![]() ![]() That and, of course, the fact that they make the hard truth into something funny. The disarming lack of pretense and the display of virtuous honesty - despite the often unvirtuous truths - are qualities shared by both Pryor and Chappelle. And when Chappelle begins to open up, you quickly see why the late Richard Pryor believed him to be his successor. What begins as a cautious and hesitant interview slowly changes gears as Lipton demonstrates what his secret talent has always been: the ability to give the room up to his guests, to allow them the space and almost sycophantic love to express something other than rehearsed answers. ![]() Following James Lipton’s characteristically purple introduction (“Sit back and enjoy two hours with the amazing piece of work that is Dave Chappelle”) Chappelle shuffles onstage and you can almost see the weight of all the heavy baggage he’s been carrying. Inside The Actor’s Studio was to be Chappelle’s forum for the first time since that controversial decision. The power of the program comes from the great pink elephant that looms in the room: Chappelle’s decision to turn his back on his massively successful variety show, The Chappelle Show, with its pot of gold worth some $50 million, only to “run off” to Africa while the media speculated on what brand of crack he was smoking to do such a blatantly uncapitalistic thing. Whatever your feelings towards Chappelle and his brand of humor, there is no doubt that this particular interview goes beyond the normal boundaries of the performing arts into a dialogue that is funny, insightful, and even touching. Inside The Actor’s Studio has had many notable guests over the years and many fine programs as a result, but none of them can match this one: a startling conversation ranging over a myriad of subjects with the unlikeliest of guests, comedian Dave Chappelle. ![]()
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