LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Bernie Mac says he will never forget his humble roots, even now that he is a big-time Hollywood TV and film star.
"I'm just an ordinary man with an extraordinary job," the 47-year-old "Mr. 3000" star said in Los Angeles. "That's all. I still don't get it. From my heart. I still don't get what I do and who I am. Everybody's got to remind me and even then, I don't hear the voices. I'm not a star. I hate that. Stars fall. I'm just an entertainer. I'm a comedian. I'm a clown. I tell jokes. This is what I do. Shaking hands or giving a look to somebody or saying hello to somebody don't cost a dime."
The star of "The Bernie Mac Show" and former stand-up comic worked as a bus driver, waiter and painter while waiting for his big break, which came with the 2000 film, "The Original Kings of Comedy."
Now famous, Mac insisted he will maintain the down-to-earth attitude that is his trademark by continuing to go to stores himself and traveling without an entourage.
"I'm not living like that," he said. "I've been that way and I don't ever, ever, ever want to lose that."
