Artist’s Corner: Q & A with Vernon King Jr.

Q: Why do you think I picked you for Artist’s Corner this week?
A: I can’t say for sure, but obviously there has been something I have showed you that you decided it was worth it to choose me for the story in “The Leader.”

Q: Well, I chose you for acting. How do you feel about that?
A: I feel very pleased. I am very thankful — you have really inspired me.  You know me being an actor, it is really inspiring for me to hear you choose me for acting, because it means I am on the right track. You inspire me so much.

Q: I recently had a conversation with someone where he said, “Even though Vernon is a freshman here, he is still one of the most recognizable faces on campus.” Why do you think this person said that?
A: I was talking to somebody yesterday, and they said, “Vernon, we have a large population of whites on campus, and a much smaller population of blacks. Usually the bigger population has the craziest and the loudest people in their group, but you are an African American, and you go out there and just have fun.” I just do what I do and I don’t worry about what anybody else thinks. It’s because I have fun. It don’t matter where you’re at or what race you are — I just have fun. I live a life, which is why God put us on this Earth.

Q: What got you interested in acting?
A: Theater actually changed my whole life. I used to be a very bad kid. I have been in jail. I have actually hit teachers in the nose with a chair. You can look me up on the Internet at teenagersbootcamp.com: I have just done a lot of bad things. My sophomore year, I joined a theater class I actually had to take, and I used to do crazy things on stage, like I would act like an old granny or an old grandpa, and everybody used to laugh at me. The teacher said, “Vernon, we want you to try out for our one-act play.” He gave me the leading role, and I guess I played that leading role exactly how he pictured it. Just the chemistry of family and theater really brought me out to this person that I am today, which is “I don’t care what anybody says, I am acting. You don’t care what nobody says, because you are acting.

Q: Do you think theater is an art?
A: Yes. It’s a very big art. We have the art you can draw, and the art with your mouth —poetry. Then we have theater, which is your expressions — we show people pictures with our bodies. Different from paper art — how you draw happy face, sad face, smiley face — we draw pictures with our facial expressions and pronunciations.

Q: Have you ever had a bad haircut, and what was the haircut?
A: Actually I let my brother cut my hair, because my family couldn’t really buy a haircut every two weeks.  My mom spent her two weeks pay on some clippers, and she said, “Ok, now you two are going to have to learn how to cut your hair until you get a job.”  And so what we did was we practiced on each other, and I was very good from the very get go, but my brother had to practice on me, and I really needed a haircut so … yeah.  He left a big circle in the middle of my head; it looked like a dark night with a moon in the middle.

Q: What is your favorite nursery rhyme?
A: It would have to be something that is more of a quote. I used to watch “The Magic School Bus” all the time, and I used to love when the teacher used to say, “Take chances; make mistakes; get messy.” I can’t think of a nursery rhyme, but I always remember that quote.

Q: “Star Trek” or “Star Wars”?
A: “Star Wars.” Never been a real big fan of “Star Trek.”

Q: Are you dressing up for Halloween?
A: Oh, of course. Actually, Michael Jackson is one of my favorite performers. I can do some of his moves. I can moon walk just like him. I am going to dress up like him for Halloween, definitely — R.I.P. by the way.