The 5-minute Interview: Mr T, Actor

'I pity the fool that don't be cool'

Mr T, 55, is best known for playing BA Baracus in 'The A-Team'. Born Laurence Tureaud in Chicago, he has worked as a professional wrestler, released two albums and become the face of the Snickers Get Some Nuts Campaign. He is currently appearing in a 'Facebook open-surgery' as part of the campaign and will begin a similar page on Bebo on 24 February.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Working out. I work out Monday to Friday. On Sundays I go to church.

A phrase I use far too often is...

"Be cool." If people are cool then they are not stressed. I pity the fool that don't be cool.

I'm good at...

Being a mama's boy. I listento my mother and that keeps me out of trouble. I'm a good son.

I'm very bad at...

If I forget to pray, I can't get through the day without snapping at people.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was...

When I got invited to the White House to meet Ronald Reagan in 1983. Nancy Reagan was campaigning to get kids to say no to drugs, and they heard about me going round schools telling kids to stay away from drugs. It was a real honour for a black kid from the ghetto who grew up on welfare.

A common misperception of me is...

That I'm tough. I'm tender on the inside.

I am not a politician but...

I don't trust them because they make promises they can't keep.

The ideal night out is ...

The best nights for me are when I watch A-Team reruns and Rocky III on my widescreen TV.

In moments of weakness I...

Pray more.

The best age to be is...

Whatever age you are now. I'll be 56 this year.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

If you have a good mother, listen to her.

Toby Green