The Mac Man Cometh

Comedian Bernie Mac is a busy man, juggling a movie career with a prime-time situation comedy. But if there was ever a star who could handle it, it's the "Mac Man," who says he doesn't do anything unless he's excited about it.

He told The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen, one bit of advice: "Don't give up on your dreams."

Mac said that before he hit the big time, he was a bus driver, a janitor, a painter, a mover, a factory worker. He even drove a Wonder Bread truck. Now he's in the driver's seat, in a whole new way.

"I'm normally excited about everything," Mac says.

In his new movie "Guess Who," Mac plays a father who is excited, too. He's anxious to meet his daughter's new boyfriend. But he's in for a surprise. The boyfriend is nothing like he expected.

It's a comic race-reversal on the '60s classic, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," but this time it's African-American parents dealing with their child's inter-racial romance. It was a project both Mac and co-star Ashton Kutcher wanted to do, and wanted to do right.

"So he and I met," Mac says. " And I was very impressed with him because as a 27-year-old, he had the same - he and I were on the same page. We did it with warmth, for number one. We did it with comedy. We did it without bashing or putting anybody down. And we also made it humorous. With all of that combined, it still comes in second to the original."

He adds, "You can't match when Spencer was making that speech and Katherine Hepburn was sitting there, not saying a word but saying everything. Certain things you just can't follow."

Mac's success started with humble beginnings, and a clear philosophy on life.

He says, "One thing that I was taught as a little boy, you can't fool the people. You get by, but you don't get away. People see. They see your soul; they see your spirit; they see your heart. Where I am in my life, or what I do in my life is a beautiful thing. I bring joy. Oh, baby, let me tell you something. I'm a comedian. You're looking at him. The Mac man's coming. You know, and that's the only way I play. I come to play or I'm not coming."

For the past four years, he's been juggling his sitcom, "The Bernie Mac Show" with a busy film career. All that work took a frightening toll.

Last year, he was battling double pneumonia.

Pretending to start getting sick during the interview, he falls off his chair comically, and laughs.

"The Mac man cometh," he says. But seriously, he adds, "What happened, all honesty: I hadn't had a break in eight years. And the next thing you know, I'm ill, but I kept pushing. And I had double pneumonia. And I already know; I already knew how precious life is and how it is to treat people, and that's my No.1 priority. Now, do I only know, I'm gonna show. I'm gonna show it more."

And there's no doubt, Bernie Mac is back on track.

"The Mac Man cometh," he says. "You've been briefed."