Short Takes : Warner Wants to Call the Shots

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner believes that he’s ready for life after “The Cosby Show”--behind the camera.

“I’ve been preparing to be a director since I was 17,” Warner says in an interview published in the Nov. 24 issue of TV Guide. “I knew I had to learn it.”

Warner, 20, has starred as Bill Cosby’s son, Theo, on the hit series for seven years.

“Where do I go from here? To think that I reached my peak as a teen-ager would be a sad and scary thought.”

He directed his first episode of “The Cosby Show” last spring and is set to direct two more episodes this season. He’s negotiating to direct a feature film, has already directed six music videos and is co-producing four television children’s specials.