Taboo: From "Peas" to the Big Screen

Taboo is a rapper, dancer, songwriter, actor and member of the phenomenally successful hip-hop quartet Black Eyed Peas. Choosing their name because they felt their music was "food for the soul," the Grammy winners are an international multi-cultural sensation, having sold over 27 million albums and singles worldwide. Known as the member with the martial arts-inspired dance moves, Taboo brings those moves to the big screen in the 20th Century Fox action-adventure Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li .

Taboo told us about the Black Eyed Peas' first studio album in four years (The E.N.D., to be released on June 9th), and his desire to be the first Mexican-American action star.

TeenHollywood: First of all, is there a story behind you choosing to call yourself Taboo?

Taboo: Taboo started in high school. I went to an all-Mexican school, but I was a hip-hop head. I loved hip-hop. But, in my school, it was like, "Hey, Holmes, why are you dancing like a black dude? It's taboo to dance like that," because I was doing something different. It was forbidden and unexplainable. I wasn't supposed to do that. It was a taboo to do hip-hop in my community. It was a taboo to dress hip-hop. My son's mom was black. Because I was a Mexican kid, these people in my school would hate on that. They'd be like, "Why are you with a black girl? It's taboo to be with a person of a different race." So, I took that and was like, "Yeah, I am a taboo, and I'm going to be a taboo for the rest of my life," whether it's fashion or people wondering what I am. They're like, "What are you? Are you Mexican? Are you Filipino? Are you Asian?" It's a taboo. You really don't know.

TeenHollywood: How did you get involved with this film? Were you looking for acting roles, or did they specifically come to you about it?

Taboo: Actually, I did my first film, Dirty, in 2005, with Cuba Gooding Jr., Wyclef Jean and Clifton Collins. That was my first acting gig, and I played a gangster, a Cholo. After that, I told my agent, "I could do that like the back of my hand. I'm Mexican. I was born in East L.A. I know how to play that. Give me something a little bit more challenging." So, the next movie I did was called Cosmic Radio, which was an indie film that went straight to DVD, and I played Mark Cruz, who had a little bit more of the hippie, native vibe. I got to actually show my acting skills and I had more lines. But, I was like, "I'm still not satisfied. I need something where I'm doing what I do on stage. I'm the martial arts guy."

TeenHollywood: So martial arts are a bigger part of your life than most of your fans know?

Taboo: I actually got the cover of Inside Kung Fu, for being in Black Eyed Peas, and always loving and embracing martial arts, and going to festivals like the Dragon Festival or the Anaheim Festival, which is the biggest martial arts convention. People would see me there and they would always say, "Hey, one of these days, we want to see you on the big screen, doing what you do best!" So, my agent came back to me and said, "I got you an audition for Street Fighter," and I was like, "All right, Street Fighter!" I auditioned, but I didn't think anything of it and then, seven months later, my day-to-day manager called me and said, "Congratulations! You're Vega in the next Street Fighter." So, I took my family out and we celebrated.

TeenHollywood: What was it like to work with this cast?

Taboo: It was just an honor to work with such veterans in the game, and just get pointers from them. Michael Clarke Duncan actually came to a Black Eyed Peas show before we filmed the movie. He said, "I wanted to meet you, so that I could get a personal relationship with you and become your friend. That way, going into the movie, we'll have that relationship." So, on set and even now, we're friends. I'm excited to know him. For me, the cool part about this movie, as a performer, was that I was able to do what I do with Black Eyed Peas, and that's present a martial arts mystique. I do that in the videos. When people see me on stage, I always have form or stances to represent that. And, to be able to do that on the big screen was a natural progression for me. I want to continue making action films.

TeenHollywood: Had you been familiar with the "Street Fighter" video games?

Taboo: Yeah.

TeenHollywood: Have you talked to Will.i.am about his work in X-Men: Origins?

Taboo: John Wraith has nothing on Vega. Yeah, we've had a couple conversations, during Black Eyed Peas press junkets, when a journalist will say, "In a fight, who's going to win, Vega or John Wraith?," and I always say, "Vega, hands down!"

TeenHollywood: What did you think, the first time you put on the mask and the costume?

Taboo: I loved it! I just kept on looking at myself in the mirror, going, "I am Vega!" I was just doing form, and feeling the vibe and the energy. When I walked on set, I was Vega. I wanted to take on the character by just becoming him. People, especially fans that like those types of characters, will be able to be Vega for Halloween, if they want to. And, the Black Eyed Peas fans that see Street Fighter will see a little bit of Vega on stage 'cause I'll bring out the mask and do a couple poses, and have the people go crazy. They'll be like, "Oh, damn! He gave us a little bit of something other than the Black Eyed Peas mode. He also gave us his acting."

TeenHollywood: Could you see through that weird silver mask and was it heavy?

Taboo: Yeah, definitely [I could see]. It was light. I actually got to keep the mask.

TeenHollywood: Cool! Are you going to bring it on stage with you?

Taboo: Yes! There's going to be a lot of Black Eyed Peas fans that want to see Vega and John Wraith on stage, so I'm gonna bring out the mask for the Street Fighter fans.

TeenHollywood: What was it like working with Kristin [Kreuk] and Chris [Klein]?

Taboo: Amazing! Kristin was there early, before we came to Thailand. We would be finished with our scenes and she would still be going hard. The fact that she had enough stamina and strength to carry the movie like that was amazing. And, I like that they also gave us the opportunity to add our own personal experiences and critiques to the characters, so that we could bring something that is personal to us.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about your big fight scene with Kristin, and what you did to prepare for that?

Taboo: I actually trained for two months with a fighter named Eddie Millis, who's a K1 fighter, before I went to Thailand. And, Dion Lam, who was the stunt coordinator, prepared all of us, for every scene that we had, where we had to do stunts. I was on a wire, and it was amazing because I learned from one of the best, if not the best.

TeenHollywood: Was that the first wire work you had done?

Taboo: No. Actually, the Black Eyed Peas video for "Let's Get It Started" had wires. And, we used wires as well for "Joints & Jams," from our earlier work.

TeenHollywood: How long did you work with your claw weapon?

Taboo: We worked for about a month and a half. Dion taught us how to fall, he taught us how to swing, he taught me how to hold the claw, he taught me how to look at myself with the claw and be like, "Oh, am I hurt?" I had to learn how to do all of that. I was dodging the saws from coming at me, and I had to learn how to fall backwards, get up and look at myself with the claw, and then go into frame. Even if there wasn't action, there were steps of knowing how to take direction, and that's what I learned.

TeenHollywood: How does your martial arts background fit in with Vega's style? Is it completely different? Was it a whole new learning process?

Taboo: Yeah, it was a whole new learning process because the character in the game was Ninjitsu, and had matador skills. But Vega's not a matador in this movie. He's a little bit edgier, a little bit darker, and not as "Ole!" [he stands up and makes a graceful, sweeping matador with cape movement]. The vibe that I got from the video game was that, when he would beat somebody up, he would have a laugh. But, we're not laughing in this movie. I had to learn kick-boxing and do Jeet Kune Do, which is the martial art that I brought to the table. It gave a twist to Vega.

TeenHollywood: What was the whole experience of being in Thailand like?

Taboo: I had been there four times previously, with the Black Eyed Peas, so I had already known about Bangkok, but I never got to experience it like a tourist. With Black Eyed Peas, we always have a certain itinerary that we have to follow, and we don't get to walk around and enjoy the city. This time around, I got to walk around. I was there for a month and a half. Most of the time, I had down time, so I got to walk around and it wasn't like [shouting] "Fergie! Will.i.am!" It was just very subtle, and I got to appreciate the country. I had never seen an elephant, walking down the street. At the stop light, the guy said something and the elephant sat down. And then, the guy said something else, and the elephant got up and walked across the street. It was like having a dog, but it was an elephant. That was culture shock, to me. I walked into the night bazaar and saw a guy with a tray of crickets and scorpions and lizards that were already fried, and those are delicacies. That was culture shock, to me. Filming in the middle of monsoon season, where it would be clear and we'd be shooting an exterior shot, and then, all of a sudden, there would be a storm and for an hour it would just be pouring. That was a culture shock, to me, as well.

TeenHollywood: You didn't get recognized at all?

Taboo: Not really. I'm not that famous.

TeenHollywood: What was your favorite dish?

Taboo: Chicken fried rice with egg on top.

TeenHollywood: Has it been difficult for you at all, to prove that you're serious about acting?

Taboo: The thing about my acting career is that it's more action-oriented. If you think about the hip-hop artists that have stepped into the game, like Ludacris, Bow Wow and Snoop, they've never played action stars or villains. They've been a race car guy, or the black guy getting mad at his friend, or the gangster. It's very limited. I'm not taking anything away from those guys because they are my good friends, and I love each and every one of the hip-hop artists that becomes a movie afficionado and, eventually, a great actor, if they choose to follow that career. But, if you look at people like Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg and Queen Latifah, who all started in music, they are exceptional actors. Will Smith is an action star. It's amazing. And, that's how I see myself, on a Mexican tip. I want to be the first Mexican-American action star.

TeenHollywood: You're known for your sense of style and having a very specific look. How would you describe your style?

Taboo: I would describe my style as cultural, in the sense that I like to incorporate a lot of cultural aspects of being Mexican. I'll wear my Mexican patch. I love Gucci. I love being stylish. I'm not a sex symbol and I'm not the poster child for the girls, but I am a family man and I like to present that to the world. I'm married. I have a son that's 15 years old. I have a baby on the way. I was the first one of the Black Eyed Peas to get married, and I was the first one to have a kid, so that's my persona.

TeenHollywood: Are you conscious of the fact that you have a family and that you have so many people who look up to you, when you decide how to present yourself?

Taboo: The fact is that we're entertainers, and we can't take ourselves too seriously. I don't say, "I don't like this role because I say the F-word, or I'm cutting people in half." My family knows that that's not who I am. They know that I'm playing a character. My wife and my son are very aware that if I say, "That's the joint / That's the jam / Turn that s**t up and play it again," they're not going to be like, "Oh, my God, my dad said s**t!" With "Don't Phunk with My Heart" or "My Humps," they know that we're not trying to degrade anybody or put anybody down. We're not calling anybody "bitches," or anything like that. So, they understand my role as an entertainer. We like to have fun.

TeenHollywood: What is the current status of the Black Eyed Peas?

Taboo: Right now, we're focusing on a new Black Eyed Peas album, which will be out in June, and it's entitled "The E.N.D.," which is an acronym for "The Energy Never Dies." Don't worry, it's not the end of the Black Eyed Peas. We've still got more in us. I feel like the sky's the limit, with the Black Eyed Peas. We started out with just wanting to do music. Now, we've become an international success. And, we're also philanthropists, who are giving back to communities, like in the Philippines, Mexico and South Africa. We have the Pea Pod Organization, which is a charity that we've had since 1999. And now, it's grown and it's becoming an international thing as well.

TeenHollywood: What can fans of the Black Eyed Peas expect from your upcoming album?

Taboo: It's the evolution of the Black Eyed Peas. The BPMs are faster. It's much more of an international mesh-up of dance meets electro meets hip-hop meets R&B/soul meets pop. The fact that we've taken from our individual experiences, and brought qualities and things that we did on our own into this album, will let people know how strong the Black Eyed Peas really are.

TeenHollywood: With all of the amazing experiences that you've had with the Peas, is there anything that's been particularly memorable?

Taboo: I would have to say when we went to the Phillippines to perform in front of the Filipino people, and we saw the President of the Phillippines and the army, sitting in the front row. My partner, Apl.de.ap, is like the King of the Phillippines right now. To be embraced by a country, and to see how much influence my partner has, was amazing. That's one of my best friends, and I was raised with him. I grew up with him. He was my roommate. To them, he's like Allan Pineda, the savior. He's the one. So, my most memorable experience was to be with my best friend, and see the accolades and the respect that he has in his own country.

TeenHollywood: Are you still working on your solo album?

Taboo: My solo record was put on hold for the Black Eyed Peas, and my ego is not that big. I don't think that my solo record is that important right now. I had Street Fighter, and that was my way of expressing myself. I know Will.i.am had a record and he did the Obama song, and all that stuff took off. The Duchess was amazing by herself. She sold 6.5 million albums, around the world. And, I know that Apl.de.ap is King of the Phillippines. But, my thing is the acting world. I think people will appreciate me, as an individual, when it comes to the acting, and Street Fighter is my first big step into that world.