Tommy Chong as Ezra in the sci-fi/horror film 'Color Out of Space' released by RLJE Films
Tommy Chong rose to fame in the 1970s as one half of the pot-smoking comedy duo Cheech and Chong, along with Richard “Cheech” Marin. By then in his 30s, Chong quickly became an icon of the pro-cannabis movement, offering a humorous counter-narrative to the paranoia surrounding marijuana as a “gateway drug” that began in force with Richard Nixon’s war on drugs and that later, in the 1980s, was firmly institutionalized and normalized by Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” campaign. Throughout it all, Chong was a tireless champion, making films with Cheech like Up in Smoke (1978), Still Smokin’ (1983) and Far Out Man (1990).
Considering that Chong, now 81, was born in 1938, such a legacy makes the Canadian-born performer not just a visionary, but also an iconoclast. The popularized version of the film Reefer Madness, which depicts high school kids going insane and committing violent crimes and even suicide after trying marijuana, was released the same year.
Aside from his work with Cheech Marin, Chong has also starred or had bit parts in film and television projects as diverse as the ‘90s sitcom That ‘70s Show and the 2016 animated film Zootopia. In his latest role, he plays an eccentric shut-in named Ezra in Richard Stanley’s new sci-fi/horror film Color Out of Space. Based on a short story of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft, published in 1927, the film tells the story of a meteorite that plummets into a small farm in rural Massachusetts, slowly poisoning the land and everyone there with a supernatural presence.
Starring Nicolas Cage as the increasingly unhinged, high-strung patriarch with a serious chip on his shoulder, Joely Richardson as his stabilizing wife, and Madeline Arthur and Brendan Meyer as their two children, Color Out of Space offers a hallucinatory, sometimes hilarious and often terrifying experience on a par with Cage’s 2018 instant cult classic, Mandy.
And, as is usually the case, Chong’s character provides much of the comic relief. Below, he shares some thoughts about that role, his life today and what it was like advocating for a substance that’s seen a tremendous cultural shift over the course of his lifetime.
How did you choose to work on Color Out of Space?
Actually they chose me. I don’t know who exactly came up with Tommy Chong. I’d done some hit movies, like Zootopia, and Dancing With the Stars really put me out there. So I think they saw the old guy and saw the possibilities, you know, recognition more than anything. And a guy like [director] Richard Stanley, he knows how to work with old recluses like me, so it was an easy shoot all around.
So do you identify with the character? You call yourself a recluse, is that your lifestyle these days?
Oh yeah, totally. I mean, everything except the costumes and the makeup. But the little shack, every room I go into ends up looking like that. I’m the real deal.
Where do you live full time?
I’ve got a beautiful home in the Pacific Palisades, in Los Angeles, and I’m surrounded by these $30, $40 million homes, and I’ve got a little, almost a little spec house in the middle of all this. And I’m sitting here amidst the most expensive real estate in the world, but I’ve still got this small house. But you know, my wife Shelby, she’s an artist, so she’s the visionary. I’m very lucky to be living with a lady like that.
You say that Color Out of Space chose you. Would you say that about all the projects you’ve worked on, or has there been one that you, or an agent, has really gone after?
No, no, no. See, I’m not an actor. I’m Tommy Chong. And if you’ve got a part that’ll work, I’m there. Cheech [Marin] is more of an actor, he went on to do Nash Bridges and Tin Cup. Me, I’m more like Leo in That ‘70s Show. And I love that. You know, people don’t have to wonder what I want in my dressing room. They know what gifts to buy me, and how to make my day. I love being me, there’s no work involved.
It’s funny, because who you are is so different from the world you live in, the hyper-materialistic world of L.A. and the movie business.
Oh yeah, but you know what I’ve found out is that fame is much more important than just pure wealth. You can be the richest person in the world, and everyone will see you coming and walk on the other side of the street. But if you’re known for doing good movies, you’re welcome everywhere. I hang with a lot of millionaires and billionaires, because they just like being with the famous guy. But me, I just try to stay true to the vibe.
You say you’ve never played a role, but is there one project in your career that’s really stood out?
Well, Zootopia was a real change for me. I turned down Lion King, because you know, Cheech and Chong at the time were so popular being Cheech and Chong, I didn’t want to dilute it by becoming a Disney character. So they used Whoopi Goldberg instead. And I turned down a lot of money, but in the end it worked out, because I realized I don’t want to play a role. I just do parts that want me.
How did that come about?
I was in a band once, called Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, and before that I was in a band called Little Daddy and the Bachelors, and before that I was in a band called the Shades. I learned that if you don’t put your name out there, you might as well be invisible, so eventually I teamed up with Cheech, and we became Cheech and Chong — Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, and that’s who I’ve been ever since.
You were instrumental in shaping public perception of marijuana over the past 50 years, showing that it’s not necessarily “evil.” How did you approach that?
You know, I’ve always included my lifestyle into the projects I’ve done. When we did Up in Smoke, I made sure that they showed me weightlifting, and eating and drinking healthy, and not smoking cigarettes. You know, just being a musician health nut. And that’s resonated with a lot of people — to this day.
Are you surprised that legalization is happening in your lifetime?
No, not at all. But I’m very happy that it is. You know, one time Cheech and I were doing an interview somewhere about “the evil weed” — somewhere down South probably — and they were kind of attacking us, and I remember thinking, “What if we’re right? What if we’re right and they’re wrong?” And that’s what happened. It came to pass that we were right, all along.
Color Out of Space premieres in theaters only on Friday, January 24th.
