KeithPowell00

What an amazing question. Thank you for asking. Many many times during the run of the show, I'd get so worked up over how fans took my character and how it played into their own ignorance of cultural identity, that I wanted to write NY Times op-eds about it. But I didn't, because I wanted the show to speak for itself. I'll just say this: there was never anything on the show that said "articulate means white. Inarticulate means black." As a matter of fact, the show challenged that perception. What people walked away with had more to do with their own perceptions about stereotypes rather than the truth. My position for the character as in life is: I'm black. Proudly black. Everything I DO fits the stereotype of a proud black man, because I'M doing it and I'm proudly black. If other people want to interpret it as being a "sellout" or "oreo" or not black, then that says more about them than it does about me. Also, education and social class are not attributed to one race only.

We totally nailed it.

Oh so many memories flooding back. Hmmm... The day Al Gore visited set was pretty special. And when Jennifer Aniston guest starred, the ENTIRE production office whipped themselves in a tizzy. It was great to watch. Tracy will always, hands down, be my favorite memory on 30 Rock. Once, when we were filming - IN THE MIDDLE OF FILMING - he breaks character and talks to me about the Emmy Awards and how great he looked. I loved that memory. As far as cut storylines, I believe there was once a backstory for Toofer where he was a surgeon and accidentally killed someone, so he decided to become a comedy writer. Too dark, perhaps?

I'm doing good.

Totally. Waiters have posted on message boards how awful a person I am because I ask for "no cheese." Someone said "Jesus, he's just as stuck up as his character." I just have a dairy allergy, guys!!!!