USA: AMERICAN FILM PREMIERE OF MARTIN LAWRENCE MOVIE "BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE" IN WHICH HE PLAYS UNDERCOVER FBI AGENT AS ELDERLY GRANDMOTHER

Record ID: 389371

  • Title: USA: AMERICAN FILM PREMIERE OF MARTIN LAWRENCE MOVIE "BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE" IN WHICH HE PLAYS UNDERCOVER FBI AGENT AS ELDERLY GRANDMOTHER
  • Date: 30th May 2000
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MAY 30) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) MARTIN LAWRENCE SAYING OF THE MAKEUP SESSIONS, It's tedious and it's a lotta work you know, but it's one of those kind of things that helps you develop patience, you know, to sit in a chair for three to four hours and your butt is just, your ass muscles just turning into knots and you're t
  • Embargoed: 14th June 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABUDHYZAGV8C9UHHRKOFZC2BVI
  • Story Text: With his various legal and medical troubles seemingly behind him, comic actor Martin Lawrence attended the World Premiere of his latest comedy "Big Momma's House" in Los Angeles.
    In the film, Lawrence follows in the footsteps of comics like Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy by using extensive prosthetic makeup to play an elderly woman.In this case, Lawrence disguises himself as a flamboyant and obese southern matriarch known as Big Momma.
    He starts out the film as FBI agent Malcolm Turner, a tough and determined cop who's a master of disguise.His assignment is to capture a brutal bank robber by spending time with the crook's ex-girlfriend Sherry, played by Nia Long.
    But in order to get close to Sherry, he has to masquerade as her cantankerous grandmother Big Momma, who is actually played by actress Ella Mitchell.
    Once he goes undercover in Big Momma's homey southern house, Malcolm finds himself taking on the corpulent granny's responsibilities and habits, from cooking soul food to delivering babies to "testifying" at the local church.
    Along the way, he finds himself falling in love with Sherry, making his assignment that much more difficult.
    "Big Momma's House" is directed by Raja Gosnell, a former editor on "Mrs.Doubtfire" who previously helmed the comedies "Home Alone 3" and "Never Been Kissed." Gosnell was forced to shut down production on the film for two weeks last summer when his star was unexpectedly hospitalized.
    Lawrence collapsed last August while jogging on a hot Los Angeles day while wearing several layers of clothing to sweat off extra pounds.He fell into a life-threatening coma and was admitted to a hospital with a temperature of slightly more than 107 degrees.
    After a two-week stay in the hospital, Lawrence recovered and went back to work on the film, saying the experience gave him a new lease on life.
    Ironically, work on the film also required him to spend many hours each day buried under layers of rubber and prosthetics in order to play Big Momma.The same team that created "Mrs.Doubtfire" for Robin Williams also invented the makeup effects for Big Momma.
    Each day, Lawrence would sit still for six hours of makeup, which included spirit gum, glue, silicone applications and rubber face masks, all covered with conventional touches like lipstick and eyeshadow.As the production went into high gear, the makeup team was able to cut down the sessions to two hours.
    "Big Momma's House" marks a return to traditional comedy for Lawrence, who spent several years facing legal troubles.
    After starring in such films as "Bad Boys" and "Nothing to Lose," Lawrence had several run-ins with the law, including an incident in 1996 when he was found shouting incoherently in the middle of a Los Angeles intersection with a gun in his pocket.
    Lawrence also was sentenced to probation after punching a man in the face at a Los Angeles nightclub and he faced sexual abuse accusations from his television show co-star Trisha Campbell.
    But after his near-death experience, Lawrence describes himself as a changed man who's now enjoying his life and work as never before.
    "Big Momma's House" opens in theaters throughout the United States on Friday, June 2.
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