You remember him as Steve Urkel on the ‘90s sitcom Family Matters. If you haven’t caught Jaleel White in the random TV appearance in the last eight years since the show ended, he’s back as the star of a comedy new to DVD. In Who Made the Potatoe Salad?, White plays a bumbling cop who proposes to his girlfriend, but when he meets the parents, it’s more than just spy paranoia. He’s facing actual hardened criminals and political radicals. We found out more about what Jaleel’s been up to when we got to interview him by phone.
Have you been taking a break, out of the spotlight?
“Nothing wrong with that. As much as I try, sometimes I get thrust into the spotlight whether I like it or not. But yeah, somewhat, somewhat. I also work as a writer and everybody knows that I spent time going to college. Really, I reunited with my old manager. Actually, it was my old child agent’s assistant who is now my manager, and things couldn’t be better. About two years ago, he basically charted a course for feature film work and then I handle my writing stuff on the side. It’s just been great, man. It’s just been great.”
Is this film part of a comeback?
“I guess you can call it a comeback but I’ve steadily been working. I shot this movie two years ago, so when it comes to dealing with lead times and stuff like that, distribution deals as they worked out, when they happen, projects drop when they drop. I wish I could say that we had more control as artists on releasing projects one after another. ‘Yeah, I got three hit movies coming out, one in each season.’ But sometimes the moves of the stars just gotta line up in your favor.”
Is this more outrageous than Meet the Parents?
“Oh yeah. That’s a funny flick though. Basically I play a straight laced cop who is going home to meet my fiancée - I just got engaged - my fiancée’s parents for the weekend. They learn that I’m a cop and I discover that the father is a former Black Panther leader who abhors the idea of having a pig sitting at his table. So being at home for the weekend is just one hijink after the other. Old boyfriends try to pursue my chick from jail and down the street, and [they’ve got] criminal relatives. It was fun, it was funny. I gotta give Damon [Daniels] credit, the writer. When he put it on my desk two years ago, I told him I really wasn’t too keen on acting at that time. And my manager called me like a couple months later and said, ‘There’s a role that I would like for you to do,’ and did not know that I knew that writer already. So when things like that start lining up, it’s like, ‘All right, time to go to work.’”
How do you feel about the film’s profanity and use of N words?
“Honestly, I really wasn’t tripping. For me, I have one rule when it comes to dealing with comedy. Is it funny? So just because people know me for the work that I’ve done in the past, doesn’t necessarily mean that’s specifically my sensibility. If it’s funny, I’m all for it. I love comedy that’s all the way from Mel Brooks stuff to South Park to Friday to you name it. And a lot of those words aren’t coming out of my character’s mouth, so my place in the film works. It’s not like I made some odd turn and I’m playing some contrived gangster or something like that. That’s not it. But to stick me in this particular world, I think actually worked. It came out kind of funny.”
Could the cop scenes lead to playing an action hero?
“You never know, man. You never know. I accept all challenges. I don't know how good I am in the long run but for the most part, I think I’ve done a good job of being a welcome addition to most casts that I’ve been a part of. I never know what opportunities are going to come down the pipe, but I’ll definitely be ready for them.”
How did you like playing the romantic lead?
“That’s comfortable. I’m comfortable with that. I played a character called Stefan Urquelle when I was younger and the response to that character was just overwhelming. When it comes to being on screen with ladies, I’m very, very comfortable with that. I can pretty much kind of turn… That’s where I kind of turn moments like that into just real natural moments, as they would almost play in my own life to be quite honest. I felt really, really comfortable, especially if the female lead is just keeping it real - a cool chick. Just somebody that you would vibe with naturally and Jennia [Fredrique] was just a terrific actress. I hope she gets so many more opportunities because she has great comic timing, and she’s just really a fun chick to be on set with. Whenever I get a woman that wants to give me any bit of energy back, it’s on. We’re gonna have some good times on screen.”
Where is the ‘Urkel’ recognition for you now?
“I mean, being famous is just a part of my life. It’s been that way since I was 12 years old. It doesn’t matter. If I’m passing through airport security or whatever, people are always going to recognize me. For me, I appreciate the recognition. Sometimes it comes at inconvenient times or sometimes you’ll get somebody that doesn’t necessarily handle it with as much class as the next person. But for me, it’s really all about work. It’s really all about work. I did my job well as a young man. I’m proud of the job I did as a young man and I will continue doing more work. The legacy will just take its own shape. It’ll just do what it’s going to do.”
