Rock's revenge of the ghetto nerd

Chris isn't quite sure if he's cool, says actor Tyler James Williams

Inspired by the less-than-idyllic childhood experiences of stand-up comedian Chris Rock, Everybody Hates Chris is the antidote to the sickly sweet American sitcom.

Like most of Rock's racially charged humour, Everybody Hates Chris is painfully funny, irreverent, and politically incorrect. In short, it's a much needed breath of fresh air.

"I was the only black kid in my school so it skewed my world view of people. I never had money, like most black kids growing up in the 'hood," says Rock of his upbringing in Brooklyn, New York.

The show deals with an honest view of racism from a child's perspective. "I remember the first day of school I was sitting next to this girl and she looked at me and said, 'Ew, nigger!' It was second grade so she must have been seven or eight. I was like, 'Wow!' And that became my way of life."

Rock doesn't want sympathy, but he does expect a laugh. He continues with a litany of humiliations, recalling one incident: "I was so much smaller than the other guys at school and I remember a guy one morning turning me upside down and shaking the money out of my pockets.

"I just hung there praying he didn't drop me on my head. I was constantly bullied - mainly for being black."

So, what is an African-American boy to do? "I tried scrubbing," he deadpans. "But it wouldn't come out. Even soaking, nothing happened."

In contrast, the experiences of early childhood couldn't be more different for Tyler James Williams, 13, who portrays Rock.

"One similarity is that I went to a predominantly all-white school but I wasn't teased or anything like that because I was an actor at the school. I was the top dog," he says, matter-of-factly.

Williams has the precociousness and preternatural maturity which comes with growing up in the artificial and adult world of stardom.

He began acting professionally at the age of 4 on Sesame Street and hasn't stopped since. His other appearances include Law and Order: SVU and Saturday Night Live.

An anti-sitcom of sorts, Everybody Hates Chris could be compared to the groundbreaking Roseanne of the 80s, where in-your-face, blue-collar reality wasn't always pretty.

The show has dealt with issues such as drugs, school shootings, and welfare. You never saw anything like on The Cosby Show or Growing Pains.

"When Fox approached me to do a show, they said they wanted it to be Chris Rock meets The Wonder Years," Rock says. "But I had to do it my way."

And, evidently, Rock's way is working. Now that many African-American shows are in danger of disappearing with rapidly diminishing viewers, largely because of the success of American Idol and CSI (both of which can boast black and white audiences in the US), Everybody Hates Chris is being heralded as the one to "save the black sitcom", much in the way The Cosby Show is often regarded as having created the black sitcom.

Says Rock, "If anyone can compare me to Cosby in any way, that is the biggest compliment I could ever hear. He is my inspiration. He is the Beethoven of comedy. He's the Shakespeare of stand-up. It all starts and ends with Cosby. He's the text as far as I'm concerned. But personally, I'm much closer to [George] Carlin in the way of humour."

As far as relating to Rock's childhood character, Williams says, "It's very easy to play. This kid is an average 13-year-old. When a lot of kids turn 13 they're going through that oddball stage.

"They're not too sure who they are. I see a lot of this in the character. He doesn't know where his niche is yet. He doesn't know if he's cool or not. He's trying to fit in.

"And with the race issues, I believe in one way where you can find relief, and that is in comedy. Plus, we have amazing writers on the show," he says, sounding more like a middle-aged man than a kid in his first year as a teenager.

Williams is now tutored on set, as his work commitments come first. "An average day for me: I get up at about 6am, I'm out of the house by about 6.30. Call time is usually about 7am. At 7.15 I go through hair and makeup. Then right after hair and makeup, they send me up to school to try to get at least 20 minutes in. Then we just start shooting. In between camera setups I'll go back up to the school room and try to get some more school in."

It's easy to understand how child actors are alienated from their peers. "I mostly hang out with other kids from the network," he says. "It's a family atmosphere and these kids are all striving for the same thing - keeping your show on the network."

It is slightly alarming to hear that these "children" are more concerned about keeping their jobs than keeping up their grades.

Rock won't get into discussion about the pros and cons of child actors but, as executive producer, he takes time to spend with Williams.

"I love working with Chris," says Williams. "He's really down to earth. When he's on the set, there's no tension at all because he's a comedian. He'll say a joke, and we'll just all calm down and laugh for a minute, and then be able to get back to work fresh."

These days, Rock can look back on his life and laugh at his misfortunes all the way to the bank. He says he doesn't have any words of wisdom for kids experiencing what he went through. Getting bullied is a fact of life for many kids.

"What are you going to do? You take your lumps. But remember this: the kid that's whooping your ass will come to you for a job one day. That's how the world works. Nerds run the world. Somebody probably beat up Bill Gates. Hell, they might still be beating up Bill Gates."