To his family, he’s Clifford Harris. To millions of fans he is T.I. On February 8th he will be Julian in the new movie, Identity Thief directed by Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon.
T.I., co-stars with Arrested Development actor Jason Bateman and Bridesmaid actress Melissa McCarthy in a comedy about a businessman (Bateman) who has his identity stolen by a deceptively innocent woman (McCarthy) and searches to get answers. This is the first venture into comedy for Mr. Trouble Man and told an interviewer in a recent press junket for the movie that he “invited the opportunity to shock people” who wonder if T.I. could do anything but be T.I.
T.I. has been the burgeoning thespian as of late. After notable roles in 2007′s American Gangster and 2010′s Takers, T.I. has recently appeared in TV series Boss and Hawaii Five-O last year. He also reveals which artists he finds inspiration in for his acting career:
“Will Smith and Ice Cube. Looking at the roles Cube has been able to acquire, he created those opportunities for himself. So I think I could take that approach.
Here is a video of T.I. discussing the movie, advice from Denzel Washington(whom he calls “DW”) and more with Identity Thief co-star Genesis Rodriguez: