Post by White Knight on Apr 17, 2006 12:43:15 GMT -4
In a 10-page spread in the upcoming May edition of Esquire magazine, the Ohio-born comedian attributes his shocking decision to cultural, professional and personal concerns.
Though one of the big draws to the cult-hit show was Chappelle's boundary-pushing racial satire and outrageous comedy sketches, he apparently wasn't fully comfortable behind the scenes.
"The bottom line was, white people own everything, and where can a black person go and be himself or say something that's familiar to him and not have to explain or apologize?" Chappelle tells Esquire.
He added that he felt "really pressured to settle for something that I didn't necessarily feel like I wanted."
In the interview, Chappelle also reiterates an opinion he has previously expressed in other recent high profile appearances, including on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on Inside the Actors Studio.
"The thing about show business is that, in a way, it forces dysfunctional relationships in people," he says.
The comedian called Chappelle's Show the best television experience he has ever had, but said he would continue to pursue personal and creative freedom in his work, which most recently included a return to stand-up comedy and promoting his indie concert film Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
In May 2005, Chappelle stunned U.S. network Comedy Central, friends and fans alike when he abruptly left his show in the middle of taping its third season. He travelled to South Africa for several weeks and then returned to his family farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio, near Dayton.
Some began to question Chappelle's motives, his health and his sanity, especially since the second season of his show became the best-selling TV show DVD of all time and he had signed a $50-million US deal in 2004 to complete a third and fourth season.
Last December, the network announced it would compile four new episodes from sketches Chapelle had filmed before leaving and that these new instalments would be broadcast in 2006.
In March, the comedian called the decision a "bully move" and said he would never return if the half-completed episodes were aired.
source: entertainment.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/Home/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=chappelle-esquire-show&feedname=CBC-ARTS-V2&show=True&number=5&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc