Tough Fluff

Gabriel Iglesias is all that.

by Ben Kharakh

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According to comedian Gabriel Iglesias, there are five levels of fatness: "big, healthy, husky, fluffy and damn!" From his days as an actor on Nickelodeon's sketch show All That to standup featured on Comedy Central and The Tonight Show, Gabriel's been fluffy and proud of it. Now, he's bringing the term to the mainstream with "Hot and Fluffy," a Comedy Central special and nationwide tour.

City Paper: Has fluffy been catching on?

Gabriel Iglesias: Yeah, a lot of people have given me compliments on that. I get e-mails that say, "You make being big cool." They're trying to get me to be a spokesperson for the new generation of big people.

CP: What issues would you address?

GI: I'd talk about the problems big people face in the everyday world — whether it's going to a restaurant, traveling, going to an amusement park and trying to get on a roller coaster, trying to fly, or going somewhere and getting looks because of the clothing. I'm thinking of coming out with a clothing line.

CP: What would you call it?

GI: Hot and Fluffy. No designs, just comfortable clothing. A lot of the stores make big people look like circus animals. Why they use bright colors, I don't know. Maybe it's so they can see us coming. I've never actually seen a tall person at Big 'N Tall. "Tall" is there just to make the big people feel better.

CP: You're a role model for young people, too.

GI: In a way. I sometimes do shows in high schools and let the kids know that I'm doing what I want to do and following my dream. I had every reason not to make it: I'm a minority, overweight, I used to have bad teeth, I grew up with a single parent, grew up under welfare. I grew up under Section 8, every program you can think of. I was, statistically, not supposed to make it. So when I go there and perform, getting their attention, I let them know that anyone can do anything and the only reason that they might not make it is if they make excuses.

CP: Were you that age when you worked on All That?

GI: No, I was 20 at the time, the oldest cast member on the show. Everyone else was 13 to 15, and having 13-year-olds tell me what to do really bugged me. I was knocked unconscious once and was rushed to the hospital. They had the stage set up for little kids and they didn't think that someone could be 5'10" or taller. I was in a dress, a wig, and was knocked unconscious by a low hanging beam that I couldn't see because of the wig's bangs. I ended up in ER with a concussion in drag.

CP: Have you thought of working in TV again, maybe on a sitcom?

GI: If it happens, it happens, but I already know what it's like to work on a TV show — having a director tell you what to do, when you need to be there, how long you have to be there. It's a lot of work and it gets old really quick. With standup, I wake up whenever I want, perform for an hour and a half, hang out after the show, get free sodas, free food, go back to my hotel room, watch TV until I fall asleep and do it all over again the next day.

Gabriel Iglesias

Thu., July 26, 8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., July 27-28, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $17-$21, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, www.heliumcomedy.com