December 22 , 1999

by Veronica Mixon

"Did you get that out of Frank?" he asks referring to his angelic role of John Coffey. "He's the man you've got to ask because I'm sworn to secrecy."

I met with Duncan the day before the film opened in a Park Avenue hotel suite where he was giving last minute interviews. "Tomorrow is also my birthday," he told me. "I'll be 37." It's been good luck of late for the actor and that won't change especially since "The Green Mile" opened in the No. 2 spot over the weekend. The buzz about the film based on Stephen King's inspirational drama and Duncan's performance, in particular, has been very positive. And, next March, he will co-star once again with Bruce Willis, in the thriller, "The Whole Nine Yards." It's been quite a fast rise for a man who seven years ago dug ditches and then made a living providing security for other entertainers while dreaming of a show business career himself.

Michael Clarke Duncan flanked by Tom Hanks & David Morse

I toured with a play called ''Beauty Shop Part II' for a year but I wasn't an actor. I was the owner's bodyguard and he never let me on stage," recalled Duncan. "We shut down in Los Angeles six years ago and everything sort of snowballed."

While getting some pictures made, an agent approached the Chicago born actor and offered to help. But, after going on fifty auditions, Duncan says he nearly gave up. He called his mother to complain and she told him, "You've only been beaten if you give up. I didn't raise a failure," and startled him by hanging up the telephone. Indeed, she was right. A school dropping out, Duncan had gotten his GED after failing the test twice and gone on to college. When he made the football team, his mother had derailed his fantasies about the NFL because she wanted him to be an actor. "I think she wanted to be an actress and no one ever pushed her in that direction," says Duncan. "She said, I was going to be an actor so, here I am."

After small roles as bouncers and the like in "Bullworth," "The Player's Club" and "A Night at the Roxbury," his big break came as Bear in "Armageddon." Duncan says he beat out dozens of actors for the part but, once he arrived on the set, everyone thought he was another bald African American actor, Ving Rhames. He became a good friend of Bruce Willis, who told him about "The Green Mile" script and made the first call to the director for him. "Coming on the set and seeing Tom Hanks, it was like playing with Michael Jordan," says Duncan.

Darabont believes Duncan is perfect for the role of Coffey because he could be vulnerable and expose his heart. But, even Duncan admits the role was more than challenging, it was also frightening. "To see those men coming toward you with bloodhounds and pitchforks, I realize if this wasn't a movie, I'd be dead. It sent a chill over my body," he recalled. "I told Frank, the weirdest thing is happening. I'm actually afraid for my life."

These moments are complimented by Duncan's poignant "pieces of glass" speech which usually brings tears to everyone's eyes. Once audiences see the actor in "The Green Mile," he'll never be mistaken for Ving Rhames again. And, of course, his mother is very proud. "Once she saw the film, she told me that I was her favorite actor."