Chris Rock’s role in “Spiral” shows a gradual shift in his career from funny man to serious man

Ahmad Armstrong

Comedian, Chris Rock, distinguishes a more serious side to his acting in the 9th “Saw” franchise series, “Spiral”. In the film, he plays a detective named Zeke, who investigates cop killings committed by a Jigsaw copycat.

The film displays the comedy legend in a way that moviegoers aren’t used to seeing him, but this is not his first dramatic role. In 1991, Chris Rock played the role of Pookie in the action crime movie “New Jack City”, where Pookie is a crack addict who eventually becomes a police informant. This was the first time he did not play the funny guy. 

Chris reprised his serious acting skills in the 2014 tv series, “Fargo”, playing a Black mafia boss who fights with the Italian mob for power in Kansas City. 

As Chris enters a new phase of his career, he seems to embrace the change of characters in projects. In a 2021 interview with Kinowetter, the comedian said, “As I get older, I realize there’s some roles I’m not going to get anymore”. 

The ever-changing Hollywood industry has not stopped Chris Rock’s career from going forward. The evolution of Chris’ roles has shown his versatility as an actor, which will hopefully continue to be revealed.