April 17, 2025 • 11 mins
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
My next guest is a six time.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Emmy Award winning actor known for memory of roles in
the films like What's Love Got to Do With It?
The Matrix, remember ABC's Blackish. The man's been here before.
He's one of the greatest actors in American history as
far as I'm concerned, and it is an honor and
a privilege to have him back to one and only.
Lawrence Fishburne is on the show right now.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
What's going on? Big time?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
How are you manage everything?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm listening. I can't wait to talk to you. I
can't wait to talk to you about sneaks in a second.
But I mean, I'm just looking at you. You've been
doing a lot of work.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Man.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You're supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Climbing up then, and you're supposed to be you're supposed
to be itching towards retirement. I mean, you're working more
than most people, Lawrence. I mean, what's going on, man?
What's up?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Hey? Somebody got to pay for the retirement. Baby.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
You got bills to pay, right, you got the bills
to pay. That's right. I definitely get you. I understand
that loud and clear. Let's get to your new project,
all right, you know the Sneaks. It's an animated sports
comedy you are producing.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
What's it all about? Talk to me about it.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Sneak is an animated thing that we did with a
lot of really talented people, Martin Lawrence, Anthony Mackie, and
it's about a pair of sneakers and the sneakers come
alive and talk. It's the journey of a pair of sneakers,
a twenty fours that are brother and sister and they
(01:35):
get separated. They've been raffled off at a gala at
the Guggenheim in New York and a young kid wins
them and the sneakers get separated and a lot of
chaos ensues. But it's a really funny buddy movie about
these two sneakers, an old head, an old school sneaker
and a brand new sneaker who's like the hotness that
(01:57):
everybody wants, and an odist of them trying to get
back to each other throughout New York City. It's great.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, listen, let me remind somebody and names you. You
just gave a couple of Mont Lawrence, you know, Anthony Mackie,
Macy Gray's in there, Chloe Bailey's there Ella May is there, Quavo,
Rico rodri even the one and only see c P
three ce P three Chris Paul question, no doubt, but
(02:24):
what was this your idea?
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Was this your idea or did? Somebody knows?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
But I'm one of the producers. I was I was
brought on board, uh my partner and I Helen Suglan
at Cinema Gypsy. She brought the piece to me and
and she really believed it it and I was like, yeah,
this is really kind of interesting. We haven't seen this before.
Like we've seen talking airplanes and talking cars, but we
ain't seen talking sneaks.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I've heard a lot of things about I've heard a
lot about you throughout the years, but the one thing
I've never heard is that you were a big sports fan.
So I'm wondering, what was it about this particular idea
that appeal to you so much? Because I know that
you're forward thinking and you're a visionary. What was it
about this idea that appealed to you so much?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Although I'm not a sports fan, I grew up in
New York, you know, in the sixties and the seventies,
and I'm not even a sneaker head. But I get
it like I get sneaker culture, even as somebody who
doesn't really participate in it in that way. I used
to have friends who would see me and they when
they would see me wearing sneakers, they'd be surprised because
(03:29):
for a long time I just didn't wear them, and
that wasn't like a conscious choice. But there is something
about sneaker culture that I do understand and that I
do connect with. I'm always I've always been a big
animation fan, So anything animated always has my interest.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
And why have you been a big animated fan? Animation fan?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I am one too, But I'd like to know what
is it about it that appeals to you. Somebody is
star studied as you are, as accomplished as you are.
What is it about animation that does it for you?
Speaker 3 (04:01):
The thing about animation is growing up listening to There's
one actor in particular who's probably one of the greatest
voice actors of all time, and that was the late
great Mel Blank. You know. Mel Blank voiced bugs Bunny
and Daffy Duck and fog Horn Leghorn and Porky Pig
(04:23):
and Martin the Marshan and I can keep going. So
just as an actor, he had a kind of skill
and versatility that I always aspired to. But also, you know,
just as a as as an actor, being able to
(04:44):
create characters with your voice and work with you know, illustrations,
to work with artists renderings of characters, that's just that's
just fun for me, Lars.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
As you reflect on your career, any illustrious career that
you've had, if you had to really really sit down
and think about anything that you wish you would have done,
something that might be on your bucket list, something that
you missed out on. I can't imagine that you haven't done,
because it seems like you've done every damn thing. But
(05:15):
is there something that you haven't done in your career
that you wish you had done?
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Project anything like that.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
There's more than one thing on my career that I
wish that I have done that I haven't done. But
I try not to dwell on things that I haven't done.
You know, I don't think that's a smart thing to do.
I think it's much healthier to look forward and try to,
you know, get to do some of those things, or
do a version of those things. You know, perhaps you missed.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
That's where I'm going.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I'm sorry I asked the question wrong because I'm thinking
something that you haven't done, that you still in line
to do, like it ain't finished, Like you just haven't
done it yet, but you really don't want to do it.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
There's a lot of stuff I haven't done that I
you know, that I would like to do that I
will get to do. Uh and and I think it's
it's also very important for me two, you know, do
the work that I need to do before I start
talking about it, you know. So I'm going to manifest something.
I got to get into the visualization of it, you know,
(06:18):
And this isn't the platform for that, This isn't the
space for that.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Got you you know, totally understand, totally understand.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I want to get into something else.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Too, because it's involved things that I want to do
that I hope to do that I envision myself doing
and I'm working towards doing.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yes, totally understand.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I want to get into a new project, you know,
one of your new projects.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Actually it's not a new project.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I wanted to discuss your recent appearance on the PBS
Show because I was I was I was reading something
about that Finding your Roots hosted by Lewis and Lewis Games,
And I understand it was very, very revealing as it
pertained to you. You like talking about that for a second,
tell me sure about for you what that experience was
like for you?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Please?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, what was that?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
About?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
What happened?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
It was a huge gift. I mean I basically was
you know, I got enough information visa the DNA to
actually find out who my biological father was. As it
turns out, mister Fishburne was not my biological father, although
he was my dad, and he was wonderful dad. You know,
(07:26):
he showed up for me in ways that were important,
and he gave me a great name, mister fishburn And
I'm grateful to him and his memory. But at the
same time, I just discovered that my biological father was
a gentleman named William Siegelbaumannon who was born and raised
(07:48):
in the city of Chicago, and he passed away sadly
in twenty seventeen before I was able to get to
meet him. But yeah, it was a huge gift because
I have a whole new family. I have siblings I
did not know I had, and other people in my
lineage that I did not know about.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
And what's that? And what's that like?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
When you know, you walk up to people and they
come up to you and suddenly their family you know, yeah,
well you know, I mean, I mean, what what what.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Is that like?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Listen, Stephen? The reality of it in terms of, you know,
our culture and our history as people of color in
this country. This is not new stuff. This is not new.
You know, the history of our families and our family
histories is complicated as this country. It's not new. It's
(08:43):
something that happened to me. And I'm not the first,
won't be the last, and I'm just grateful that I
got a chance, you know, even at this you know
moment in my life, you know, shall we call it
the third act of my life or whatever it is?
To meet people who are related to me and and
(09:06):
who love and embrace me. Just based on that alone,
it's beautiful, I feel you.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I just I just think about it.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I think about how beautiful that is in the way
that you describe, and it almost like gives you a
new lease on life. That's how I would take it anyway,
in a very very positive way, of course, That's how
I look at it.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And no question about it. So I'm happy for you
about it.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Let me get back to the business of you from
from the standpoint of this spot thriller. It's already out
called The Amateur, starring alongside Roby Mallock. Talk about the
The Amateur. Talk about that film for a second and
what your role in that is.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, So it's me and Rommy Malik. Rummy Mallick plays
a CIA analyst whose wife gets killed in a hostage
type situation. He wants to seek vengeance. He goes to
the people at the CIA and says, you got to
train me be in the field operative. So they have
me as a colonel who comes in to train him
and I immediately instruct by how inept I think he
will be at field operations. A little movie that I
(10:09):
did with Romney, who I adore. He's so talented, he's
so interesting and so smart, and he's one of the producers.
And we think the movies, you know, we think the
movie is great, and a lot of people seem to
think the same thing.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
So I got you, well, listen, I gotta let you go.
I gotta run myself. I can't thank you enough for
giving me some time to talk to always wonderful to
talk to you. You know, I'm a I'm a huge fan,
as I have been for decades with your wonderful work. Man,
it's a lot of the privilege to talk to you.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Really, I'm coming to New York student to do something
and I want you to come and see me. I'll
let you know about it.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Please let me know about it, absolutely, brother, you take
it easier, right, Lawrence, my man, God bless God bless
take you my best, my thanks to the great Lawrence
fishburn Snakes is in theaters nationwide April eighteenth, and the
Amateur is out now, as you just heard us say,
so be sure to check out both of them.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Please, As Lawrence fishburn why wouldn't you, Why wouldn't you?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I ain't even bring up miss in the Possible Three
cause that brother was good in that movie, great in
that movie.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
You know, I've always watched Lawrence Fishburne movies. I'm just
letting y'all know I ain't faking the funk. That brother's real.
He's something special.
My next guest is a six time.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Emmy Award winning actor known for memory of roles in
the films like What's Love Got to Do With It?
The Matrix, remember ABC's Blackish. The man's been here before.
He's one of the greatest actors in American history as
far as I'm concerned, and it is an honor and
a privilege to have him back to one and only.
Lawrence Fishburne is on the show right now.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
What's going on? Big time?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
How are you manage everything?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm listening. I can't wait to talk to you. I
can't wait to talk to you about sneaks in a second.
But I mean, I'm just looking at you. You've been
doing a lot of work.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Man.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You're supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Climbing up then, and you're supposed to be you're supposed
to be itching towards retirement. I mean, you're working more
than most people, Lawrence. I mean, what's going on, man?
What's up?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Hey? Somebody got to pay for the retirement. Baby.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
You got bills to pay, right, you got the bills
to pay. That's right. I definitely get you. I understand
that loud and clear. Let's get to your new project,
all right, you know the Sneaks. It's an animated sports
comedy you are producing.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
What's it all about? Talk to me about it.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Sneak is an animated thing that we did with a
lot of really talented people, Martin Lawrence, Anthony Mackie, and
it's about a pair of sneakers and the sneakers come
alive and talk. It's the journey of a pair of sneakers,
a twenty fours that are brother and sister and they
(01:35):
get separated. They've been raffled off at a gala at
the Guggenheim in New York and a young kid wins
them and the sneakers get separated and a lot of
chaos ensues. But it's a really funny buddy movie about
these two sneakers, an old head, an old school sneaker
and a brand new sneaker who's like the hotness that
(01:57):
everybody wants, and an odist of them trying to get
back to each other throughout New York City. It's great.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, listen, let me remind somebody and names you. You
just gave a couple of Mont Lawrence, you know, Anthony Mackie,
Macy Gray's in there, Chloe Bailey's there Ella May is there, Quavo,
Rico rodri even the one and only see c P
three ce P three Chris Paul question, no doubt, but
(02:24):
what was this your idea?
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Was this your idea or did? Somebody knows?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
But I'm one of the producers. I was I was
brought on board, uh my partner and I Helen Suglan
at Cinema Gypsy. She brought the piece to me and
and she really believed it it and I was like, yeah,
this is really kind of interesting. We haven't seen this before.
Like we've seen talking airplanes and talking cars, but we
ain't seen talking sneaks.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I've heard a lot of things about I've heard a
lot about you throughout the years, but the one thing
I've never heard is that you were a big sports fan.
So I'm wondering, what was it about this particular idea
that appeal to you so much? Because I know that
you're forward thinking and you're a visionary. What was it
about this idea that appealed to you so much?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Although I'm not a sports fan, I grew up in
New York, you know, in the sixties and the seventies,
and I'm not even a sneaker head. But I get
it like I get sneaker culture, even as somebody who
doesn't really participate in it in that way. I used
to have friends who would see me and they when
they would see me wearing sneakers, they'd be surprised because
(03:29):
for a long time I just didn't wear them, and
that wasn't like a conscious choice. But there is something
about sneaker culture that I do understand and that I
do connect with. I'm always I've always been a big
animation fan, So anything animated always has my interest.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
And why have you been a big animated fan? Animation fan?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I am one too, But I'd like to know what
is it about it that appeals to you. Somebody is
star studied as you are, as accomplished as you are.
What is it about animation that does it for you?
Speaker 3 (04:01):
The thing about animation is growing up listening to There's
one actor in particular who's probably one of the greatest
voice actors of all time, and that was the late
great Mel Blank. You know. Mel Blank voiced bugs Bunny
and Daffy Duck and fog Horn Leghorn and Porky Pig
(04:23):
and Martin the Marshan and I can keep going. So
just as an actor, he had a kind of skill
and versatility that I always aspired to. But also, you know,
just as a as as an actor, being able to
(04:44):
create characters with your voice and work with you know, illustrations,
to work with artists renderings of characters, that's just that's
just fun for me, Lars.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
As you reflect on your career, any illustrious career that
you've had, if you had to really really sit down
and think about anything that you wish you would have done,
something that might be on your bucket list, something that
you missed out on. I can't imagine that you haven't done,
because it seems like you've done every damn thing. But
(05:15):
is there something that you haven't done in your career
that you wish you had done?
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Project anything like that.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
There's more than one thing on my career that I
wish that I have done that I haven't done. But
I try not to dwell on things that I haven't done.
You know, I don't think that's a smart thing to do.
I think it's much healthier to look forward and try to,
you know, get to do some of those things, or
do a version of those things. You know, perhaps you missed.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
That's where I'm going.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I'm sorry I asked the question wrong because I'm thinking
something that you haven't done, that you still in line
to do, like it ain't finished, Like you just haven't
done it yet, but you really don't want to do it.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
There's a lot of stuff I haven't done that I
you know, that I would like to do that I
will get to do. Uh and and I think it's
it's also very important for me two, you know, do
the work that I need to do before I start
talking about it, you know. So I'm going to manifest something.
I got to get into the visualization of it, you know,
(06:18):
And this isn't the platform for that, This isn't the
space for that.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Got you you know, totally understand, totally understand.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I want to get into something else.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Too, because it's involved things that I want to do
that I hope to do that I envision myself doing
and I'm working towards doing.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yes, totally understand.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I want to get into a new project, you know,
one of your new projects.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Actually it's not a new project.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I wanted to discuss your recent appearance on the PBS
Show because I was I was I was reading something
about that Finding your Roots hosted by Lewis and Lewis Games,
And I understand it was very, very revealing as it
pertained to you. You like talking about that for a second,
tell me sure about for you what that experience was
like for you?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Please?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, what was that?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
About?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
What happened?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
It was a huge gift. I mean I basically was
you know, I got enough information visa the DNA to
actually find out who my biological father was. As it
turns out, mister Fishburne was not my biological father, although
he was my dad, and he was wonderful dad. You know,
(07:26):
he showed up for me in ways that were important,
and he gave me a great name, mister fishburn And
I'm grateful to him and his memory. But at the
same time, I just discovered that my biological father was
a gentleman named William Siegelbaumannon who was born and raised
(07:48):
in the city of Chicago, and he passed away sadly
in twenty seventeen before I was able to get to
meet him. But yeah, it was a huge gift because
I have a whole new family. I have siblings I
did not know I had, and other people in my
lineage that I did not know about.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
And what's that? And what's that like?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
When you know, you walk up to people and they
come up to you and suddenly their family you know, yeah,
well you know, I mean, I mean, what what what.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Is that like?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Listen, Stephen? The reality of it in terms of, you know,
our culture and our history as people of color in
this country. This is not new stuff. This is not new.
You know, the history of our families and our family
histories is complicated as this country. It's not new. It's
(08:43):
something that happened to me. And I'm not the first,
won't be the last, and I'm just grateful that I
got a chance, you know, even at this you know
moment in my life, you know, shall we call it
the third act of my life or whatever it is?
To meet people who are related to me and and
(09:06):
who love and embrace me. Just based on that alone,
it's beautiful, I feel you.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I just I just think about it.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I think about how beautiful that is in the way
that you describe, and it almost like gives you a
new lease on life. That's how I would take it anyway,
in a very very positive way, of course, That's how
I look at it.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And no question about it. So I'm happy for you
about it.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Let me get back to the business of you from
from the standpoint of this spot thriller. It's already out
called The Amateur, starring alongside Roby Mallock. Talk about the
The Amateur. Talk about that film for a second and
what your role in that is.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, So it's me and Rommy Malik. Rummy Mallick plays
a CIA analyst whose wife gets killed in a hostage
type situation. He wants to seek vengeance. He goes to
the people at the CIA and says, you got to
train me be in the field operative. So they have
me as a colonel who comes in to train him
and I immediately instruct by how inept I think he
will be at field operations. A little movie that I
(10:09):
did with Romney, who I adore. He's so talented, he's
so interesting and so smart, and he's one of the producers.
And we think the movies, you know, we think the
movie is great, and a lot of people seem to
think the same thing.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
So I got you, well, listen, I gotta let you go.
I gotta run myself. I can't thank you enough for
giving me some time to talk to always wonderful to
talk to you. You know, I'm a I'm a huge fan,
as I have been for decades with your wonderful work. Man,
it's a lot of the privilege to talk to you.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Really, I'm coming to New York student to do something
and I want you to come and see me. I'll
let you know about it.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Please let me know about it, absolutely, brother, you take
it easier, right, Lawrence, my man, God bless God bless
take you my best, my thanks to the great Lawrence
fishburn Snakes is in theaters nationwide April eighteenth, and the
Amateur is out now, as you just heard us say,
so be sure to check out both of them.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Please, As Lawrence fishburn why wouldn't you, Why wouldn't you?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I ain't even bring up miss in the Possible Three
cause that brother was good in that movie, great in
that movie.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
You know, I've always watched Lawrence Fishburne movies. I'm just
letting y'all know I ain't faking the funk. That brother's real.
He's something special.
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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