(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Chris Rock believes his profession "is a gift."

The American comedian-and-actor has a formidable, decades long career in show business.

Chris, who portrays the voice of character Marty in upcoming animation comedy Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, is thankful for the kind of work that he does for a living.

"Compared to the guy who drove me today or the woman who cleaned my house, yeah, animation is a gift," he told Entertainment Weekly magazine. "But I look at The Avengers, with all those effectsit's like, you work for two days and then you're off for a week. You say three lines and then somebody fights for you for the next day or two I wanted [Samuel L. Jackson's] part so bad. I'll wear an eye patch."

Chris is in awe of how pervasive his character in the Madagascar franchise has become in the lives of children.

"I'm shocked. Whenever I tell a kid I'm Marty and start ding the voice, they just light up," he said. "I had to go read to my kid's class last week and afterward every kid wanted to hear the Afro Circus song [from the movie]. And man, the look on their faces was like, Wow, Santa is for real!' " (C) Cover Media