smith).

Still, Wilmore is still looking forward to the future when “I can branch out a little and do other projects, develop a brand like David E. Kelley.”

He pauses before adding with a smile, “Funnier, of course.”