ShareThisBy DAVE MASON
The teenager called his mom "dude," but Mr. T wouldn't stand for it.
"I told him to look up 'dude' in the dictionary. I said, 'No part of that says 'mother.' I want you to apologize to your mother,' " Mr. T said during a phone interview.
The longtime actor and former professional wrestler spoke with his quick, steady beat. He slammed each word with the determined attitude that is, by definition, Mr. T.
"Mr. T stands for Mr. Tough when it comes to the bad guys," Mr. T said, his voice still rhythmic. "But Mr. T stands for Mr. Tender when it comes to women and children."
Mr. T, who regularly visits a Los Angeles homeless shelter, shows both his tender and tough sides for "I Pity The Fool." The reality show, in which Mr. T goes around the country to motivate youths and adults to do better together, premieres at 10 p.m., EDT/PDT, Wednesday (Oct. 11) on TV Land. The show includes Mr. T 's visits to families, and at one point, he gets four boys and their mother into a group hug.
"It's not the A-Team, it's the T-Team," said Mr. T, 54, who played tough hero "B.A." on "The A-Team" in the 1980s.
Mr. T's latest show is named after his catch phrase, "I pity the fool," but the still muscular star quickly explained, "I don't call anyone a fool.
"I look tough, but anyone who knows me knows I'm a marshmallow inside," he said. "I'm not afraid to fight, but I go to the homeless shelter in Los Angeles, the Midnight Mission. I try to reach out to the less fortunate."
For his new reality show, Mr. T motivates people to work together. For example, he went to a dance school where an overwhelmed teacher wasn't doing the best job for the kids. Mr. T said he encouraged the parents to help the teacher, and as an exercise in cooperation, he had the teacher, parents and students do a car wash together.
When Mr. T speaks, people listen. Maybe it's the rhythm of his voice. Maybe it's the size of his muscles. Maybe it's that no-nonsense look on his face.
Mr. T said he gives his home phone number to those he helps on "I Pity The Fool."
"I try to keep a relationship with these people."
And he tries to make the lessons stick.
"I hope you guys aren't just being nice because I'm here," Mr. T told four sons, including the one who used to call his mother "dude." "You show your mother respect and love when I'm gone."
Respect is why this celebrity, who was born Laurence Tureaud, became Mr. T.
"I legally changed my name in 1982," he said. "I watched my father being called 'boy.' I watched my uncle, who was 65, being called 'boy.' I watched my brother, who came home from Vietnam, being called 'boy.' I thought, 'What does a black man have to do to be respected as a man?'
"When I was old enough to change my name, I changed it to Mr. T so that the first word out of someone's mouth was 'Mister,' a sign of respect," he said.
