Common on his career: 'You can't beat this'

NEW YORK — A conversation with rapper/actor Common goes something like this.

It meanders from his rousing, magical performance of Glory at the Oscars — which emotionally eviscerated the jaded Hollywood audience and made Chris Pine cry — to his appreciation of a fine pinot noir to his reverence for Quentin Tarantino films. In between, he talks birthday plans (he'll turn 43 Friday), which include dinner with his team and possibly a trip to the beach so he can watch the waves.

"Everything that I am able to receive now is a gift — it's God blessing me," he says. "I value these times. I'm going to treat it with respect. You can be tired, you can be grouchy — but you can't beat this. You're doing something you love."

Common (born Lonnie Rashid Lynn) and John Legend won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best song for Glory, from the civil rights drama Selma. It still gets Common all misty-eyed.

"I was nominated for (four) Grammys (in 2006) and didn't receive one. You feel bad. It was disappointing, but it still adds that fuel to keep working harder."

Common speaks softly, politely asking about the reporter's astrological sign (Capricorn) and most pleasantly surprising interview (Penelope Cruz). Yet he unleashes his brutal side onscreen in the testosterone-laden thriller Run All Night, opening Friday. His Price is a killer-for-hire contracted to take out Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson), after Conlon shoots the son of a Mob boss.

"Price was driven to be the best at his job. Look, he chose a profession of being an assassin. He doesn't have a lot of words, but he has a presence and a relentlessness. This is what he does," says Common. "I like the weirdness of him, having that science-teacher look with the glasses. The cleft palate was even crazier. That was all makeup."

Slowly, he's getting his sea legs in front of the camera, with roles in Selma and the indie drama X/Y, in theaters now. "I'm starting to embrace myself as an actor. Now, I can explore that, show that, through what I do," he says. "I feel confident enough to try things out."

And, yes, in a brawl, he'd take out Neeson, who has perfected the art of middle-age onscreen rumbles.

"I will fight to the end. I'm a sore loser," says Common. "I've got to say, Liam was super-cool. He was giving me little tips while we were working. We were talking about theater. This dude is real tough. I like when you watch a leading man and you feel like you're watching a man."