Nick Cannon Cuts Back On Sundance Parties To Promote 'American Son'

The 27-year-old is growing up fast. During our conversation, we talked about what it's like to be one of the hottest talents at Sundance, whether he's the next Paul Giamatti and the "dream project" that Nick is determined to get right.

MTV: You're up here with "American Son," a film about a war vet who's home for a 96-hour leave, and the forbidden romance he starts with a beautiful young Mexican girl. We've never seen you in anything like this before.

Nick Cannon: Yeah, but it wasn't that this was something totally different for me. It was more or less a phenomenal script I wanted to be a part of, and I have to give credit to my director, Neil Abramson. I was initially going in for the best-friend role — a wisecracking, drug-dealer homeboy. But when we sat down and had a conversation, he said, "I think you could be our lead." It wasn't written black or anything like that, and he was color-blind, and he thought I could pull it off.

MTV: Is it the weightiest part you've had, so far?

Cannon: It's definitely a departure from things people might be familiar with me for, but I've done things in this vein; you've only seen glimpses. "Drumline, "Bobby" and stuff like that, but this is the first time I've been able to use my whole arsenal of skills. [Laughs.] I use all my acting muscles on this one.

MTV: There are a lot of young soldiers in Iraq, and more heading there soon. Many are fans of yours. Did you want to make this film for them?

Cannon: Absolutely. This film definitely has the backdrop of the war, and the troops going over to Iraq. But more than anything, it humanizes the young men and women who are serving in the armed services, and it makes it personal. Everyone has somebody they know over there, maybe family members. It takes that inner struggle they have that they might not express to everybody, or that we tend to forget because we see the bigger picture and the economy, terror and politics. But these are human beings that are struggling. They're making sacrifices, and I commend them.

MTV: It's great coming up here every year and seeing you working in independent films, because you could just as easily be making huge blockbusters, playing some guy's sidekick in a dumbass movie and making tons of money. What keeps you coming back to the indies?

Cannon: It's the alternative. I've got MTV [with "Wild 'N Out"], so I can be silly and all those things, and I can be in a big blockbuster movie, or be the funny guy in a romantic comedy. But this gives me the opportunity to perfect my craft, and really take acting seriously. I want to show people it's not all about the money for me, that it's about getting in and doing good work. That's why I love Sundance so much. SOURCE OF THIS STORY