In Next Day Air, Donald Faison (better known as Chris Turk from TV’s Scrubs), plays a package delivery man caught up in the exciting world of drug dealing. After sheepishly admitting to him that we’d never make it in the drug game, we talked to Donald about the lack of minorities in space and tried to gauge (in a roundabout way) the likelihood of him being our friend.

Time Out New York: Your movie is opening the same weekend as Star Trek. What does Next Day Air have that Star Trek doesn’t?
Donald Faison: Yeah. Black people. Black and Spanish people. You watch the old show, there weren’t that many black and Spanish people in the old show either. Maybe something happens in the future where all the black and Spanish people get killed off. [Laughs] Um, no, you’ll have a lot of fun, but not everyone can see Star Trek. Also, we’re not a sci-fi, so there are no explosions in space. There are explosions on this planet. And we’re funny too. What can you see in Star Trek? You can boldly go.… I’m going to shut up now, because I’m totally pumping Star Trek and not my movie.

Read the rest of the interview after the break!

Different audience. But you’re more of a Star Wars guy anyway, no?
I’m a huge Star Wars guy. Yes.

I have this ominous feeling that this new Star Trek will push that franchise past Star Wars.
Like Star Trek will be better than Star Wars? We’ll see. Star Wars is great storytelling, at least the first three were, you know what I mean? We’ll see if Star Trek can do it.

Do you get to dance in this movie?
No, there’s no dancing in this movie. This is probably the first role that I have where I don’t have to dance.

No Safety Dance?
There’s no Safety Dance, there’s no Poison dance, no rolling with the homies dance, there’s no dancing after triumphantly having sex with someone. This is probably the first time I won’t dance for something. I dance a lot.

Ever challenge anyone to a dance-off?
Yeah, I challenged Justin Timberlake. He destroyed me.

Guy can dance.
Yeah. I never challenged Justin Timberlake. But yeah, that guy can dance really well.

Ever have goofy white dudes randomly come up to you and try to be your buddy?
Well, it’s weird. I’m going to be honest with you. White people like me. [Laughs] I don’t know why. You know, I’m like the guy that gets invited to all the keggers. You know, the one black dude at the kegger? Thanks to [Scrubs character] Turk, I get invited to everything. But to answer your question, really: No. It doesn’t necessarily happen that way.

You’ve never had to knock anyone out for calling you Chocolate Bear?
Well, that actually happens a lot. I get that from women; I get that from men; I get that from kids, now that Scrubs is syndicated. It’s not, “Are you Donald Faison?” or “Are you Turk?” or “Are you Black Scrubs?”: It’s always something like, [Pause] “Chocolate Bear?!?” I think it’s funny.—Interviewed by Drew Toal

Faison’s newest film, Next Day Air, opens Fri 8.