Welcome home, Martin

BEFORE his movie career really took off, Martin Lawrence performed stand-up comedy that rubbed audiences the raw way. His first concert film, “You So Crazy,” was so raunchy that it was rated NC-17. But with his latest projects, he’s deleted his expletives -- well, at least most of them.

And he’s even joined the Mickey Mouse Club.

Lawrence, the star of hit films (“Bad Boys” with Will Smith,” “Big Momma’s House,” “Wild Hogs”), his own sitcom (“Martin”) and a series of personal dramas that once branded him as difficult and troubled, is top-lining two new films geared for families: Universal’s “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,” which opens Friday, and the upcoming Disney film “College Road Trip,” where he shares the screen with Donny Osmond.

Though the move from foul-mouthed funk to fuzzy family fare may seem like an unlikely fit for the original host of “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam,” Lawrence sees the films as a natural progression reflective of his positive lifestyle and outlook on life.

“This is big for me -- it represents growth,” he declares in a soft voice, sitting behind the desk of his Studio City-based Runteldat Entertainment. “You gotta remember -- I’m not 22 anymore. I’m 42. Growth is good. Change is good. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity.”

He is also hopeful that the films will finally dim the spotlight on a notorious past that has shadowed him for years, including his 1996 drug-fueled meltdown on Ventura Boulevard, when he was hospitalized after dodging traffic and waving a gun. Other mishaps included run-ins with police, a nightclub brawl, a divorce and a lawsuit filed by “Martin” costar Tisha Campbell-Martin, who alleged that he sexually harassed and assaulted her (that lawsuit was settled out of court). In 1999, the entertainer fell into a three-day coma after going for a jog in a rubber suit and wool cap on a hot summer day.

These days, Lawrence downplays stories about his past and diva-like reputation as touchstones of ancient history that have no current relevance. He said he confronted those incidents directly in his 2002 concert film, “Runteldat,” and his primary focus now is his family and God.

“I don’t know what Hollywood thinks of me, but I’m still obviously a force to be reckoned with,” Lawrence says. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have two movies coming out back-to-back. The reason I’m here is because of the audience and fans -- they stuck with me through everything I’ve been through. They’ve always supported me, all through God’s blessing.”

Sitting back in a casual dark ensemble set off by a black Sean John jacket, Lawrence projects a self-assured, calmer persona that’s worlds apart from his usual screen image: a brash, outspoken young man constantly getting into situations that expose him as all bark, no bite.

In “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,” Lawrence plays RJ, a successful talk-show host who reluctantly returns to his hometown for a family reunion that is anything but harmonious, and he ends up butting heads with his siblings and others. Also featured in the comedy is Cedric the Entertainer, James Earl Jones, Mike Epps and Nicole Ari Parker.

Next month, Lawrence stars in Walt Disney Pictures’ G-rated “College Road Trip” as an overprotective cop who chaperons his daughter (Disney Channel staple Raven-Symone) in her search for the right college.

Asked what the younger, stage-prowling comedian Martin Lawrence of “Def Comedy Jam” and “You So Crazy” would have said if a crystal ball had told him he would be starring in family films in 20 years, Lawrence replies, “The Martin of that day would have said, ‘Get out of here, I’m not interested in anyone watering me down.’ But since that day, I’ve had kids. Kids made the difference. In my body of work, I want to do things that my kids can enjoy as well.”

Lawrence maintains there is not a big disconnect between “the two Martins. If you’re a Martin fan, whether I’m being edgy or clean, I like to think that I’m likable, no matter what I’m doing. My adult audience has kids, so there’s a little something for everyone.”

He sometimes watches his older comedy routines and says to himself: “‘Boy, you were a gunslinger. You weren’t afraid to try things.’ I’m proud of all of that because it made me who I am. I don’t have any regrets.”

His agenda in picking the right project is not informed by a desire to distance himself from his personal past. “I go project by project,” he says. “If it’s something I feel I can portray well, that gives me an incentive. It has nothing to do with what I’ve been through personally, nothing to do with whatever happened on Ventura or anything like that.”

Lawrence is particularly proud of “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,” his first movie since last year’s wildly successful motorcycle comedy “Wild Hogs,” which also featured John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy. “Everything just seemed to click,” Lawrence says of his new film. “It was one of the most enjoyable movies I’ve done in my whole career. It was one of those dreams come true -- everyone was in support of each other.”

Still, for a movie that is being targeted for families and is rated PG-13, there is still some content that comes close to “Def Jam” territory. In one scene, RJ’s fiancee, a hyper-competitive former “Survivor” contestant, overpowers him so much during sex that he starts speaking in tongues. Later, she proudly demonstrates her devotion by shaving his initials in her pubic hair. And Mo’Nique, who plays RJ’s sister Betty, loves to visit prison inmates wearing revealing clothing and thongs.

Writer-director Malcolm Lee says he was aware of Lawrence’s reputation when they met. “Yes, I heard all that stuff. I love Martin. He’s one of the most professional people I’ve ever worked with. He was always on time, always knew his lines, he was really there for the other actors. He empowered me right off the bat, told me, ‘You’re the boss and the director.’ He dubbed me ‘Coach.’ ”

The mellower Lawrence has backed down from his brutal denunciation of “critics” in “Runteldat.” (“That was very harsh. My mama said, ‘Don’t hate anybody.’ ”) And he doesn’t seem fazed by some of the negative responses to some of his characters, such as the FBI agent disguised as a grotesquely large woman in the two “Big Momma’s House” films. Lawrence, along with Tyler Perry and Eddie Murphy, has come under fire from some cultural observers who claim their portrayals of large and loud black women perpetuate a negative stereotype.

“What they feel is a negative image is reality to me,” he explains. “These are characters I have seen. People who think things like that don’t really matter. It’s a waste of time.”

As for the future, Lawrence says he doesn’t have anything specific at that moment. He would like to try his hand at drama at some point. And he would love to do one more concert film.

But just because he’s going in a new, friendlier direction, don’t think for a minute that he’s turned into . . . say, Donny Osmond.

“Yes, I’m more mellow, but I don’t act like everything in my life is squeaky clean,” he says with a knowing smile. “I’m human. I don’t like being disrespected. I don’t want to be pushed to show a side you won’t like. When you meet me, I try to be as down to earth as you. But I can come out of the box if you get it twisted. Let’s just say I can go there.”

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greg.braxton@latimes.com