When we get into a movie or TV show enough, it’s hard not to wish that we could’ve been a part of it. That way, its iconic scenes don’t become just a source of joy for us but also a point of personal pride.
But in these fantasies, we don’t necessarily think about what we would actually bring to the table. While there might be a part we’d want to play or a character we’d want to create for it, it’s hard not to assume that we would only add to the experience whether that’s actually the case or not.
However, it seems that one person who tends to feel differently is Chris Rock. And his worries that just the opposite would be true almost cost him his celebrated role in Fargo and did cost him some potential involvement in The Sopranos .
While attending a roundtable discussion run by *The Hollywood Reporter*, Rock revealed that he received multiple offers to be on *The Sopranos*.
As he explained , this was during a time when he had his own show on HBO and when The Sopranos was at the height of its popularity.
But it was because he was such a fan of the show that he turned these offers down.
As he put it, “Sometimes you can respect something so much, you don’t even want to be a part of it.”
So while it may seem like a dream come true for a lot of us to be offered a role on the show, Rock’s position was, “I like it too much, I don’t want to spoil it.”
And when he received a offer from Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley to play Loy Cannon years later, he initially had similar reservations.
What changed his mind, however, was seeing how Hawley utilized the talents of actor Bokeem Woodbine and wrote his character, Mike Milligan.
As Rock told The Hollywood Reporter , “Sometimes people do amazing work and then when they handle Black people, it’s horrible. But with [Hawley], I saw how he handled Bokeem and I was like, ‘I can totally be in your hands.'”
For Rock, part of that success came from the way that Hawley was able to put himself in the character’s shoes in ways that other writers struggle to do when the character’s experiences don’t match their own.
And once Rock was able to soothe this apprehension, he gained what he described as “the best part I’ve ever done.”
And as he told Entertainment Weekly , he suspects that it might be the best role he’ll ever have.
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In his words, “That’s how it works. Morgan Freeman is in The Shawshank Redemption . He’s amazing. He’s made a kazillion dollars since then. He never got a part that good again. When you get these great parts you have to make the most of them.”
