Ludacris:

Santa’s D.J.

by Lynn B

Chris, “Ludacris” Bridges jumped off the charts and onto the movie screen first in 2 Fast 2 Furious then he joined the casts of the Oscar-winning Crash and acclaimed Hustle and Flow. The Grammy Winning, multi-platinum artist has had his music featured on numerous soundtracks and is expanding his empire as CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records.

Now you can catch Chris playing Santa’s D.J. in the comedy film Fred Claus. Chris’s character DJ Donnie is an elf who spins holiday platters all day in Santa’s workshop at the North Pole to keep the toy-making elves motivated. A little person shook some booty, spun some discs and grooved on film and, separately, Ludacris had to be a “talking head” and act the role. Later, Chris’s head was placed on the little guy’s bod using computer magic!

We sat down to chat with the artist/actor on the Warner Brothers lot recently in a soundstage all dressed up to resemble the North Pole during the holidays. The California wildfires were raging and the skies were full of yucky smoke but, inside the stage, it was crisp, clean, snow-covered and Christmas! Chris was lookin’ ultra-dapper in gray sweater over gray shirt and wearing his huge diamond stud earrings. Check out what the star had to say about his role, Christmas memories, acting vs. music and what’s coming up for him.

AGW: Chris, How did you get to be the DJ in this movie?

Chris: Man, I have to say David Dobkin [director] and Joel Silver [producer] came to me and I guess they know my background because in Atlanta, Georgia I actually used to be an on-air personality and a DJ so I was actually kinda re-living my DJ days. I read the script and it was laugh out loud funny and to see the finished product it was even better. This is the first family movie of all the things I’ve done. I’m just blessed to be in this film with all these great and wonderful individual cast members [Vince Vaughn, Kevin Spacey, Paul Giamatti and many others].

AGW: What tunes would you play to rock the North Pole instead of Christmas music all day?

Chris: If you watch the whole movie at the ending credits I actually made a remix of “Here Comes Santa Claus” and that is the tune I will rock out to. My character plays [that] over and over again but I made my own version of it. [It’s Ludacris and Doris Day together].

AGW: You are a vertically-challenged elf in the film. How did that work exactly?

Chris: I shot my scenes in front of a green screen. The whole neck movement and the body movements correspond with each other. I was actually [against] a green screen looking at a screen trying to mimic the movements and on that particular thing I was on a chair and I was going like this [tilts head] you know what I mean? So once it all comes out it looks real.

AGW: So, if you had to match what he did, did you get to improv dialogue at all?

Chris: Of course, I had to mimic the body language of the little person, but so far as some of the improv I had, I just put my element to it as far as being the hip elf in the North Pole. When you watch the movie, a lot of the things I am saying I did a lot of different takes and they just chose what they wanted to choose.

AGW: How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus?

Chris: I was about six years old and it was really late at night and I got up to go to the bathroom and when I peeked in the living room and saw my father eating Santa Claus’s cookies, I was completely devastated and I still don’t believe I have gotten over that to this day.

AGW: Bummer! What a shock for a six-year-old.

Chris: Well, actually I have a daughter that’s six years old and she’s starting to analyze the whole situation with reindeer flying and everything now so I can’t handle it man. This is hard. I thought it was gonna be hard me explaining about being an elf in this movie, but she’s already trying to put it together about Santa Claus not being real without me so, you know, I’m trying to hang on as long as I possibly can in making her believe it. I’m fighting the transition right now. I can’t wait to go see the movie with her.

AGW: What is your favorite Holiday movie and why?

Chris: For me, I think Bad Santa with Billy Bob Thornton is one of my favorites, of course, because he just flipped the realism of what his idea of Santa Claus was. People get a side job when they need some money and who would think to be a Santa Claus? I think National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase is also one of my favorites. I just love to laugh so that’s why I’m so happy to be in this particular film.

AGW: Are you still doing music for movies as well as the mix at the end of this?

Chris: It just depends on the movie. Like, with 2 Fast 2 Furious I just did the soundtrack for that. Crash and Hustle and Flow I didn’t do any of the musical elements to it, but with this we added the musical element to the end of the show. It’s sort of half and half. Sometimes they ask me to be involved with the music, sometimes I don’t have to be, but either way I take acting very serious and hopefully it shows with the choices I made.

AGW: Aren’t you in an upcoming film called RocknRolla? A gangster picture?

Chris: I’m a manager of a rock and roll artist. Jeremy Piven and myself so we just continue surprising people.

AGW: Do you enjoy acting and, if so, did you expect you would?

Chris: Absolutely. Of course it was a transition coming from the music world going into the acting world, but I think half the battle is being comfortable with a thousand people staring you in your face while you’re trying to do your craft. What I love so much about it is I surprised myself. You know, I didn’t even know that this is something that I was good at until I did my first movie and people were like ‘It’s good. You should do more.’ And then came Crash and Hustle and Flow and now this being my first comedy. I am curious about how far I can go with it until I don’t have any limitations and that’s why I continue to take on roles that are different from the previous one. It’s definitely something fun.

AGW: What do you think about the commercialization of Christmas that was touched on in the movie. The decorations go up in October and it’s, sell, sell sell.

Chris: I just think the whole theme [of this movie] is really about giving. ‘I wanna receive this’, ‘I should be getting this’, adults and kids both, take that aspect out. What I get out of the movie, [is we] should give back to others. It also really has a lot to do with family; trying to keep family first and work out issues with family members and realizing that you only live once. You gotta make amends with all your family members definitely.

AGW: Have you thought about what percentage of your time you can devote to music now that you are acting a lot?

Chris: I guess you can say that over the last seven years that I have been involved in music I have come out with a good five albums. I’ve accomplished so much, said so much. I try to balance the two out, but I am really in that transition to act more to be honest with you, but of course music is always something that will pump through my veins whether I am doing it in front of the camera or behind the scenes producing or just writing songs for somebody. But I definitely see acting as something more I want to do in the future. It depends on how many great scripts come to me.

AGW: The music industry is going through a huge change trying to reinvent itself. Is that why you are turning to acting?

Chris: I don’t let that effect me as much. One thing about music is that I can do music on my own time. I can do that whenever I want to. As far as movies are concerned, aside from me trying to write my own things, I’m trying to be a part of great projects. I’m just blessed enough to have that choice or that opportunity to be able to bounce back and forth, but I’m taking it slow but sure. As far as the acting is concerned it’s not nothing I am trying to rush into. That’s why I am glad for everything I have gotten into.

AGW: What’s next musically?

Chris: I started working on album number six called “Theater of the Mind”. Whenever anyone listens to music, you know it puts you in a certain place. You reminisce about the past and it puts you in a certain mind frame and lets your imagination run free. That’s what music should be about. That’s what this is about.

AGW: Any collaborations?

Chris: I’m kinda just getting started so I don’t want to put out anything that’s not confirmed. It’s still in a preliminary stage.

AGW: A lot of teens will be taking on holiday jobs. What was the first job you ever had?

Chris: I worked at Pizza Hut. I was making money and eating at the same time. I was sixteen. I don’t remember how much it paid but it was definitely minimum wage.

Pictures courtesy of and copyright Warner Brothers & Paramount Classics, 2007

	Angela & Gina's Room \| Brigid & Kayla's Room \| Christine & Erika's Room \| Lauren & Sarada's Room \| Circle of Friends PenPal Club \| Site Map
	Since 1996, your space on the web : written and edited by girls and teens from all over the world. Media Kit Feedback Newsletter Write FOR us Contact Us