Cherie Johnson Interview

Cherie Johnson has been on the small screen her entire life for the most part. She grew up in front of our eyes on sitcoms Punky Brewster and Family Matters. Now she is taking on a new role--executive producer of the new film 7eventy-5ive.


Tell me all about 7eventy-5ive?
Cherie Johnson-7eventy-5ive is a suspense thriller. It's more along the lines of an old school horror film. We got back to the guts and the gore. It's a great movie. It's about seven kids who are friends who go away on vacation on spring break. 7eventy-5ive is actually a game. It's like a prank calling game and if you can keep the caller on the phone for 75 seconds and they don't laugh or hang up on you, you win. Unfortunately, while we are on vacation we are in a mansion up high away from the city and somebody calls the wrong person and the jokes kind of get turned around on us from then on out.

How long did you all film the movie?
Cherie Johnson-We were in Sacramento filming for I believe 2 ½ months.

Was it a fun shoot?
Cherie Johnson-Oh I had a ball. I had an absolute ball. I couldn't ask for a better cast. The crew was great. Brian Hooks and I have worked together a couple of times. Not only did he star in the film he also directed it with his partner Deon Taylor and I produced it. So it was like a bunch of old friends got together and we just reunited doing a film.

Was this your first time producing?
Cherie Johnson-Yes.

For people like me who don't know as much about the industry as you what kind of things did you have to as producer? Cherie Johnson-Well, I learned that executive producing a project is basically babysitting 180 people. It's 180 people and my crew was all different personalities and trying to make them all mesh and make the day go as easy as possible. So I might be on the set one minute saying my lines and then the next minute I'm running across the sound stage in my stilettos because we have to order more film or because a fog machine was supposed to be here in an hour and it's not here yet. So I have to find out what happened to it or the caterers ran out of plates. So you have to find somebody to go to the store and actually get those plates. It's crazy. It's like being a mother you know how moms have to do everything.

Yeah I have two small kids I understand.
Cherie Johnson-Well you could probably be a great producer.

So what have you been doing the last few years?
Cherie Johnson-I've actually been working on 7eventy-5ive the past 2 ½ years. I just started another project executive producing some straight to DVD comedy shows. Its called The Spirit of Comedy. We are doing volume 2 now. Volume 1 was Walmart's best seller for two quarters and Maverick is our distribution company and it was their best-seller for a year. So now we are going back to shoot volume 2 which should be in stores by December. It's the first comedy show of its kind because we are feeding the Christian market and there is nobody out right now doing that.

Did you ever attend a regular school or were you always tutored or in a private school because you have been acting your whole life.
Cherie Johnson-I have been acting since I was six years old. I actually did go to public school but I had a tutor the weeks I was on the set. I was on the set 22 weeks of the year. So it would be me in school a week out of the month.

Do you ever watch the Punky Brewster episodes on DVD?
Cherie Johnson-You know what it's so funny my nieces and little cousins will come over the kids and they ask to see them. I find that its really hard for me to watch myself so I will glance at the TV for a second and I will giggle and just walk out of the room. For some reason it's really uncomfortable for me to just sit down and watch myself.

Since the show was such a big part of your young life was it hard for you when the show ended?
Cherie Johnson-Oh not at all. I honestly didn't understand that I had a job. I was just going to work everyday and seeing my best friend who was Soleil. And I really, really enjoyed what I was doing so I was going to play and see my friends at work. I didn't realize that I had a job. I don't think I realized the show was over and what that meant. Just because the show was over didn't mean that Soleil and I didn't see each other. It didn't mean that the little girl who played Margaux Amy Foster and I weren't hanging out. We were still having our sleepovers and talking on the phone and carrying on like we always had. So it wasn't like a devastating situation for me at all.

Have you all managed to continue your friendships to adulthood?
Cherie Johnson-Absolutely.

That is so nice!
Cherie Johnson-When you spend that much time with a couple of little girls you are either going to love each other or hate each other. Their kind of like my sisters they are like my oldest friends.

I have to ask you about another show I didn't know you were involved with my son watches it every morning. I didn't know you were involved with The Proud Family Show.
Cherie Johnson-Oh yeah.

What character did you voice?
Cherie Johnson-Chanel. Kyla Pratt's cousin which was really cute which was reuniting for me and Kyla because Kyla played my niece on Family Matters. It gave us the opportunity to work together again and Soleil is on there too.

I'm new to the Proud Family now that I have kids.
Cherie Johnson-I love The Proud Family. It's a fun show to do. It also reunited me with the mother from Family Matters. It's like a big reunion to me.

Do you have a lot of good memories from working on Family Matters?
Cherie Johnson-Oh God yes. I worked with those people for ten years. You want to talk about becoming a real family they definitely became like my brothers and sisters.


Someone wanted me to ask you if you keep in touch with any of your Family Matters co-stars?
Cherie Johnson-Kelly and I are good friends. We don't talk as much as we should but we run into each other here and there and call each other every once in awhile to make sure that we are good. Darius and I run into each other. I haven't seen Jaleel in about a year.

Do you remember in the 90s there was like this urban legend or rumor that you and Kellie were sisters?
Cherie Johnson-Yes.

Are you all sisters?
Cherie Johnson-No. I don't know if that was just a 90's rumor because somebody just asked me that the other day. I know. I don't know where it happened or how it started but people swear to God that we look just alike and we just look at each other and laugh because we don't see it. We are like maybe it's our eyes.

It's so funny to me because when I was in high school people always tried to tell me that you all were sisters and I would say "Nah Uhh they have different last names," "No I know they are sisters,"
Cherie Johnson-People believe a lot. Michelle is gone now and people always think it was me that died. So I have actually walked into auditions with industry people and the producer sitting across the table says "I thought you were dead," and that just ruins my day. I'm good I'm standing here.

I'm seeing here in 1994 you founded the Off The Streets Program is that something you still have going on?
Cherie Johnson-Yes. Any chance I get, there are a bunch of friends. One teaches dance. I teach acting classes, my ex-boyfriend is actually a great artist and teaches art lessons so we just give the kids activities to do so when they get out of school they don't have to be hanging out in the neighborhood.

You are in rare air. I hate this term but you are one of the child stars who made it to thirty without in major pitfalls and tabloid drama. How did you avoid all of that?
Cherie Johnson-You know. I kinda hate that too and we were talking about that the other day. You know like Oprah. They always focus on the bad things what about the good kids. It's just people. I don't think its any different than any regular person. Everybody knows somebody that grew up and now does drugs. Everybody knows somebody who has gotten arrested. Some people just do and some people just don't. It wasn't like oh it was so hard for me to be good I didn't have a choice my mom would have kicked my ass. There are some things that you do and some things that you don't do. I'm a little girl from the hood. I'm from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. There was a lot of drugs there there, and are still a lot of drugs there. That wasn't something that I was in to. Anything that makes you look bad or have wrinkles or is bad for your health is something that I never wanted to do.

Do you ever get back to Pittsburg?
Cherie Johnson-Yeah. Definitely.

How was it different working on a soap opera? I read that you worked on Days of Our Lives. How different is it working on a soap than a sitcom?
Cherie Johnson-It was really different. Soap operas every day you get a different script. I was kinda floored because people use cue cards. They don't remember their lines they kinda read them. Like right under the camera someone will be holding the card. I was never good at that. They used to laugh at me like "Baby you don't have to try to memorize everything." But that's my foundation where I came from. So I always memorized my lines I never got the whole cue card thing. But I loved it. I would still like to go back and do another soap opera again. I want to do General Hospital. I want to be on there with Sonny Corinthos.

Are there any projects that you particularly have fond memories of?
Cherie Johnson-I've been so lucky and so blessed I've honestly enjoyed everything that I ever worked on. I don't think I've ever had a bad experience. So my favorite project is always my last.


Related Links-http://www.cheriejohnson.com
http://www.myspace.com/cheriejohnson


Cherie Johnson interview may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission. You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com June 2006.


 
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