Chris Rock Reveals L.A.'s Dark 'Underbelly' That Most People Pretend Doesn't Exist

Comedian Chris Rock spoke on the changing landscape of Los Angeles fame in a recent interview, highlighting the "dark underbelly" of Los Angeles that most people don't see.

"[Los Angeles] can be beautiful. It’s got the best weather in the world. But it also attracts an underbelly that people want to pretend doesn’t exist," the 61-year-old comedian said.

Rock is the director of a new indie drama film called Misty Green, which follows a Los Angeles actress who's gone broke. He discussed how the city attracts wannabe stars then puts them through the ringer.

"L.A. is a complicated place, man," he said. "Fame’s a complicated thing. I’ve seen the switch in my lifetime."

"It used to be that everybody wanted to be great — a great singer, great actor, great comedian," he continued. "Now it’s just fame, and the greatness is almost assumed."

Rock promised that Misty Green will go into the dichotomy of the city.

"A lot of it is about L.A," he said. "L.A. has got very wonky priorities. There’s a real estate office on the same street as The Ivy on Robertson, and in the window, there are houses for $30-$40 million. In the window. But there’s a homeless guy sleeping right outside. The movie is about that crazy dichotomy."

"It’s a crazy world," he added. "We walk by homeless people. There’s all sorts of s--- going on right now. Me having a bad day is not the biggest — it’s not that important."

Rock also briefly touched on the infamous 2022 incident when Will Smith slapped him at the Oscars.

"I wish nothing would have happened," he said. Rock was hosting the Oscars and made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. Will got up from his seat and slapped Chris — then won the Oscar for best actor later that night.

He also said he had no intention of going back to the Oscars unless he was nominated for an award.

"The only way I’ll go back is if I’m nominated, and I’m not getting nominated. And that’s OK. We’ll deal with that if it happens. Like, let’s manage expectations," he shared.

Misty Green will star Rosalind Eleazar, best known for her role in Slow Horses, in the title role. Anna Kendrick, Adam Driver, Topher Grace and Daniel Kaluuya round out the cast.

Rock gushed about working with Eleazar.

"She blew us away. She wasn’t famous, so we kept trying to figure out reasons to not cast her. Different actresses — a singer or two — were attached at different times. But she was just the best one, by a lot," he said.

Eleazar is generating early Oscars buzz for her performance.