Rob Schneider has returned to his entertainment roots. The perpetually busy actor is hitting the stage for a brief stand-up run, which stops Friday, Sept. 26, at the Hu Ke Lau.
“Getting up there and doing my material was always my first passion,” Schneider said while calling from his Los Angeles home. “I love it. It’s just that I’ve always been so busy with acting. I’m not complaining. I’ve been very fortunate to have had so many opportunities.”
The former “Saturday Night Live” performer has starred in a pair of “Deuce Bigalow” films and whenever his close friend Adam Sandler hits the screen with a comedy vehicle, Schneider is along for the ride.
“The projects I’ve been on with Adam have been amazing,” Schneider said. “The ‘Grown Ups’ movies and ‘The Waterboy’ and so many others. It’s great having friends and it’s amazing to have as many opportunities as I’ve had in front of the camera.”
Schneider, 50, who is married with a toddler daughter, is working on a self-produced sitcom, “The Real Rob,” which is loosely based on his life. “It’s an exaggerated view of my experiences,” Schneider said. “For instance, I recently shot something that came from a real life incident. I accidently sideswiped a jaywalker on Sunset Boulevard. The crazy thing is that when help arrived they cared more about me rather than the guy, who was knocked out on the street.”
Stand-up is another one of those roads for Schneider. “I can’t wait to get out on the road again,” Schneider said. “When I come to Connecticut, I’ll put my own little bend on contemporary issues, like the minimum wage hike and why we should raise it. Our President is an easy target. I’ll talk about him and how can I not talk about what’s happening with ISIS? It’s weird having these new wars with people, who don’t even have a kite. We’re talking about having a war with two guys with swords. We’re not fighting a country or an army. We’re just really declaring war on a few criminals. But it is amazing how the world has changed. I’ll talk about that and just have fun with a bunch of other topics. I’m so happy I decided to get back on the stand-up trail.”
The aforementioned Sandler suggested to Schneider that he go back to stand-up while on the set of “‘Grown Ups” in 2009. Schneider started doing stand-up the follow year for the first time since 1993.
“Adam encouraged me to get back to it.” Schneider said. “It was the right move. I have the focus.”
Unlike most of the characters he’s played, Schneider proves to be a fairly deep and cerebral comedian. He is at his best when he gets personal.
“Isn’t it interesting how overly medicated senior citizens are,” Schneider said. “Forget about getting kids off drugs. How about getting seniors off drugs? When my dad died he was on ten different medications. I think the drugs are what make older people so cranky.”
Schneider admits that it bugs him that he’s been slammed by a number of critics. “Not everybody has a sense of humor, even though they think they do,” Schneider explained. “Some people might think that some of the things I’ve done aren’t funny, but some people lack a sense of humor. It’s just like not everyone is a good cook.”
The Prius-driving, environmentally conscious performer is hardly like some of the egocentric characters he has played on screen.
“Sometimes people forget that I’m just performing when I’m in a movie,” Schneider said. “I’m totally different than most of the characters I’ve played. I’m acting in movies. While in stand-up, you’re getting a slice of me.”
ROB SCHNEIDER appears Friday at Hu Ke Lau, 705 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, Mass. Tickets are $25. Show times are 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. For more information: www.hukelau.com; 413-593-5222
