Still feeling under the weather from a serious case of pneumonia, Bernie Mac mustered up the energy to discuss “Guess Who,” working with Ashton Kutcher, and his health issues:
INTERVIEW WITH BERNIE MAC:
What happened to you health-wise?
I was shooting “Ocean’s 12.” I was shooting this. I was shooting a commercial. I was shooting the television show. I hadn’t had a break in eight years. I hadn’t played golf in three. I hadn’t done anything social in three years. I was over in Europe, I was over in Amsterdam, I was over in Paris, flying back here, doing that. Then I caught pneumonia. Double. Then they gave me this medicine that’s good for pneumonia. And the doctors are really high on this medicine. There’s one out of 100 that it [doesn’t] fit. I was the one, and it gave me toxidity.
I was working still because I didn’t know what the heck was going on. I’m still doing 16-18 hours a day and all of a sudden, I had a scene… I wrapped with “Ocean’s 12” and I had a scene walking from here to the door, and being an athlete [I felt] something’s wrong. I didn’t pay [any] attention. I kept working. I worked the entire day. I called my wife at 8:30 and I said, “Baby, my back hurts.” And she said, “Have Theresa rub some menthol on your back.” And Theresa did that, my hair assistant. I fell right out. I woke up at 12 o’clock and the washroom was from here to where you are. I said to myself, “They ain’t gonna talk about me in the morning.” I waited a few minutes. I went to the phone and I called my tour manager. I said, “Man, come get me.” And I called the doctor on the television show and I told her exactly what I’m telling you. And she had [a doctor] meet me at Cedar Sinai. They ran an EKG. Everything was great. They did everything. They did everything. Heart strong as a board - they asked me to donate it.
When I went in for the X-rays…the technician said – I don’t want to get him in trouble - he said, “Mac, you got double pneumonia.” I said, “Double pneumonia?” Now, first I’m thinking, “Double pneumonia?” Now, personally I’m thinking double pneumonia is a cold or something affiliated with a cold. It’s not. My whole immune system shut down and rightly so.
And it was not done - and I want everybody to understand, and I can talk openly about it - it’s not something that was done purposely. It wasn’t something that was done with greed. It wasn’t something, “I’ve got to get this money, I gotta do this movie. I gotta do that.” When you work hard and you don’t expect nothing, that’s all, time just slips away. And next thing you know, you’re looking, you’d be like, “You’re my son?” And you done missed out on so much stuff. Already knew it that I missed out and I will never do it again. But I guess that was the pain for Bernie Mac that I had to go through to make Hollywood know who I am.
Has your work ethic changed?
I’ve been changing my work ethic. Only thing that I’ve changed prior to getting ill is that I understand and I respect, which I’ve always done, is that I respect what I do even more. Does that make sense? Always did. I never take anything for granted. But by doing this, it helps me to bear the fruit of my labor. How many millions do you need? How many homes? I don’t have a summer home. My daughter’s 28, it’s just me and my wife. That’s all I need. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need extravagant this over that. I don’t need to pat myself on the back until my arm breaks. I don’t need any of that.
Are you slowing down?
Slowing down? Well, I just started. I mean, it just started. The only thing is, see, what people don’t understand about pneumonia is there’s no remedy. It might go a year and a half. The only remedy is rest. I had three weeks left on this film and I’m gonna knock this out because - and blame my mother. Blame Lorraine McCullough for my work ethics and my word, giving of my word and saying I’m going to do something when people depend on you. I hate to let people down. I was like that in sports and I was like that in comedy. I was like that at work. When I worked General Motors and stuff like that, when I say something, I mean it. And I hate to disappoint. I hate it. Blame her for instilling that work ethic, you understand?
PAGE 2: Bernie Mac on Sidney Poitier and Dancing with Ashton Kutcher
