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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
 Interview
copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2005
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She is the
founder of Thabiz.com and
Imissthe80s.com and
writes for the Rap,
Teen, and 1980s
section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as a writer
and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising
inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights, paying
entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or e-mail her at webmaster@thabiz.com.
May not be reprinted, copied or distributed.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, imissthe80s.com
2006
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