Seventeen Online Chat
host_17qt: Welcome Robert Ri'chard! Robert
stars on the Nickelodeon show Cousin Skeeter, and his new movie Light It Up,
co-starring Usher and Vanessa Williams opened yesterday. He's all yours for the
next hour so send in all your questions!
robert_richard_17: Wassup
people on the Web?
ivuoma asks: Hi, this is Ivy coming to ya in Houston, Texas. How do you
feel about your success so far in acting and all?
robert_richard_17: I'm pretty
excited about it. I got a lot of support from my friends. There are a lot of
perks that come along with being successful in the business -- you get to meet
people in the field and travel.
sonicette_9 asks: Yo, i'm from New York and I want to know what it was
like being on the same movie set as Usher Raymond?
robert_richard_17: It's pretty
cool. We get along really great. He's really competitive. We come up with the
weirdest competitions. We try really hard to beat each other, but in a
non-threatening way. He's the best, though. :)
Lala156 asks: What's the coolest part of the whole fame deal?
robert_richard_17: The coolest
part is meeting people in the business who you've seen before. You're really
excited when you see them again, because you feel like you already know each
other. It's probably the same with assassins or special agents. :) LOL
desiree_tsn asks: Where is Robert from?
robert_richard_17: Los Angeles,
baby! You don't have to ask twice!
cashmoney_hotgrrl asks: Hey Robert, do you enjoy working on the show
Cousin Skeeter?
robert_richard_17: It's
probably the best. Skeeter is so cool. He's radically awesome. He's the man with
plan.
crybaybe17 asks: Was it a hard transition going from a kids TV show to
Light It Up?
robert_richard_17: No, because
I originally started out with theater; a lot of the stuff I had done was drama.
It was actually harder to go to Skeeter and do the comedy stuff. Going back to
drama was an easy transition.
sonicette_9 asks: Do you see your family alot?
robert_richard_17: Yeah, my
family goes wherever I go. I see them a lot when I'm in L.A. They come first.
Family's first.
pheobie3 asks: Hi Robert, who did you enjoy working with the most on the
set ?
robert_richard_17: I have to
say Usher. We clicked right from the beginning. I spent all my time with him and
Fredro Starr.
chynni asks: How were you discovered as an actor?
robert_richard_17: I was in a
talent search-type ordeal at the Ivar theater in Hollywood. It was a five-week
talent search. I made it all the way to the final week, and I won first place.
PeTiTe_BuT_SwEeT asks: Do you play any sports?
robert_richard_17: Yeah, I play
baseball, football, basketball. I run track. I play a little
volleyball once in a while.
j_simon_buffy asks: Who are your favorite actors?
robert_richard_17: Joe Pesci,
Denzel Washington, Mel Gibson, Robert DeNiro, Laurence Fishburne, and Samuel L.
Jackson.
fussbudget3 asks: Have you ever met any of your idols?
robert_richard_17: I've met
people who I've looked up to. Shaq invited me to a Lakers game, and he invited
me to come to the locker room afterwards. This big man is in the tunnel and he
stops me. It's Michael Jordan. He says "My kids love your show!" I
died! :) It was great.
manolis_varnassinger asks: Robert, what was it like playing with the
goddess Vanessa Williams in the movie?
robert_richard_17: She's
beautiful. She's so sweet. I remember getting my morning hug, my breakfust hug,
my lunch hug, my dinner hug and my goodnight hug.
sparkle323 asks: Describe your role in Light It Up, please!
robert_richard_17: ’m an
artsy kid and I live in the school. My best friend's Usher. My dad beats me. I
don't want to give away anymore.
j_simon_buffy asks: What are your upcoming projects?
robert_richard_17:
I'm doing a
movie called Alley Cats. I'm in Toronto shooting it as we speak.I go back to
Cousin Skeeter in January.
Cariesha asks: Robert, I was an Xtra in Light It Up! What did you think
about Chicago, and would you come back and visit?
robert_richard_17: Heck yeah,
I'd come back, just not in the winter time! There was 27 inches of snow. It's
cold and windy, and the wind cuts right through you. You can't wear enough
clothes.
robert4life_143 asks: What do you do about school? Do you have time?
robert_richard_17: I go to
Hamilton Academy of Music in Los Angeles. When I'm not there, I have a tutor who
goes with me everywhere.
sugarone15 asks: Do you miss having free time to just see your friends?
robert_richard_17: Usually my
friends fly to come see me when I'm in other cities. I hang out with them all
the time when I'm in L.A. We even do our homework together.
candy_girl401 asks: What is your horoscope sign???
robert_richard_17: I'm a
Capricorn. I was born January 7th.
kitkat20_1999 asks: What are Robert's favorite songs?
robert_richard_17: I love
Tupac. I like Babyface's music too, and Snoop Doggy Dogg. I don't have a
favorite song. I listen to Miles Davis, too.
robert4life_143 asks: I know this is childish, but boxers of briefs??
robert_richard_17: Oh!
Definitely boxers! No question!
hotboyrockledge asks: who is the voice of skeeter?
robert_richard_17: Bill Bellamy
danikastoutt asks: Do you plan to get more into acting, or would you like
to branch out more into the entertainment field?
robert_richard_17: I want to
entertain people by being a professional race car driver. :)
Lala156 asks: What did you do during your downtime on the set of LIU?
robert_richard_17: I went
to the gym with Usher and we played basketball all the time. I hung out and went
to some parties and stuff. I went to this paintball arena a lot too.
island_flower99 asks: How does it feel to act with a puppet? Is it weird
talking to it?
robert_richard_17: Skeeter is
not a puppet! He's real :)
sweetie4825 asks: What is one person you wish you could meet past or
present? Why?
robert_richard_17: The one person
I wish I could meet would be someone like Elvis or the Sultan of Brunei. Either
King :)
tamika_2000_us asks: What kind of girl are you intrested in?
robert_richard_17: The three S's
-- Smart Sweet and Sexy :)
spekalicious asks: Who's your favorite athlete??
robert_richard_17: Michael
Jordan, but Shaquille O'Neill is a close second. He's really sweet and a lot of
fun.
leigh621 asks: Do you think fame has changed you at all?
robert_richard_17: Yes and no.
My friends haven't changed. Where I hang out hasn't changed. It's made me more
well-rounded and more confident.
LilDreea asks: What is your favorite junk food?
robert_richard_17: My favorite
junk food is ice cream! Strawberry is my favorite -- with real strawberries.
island_flower99 asks: Have you ever found a website on yourself? Was it
weird?
robert_richard_17: I haven't,
but people tell me there's one out there. I'm not always on the computer. I'm
not vain enough to go look for my own website.
candy_girl401 asks: YOU ARE THE 3 S's!!!!!!
robert_richard_17: Watch it,
sexy mama!
chromeboy_ibanez asks: Did you find the people on the set Fathers in Your
Shoes hard too work with?
robert_richard_17:
No,
everyone was fun. Especially Lou Gossett.
island_flower99 asks: What would u like to tell all your fans?
robert_richard_17: Don't be
afraid to be dareful. For your 21st birthday, you should all go
skydiving!!!
danikastoutt asks: Do you have a problem with people coming up to you
constantly, or do you take it all in stride?
robert_richard_17: I take it
all in stride. I like it when people come up to me. I like to know that I put
smiles on people's faces
FoxyGirl42069 asks: Robert, how do you feel about tons of teenage girl
drooling over you after you made that movie?
robert_richard_17: I can't say
it's a bad feeling. I love all the sexy mamas.
danikastoutt asks: What has been your most memorable experience while
filming Cousin Skeeter?
robert_richard_17: The time I
got to wear a pink leotard, that was really bad. I'm not one to be caught in a
pink leotard. And they got it on film. Another time they poured sugar and hot
chocolate, butter, salt, chocolate syrup, honey on me. It was all Skeeter's
fault! Skeeter, if you're listening, thank you very much for not making me
boring!
FoxyGirl42069 asks: I saw your movie yesterday, and it was awesome. Can
you draw like your character did in the movie?
robert_richard_17: I practiced
and, yes I can. It was my work.
kitkat20_1999 asks: Do you have any crushes you are willing to share with
us?
robert_richard_17: Halle Berry,
if you're out there, I love you sooo much. Jessica Biel from 7th
Heaven!
vegitto_ex83 asks: Did you like the soundtrack for the movie?
robert_richard_17: Yes, it's so
the bomb! I'm addicted to it.
island_flower99 asks: What did you do to prepare for your role in LIU?
robert_richard_17: It just kind of
came to me. It was in me somewhere.
Craig [Bolotin], the director, had a lot of rehearsals. It helped me get in
touch with my
character. Usher and I shared an acting coach.
skeeters_cousin_flea asks: Do you have any say as to what goes into the
script?
robert_richard_17: I get along
with the writers really well. I'm the only kid on the set, so they listen to me!
island_flower99 asks: What does Mom think of all the fame?
robert_richard_17: She kind of
just goes along with it. She takes it in stride like I do, so does all of my
family. It hasn't gone to anybody's head, which is good.
island_flower99 asks: Where do you keep the Daytime Emmy you won for In
His Father's Shoes?
robert_richard_17: It's in my
grandmother's house -- on top of the big- screen TV, in between these two
statues my grandfather had. I dedicated it to my grandfather because he passed
away.
pink_sweetie_7 asks: What is your favorite role that you have played?
robert_richard_17: The role I'm
playing now in Alley Cats, Todd. He's really cool. He's less introverted than
the other roles I've played.
crunkgurl45 asks: What is your favorite TV show?
robert_richard_17: The Simpsons!
Homer and Bart touch me in a way that no one else can.
stargazer_15_02 asks: how do you deal when you get home sick?
robert_richard_17: I don't
really get homesick. I adjust to wherever I go. I make that my home.
cuttie_Princess_14 asks: Who was your biggest influnce in life?
robert_richard_17: My dad.
sparkle323 asks: What would a girl have to do to really get your
attention?
robert_richard_17:
Well,
she would have to catch me on Zuma Beach and have a bottle of oil ready to oil
me down. That would catch my attention. And then would offer to let me oil her
down. Or she could be at Manhattan Beach.
sparkle323 asks: Why should we go and see LIU?
robert_richard_17: Because it's
a good message; it's exciting. It's got a lot of great music in and fabulous
actors. And it's the return of [Roseanne star] Sarah Gilbert after graduating
from Yale!
host_17qt: Thanks Robert--that was fun!
seventeen_kitty: Yeah, thank you so much for hanging with us!
robert_richard_17: Hasta La
Vista senors and my sizzling senoritas!