5 Questions With: Jamal Woolard

Talk about B.I.G. shoes to fill. When he was cast in 'Notorious,' Jamal Woolard didn't just land his first acting gig, he landed a starring role playing one of his biggest influences. Woolard is Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., aka the late icon widely considered the greatest rapper of all time.

'Notorious' traces the meteoric rise of Wallace from Brooklyn drug pusher to international rap superstar, gunned down in '97 amidst the infamous East Coast-West Coast feud. The intriguing supporting cast includes Derek Luke (as Sean "Puffy" Combs), Anthony Mackie (friend-turned-foe Tupac Shakur) and Angela Bassett (Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace). As for Woolard, he beat out hundreds at a widely publicized casting call to take the film's top billing.

Woolard isn't a no-name plucked from obscurity, though -- he's also a rapper known as Gravy. In 2006, he was shot in the rump outside a Manhattan radio station, and rather than rush to the hospital, he went on with a scheduled on-air appearance, bullet lodged in his behind. Now that's ... what's the word? ... gangsta. -- By Kevin Polowy

1. They held a massive search to cast the Notorious B.I.G. Did you go through the casting process?

Oh, man, did I ... I had to do all that, man. I had to get in my zone, I had to gain the weight ... I put myself in Biggie boot camp. I was in Charlotte and got a call from one of my friends. He told me about it; he was like, "Yo, man, I think you should go try out for it. You're the funniest, you a ladies' man, you know we from the 'hood. Let's go get it, son!" So I said, "Lemme try, ya know?" And I went out and I read on it. I seen the [other people trying out for the role], that's what made me gain the weight cause I seen how many big dudes [were] out, like, "Whoa, they huge!" I'm not that huge. So I ate. I was at 285, went to 340.

2. What else was "Biggie boot camp" besides putting on the weight?

You know, [studying his] behavior, mannerisms, his movement, his patterns, his hands, how he'd scratch the back of his head, [keep his] chin up high, cotton balls in the mouth, the walk, the speech, the rhymes, the delivery. I studied both albums, and 'Willie Nelson's Greatest Hits,' cause you know his mom loves country music, so I had to know what that sound like. It [was] a lot.




3. Do you see many similarities between yourself and Biggie?

Yeah, 'cause my first dream was music ... And just being from Brooklyn, couple of blocks from where he was. I never met Big, closest I got to Big, sad to say, was his funeral. But just playing somebody you're fans of ... It's like, if you could do Big, how would you do it? When I was in high school, [I used to think] what it would feel like to be Big. And what's crazy is, I had my daughter when I got on set, when my dreams was being fulfilled. And he had his daughter when he got his first Bad Boy check. So that's a similarity. And I had my daughter on March 10, and he died on March 9.

4. There are all these great actors involved, but really the movie's on your shoulders as the lead. Are you feeling the pressure?

Yeah, I feel excitement. really. Got all eyes on me, let's see what it do. Let's just take it and roll with the punches. I feel like if I didn't do my job on this thing, I don't know ... In my own eyes, I was amazed. I feel great. I feel like people are going to be more shocked than anything.

5. Did you get much acting advice from the cast?

Yeah, they definitely showed me a lot of support. Anthony Mackie is a funny dude, and Derek Luke is crazy. But [they showed me] just how to focus, how to reset if you don't feel comfortable and want to do it over. You know, time is money, so you want to do it correct. And Angela Basset [helped me] with the scene [where Mrs. Wallace slaps Biggie]. I had to take that straight on [laughs]. I should have used a stunt person. You know, after 18 takes my jaw was whipped. I would never take no slaps from her again.