MOVING ON: Grizz Chapman says “30 Rock” is the best thing that has happened to him. (
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‘30 Rock” co-star Grizz Chapman knows that he’s hard to ignore.
He is 7 feet tall, after all, but Chapman believes that industry types will see more than just his height once “30 Rock” ends its seven-season run next month (Jan. 31 on NBC).
“I think sometimes it’s a little hard to shoot around a 7-foot guy . . . which changes everything, especially if a set is small and now I walk in and I’m taller than the set,” says the Brooklyn-born Chapman.
“But I’m at the point where I can do anything I put my mind to,” he says of his acting career, which includes roles in four upcoming movies and a TV project in development. “I definitely want to stay in acting. I just did a film where I play an assassin in a comedy-drama. That was a cool role.”
Chapman, who plays Grizz, the understated handler who looks out for unpredictable “TGS” star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), considers “30 Rock” — starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Morgan and Jane Krakowski — the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
“It actually launched my career in a big way,” says Chapman, who was a celebrity bodyguard (Wyclef Jean, Nas) before his decade-long friendship with Morgan led, in a roundabout way, to his role on “30 Rock.”
“[The show] just completely put me in a situation where I had to make a choice — either do [the celebrity bodyguard work] or stay in acting. I took the chance in acting and it worked out for the better.”
Chapman speaks fondly of Morgan, and their real-life relationship mirrors their close on-screen relationship.
“Tracy is not as crazy as he looks,” he says. “He used to come to the watering hole where I worked and we became friends . . . a few times he got into a few situations in there where I helped him out. We just clicked naturally. We used to spend a lot of time talking about [working together] but we never thought it would have come true.”
That being said, Chapman does think that “30 Rock” is ending at the right time.
“I definitely didn’t want it to end, just because only 13 episodes [this final season] is a disservice to our fans, but in the same sense we’re ending at a good place,” he says.
“You never want to be in a place where the fans can’t wait for a show to end — like Dr. J at the end of his [NBA] career, like ‘Go sit down, we don’t want that.’ I would rather go out on top than every other newspaper article asking, ‘Why is this show still on the air?’ ”
In addition to his upcoming roles in the big-screen movies “Home,” “Lucky N#mber,” “Hypebeast” and “The F – – – ing Elevator,” Chapman is also dedicating lots of time to Organ Angels, the charity he founded after undergoing a lifesaving kidney transplant in 2010.
“We’ve put together a process to make it easier for the donor and recipient,” he says. “Not everyone can afford to fly the donor in or take care of the donor — the recipient has to take care of that — and what if that person doesn’t have the money?
“We’re trying to make the process easier through fundraisers and networking.”