Kid Rock Digs Role in Joe Dirt

April 12, 2001 -- On the title track of 1998's Devil Without a Cause, Kid Rock boasted about going platinum. But now he's also gone silver — silver screen, that is. Rock is making his feature-film debut in Joe Dirt, actor David Spade's white-trash comedy that opened in theaters last night. Rock plays Robby, Joe Dirt's bullying, Trans Am-driving nemesis, and the Spade character's chief rival for the affections of the film's romantic interest, Brandy, played by Brittany Daniel.

So how does his acting stand up? Director Dennie Gordon said Rock was "amazing" and held his own against such seasoned veterans as Fred Ward, Rosanna Arquette, and Caroline Aaron. "It's not surprising that someone like him, a killer musical performer, would be a killer actor," Gordon says.

Following the filming last year, Rock told Wall of Sound, "It was very easy, very natural; my first [film] acting experience ever was Christopher Walken yelling at me. I'm like, 'This is wild …'"

Rock isn't ready to give up music for movies, however. "[Music]'s still my first thing," he says. "Acting is nice to do, but I don't think it's a career right now." Still, he did voice one of the characters in the upcoming animated feature Osmosis Jones, and one of his concert performances of the hit "Bawitdaba" is featured in the IMAX collection All Access. He's also been entertaining other film offers.

Meanwhile, he's busy recording his next album. Fellow Grammy winner Sheryl Crow was recently in the Detroit area to contribute to the project, though Rock had to interrupt recording to take part in Tuesday night's Divas Live 2001: The One and Only Aretha Franklin for VH1.