Cam Newton: Michelle Obama is ‘very down to earth’

“With meeting Michelle Obama, it was incredible — she is the person that everyone hypes her up to be,” Newton told Entertainment Weekly. “Very down to earth, very easy to talk to, very genuine. I was — for the first time in a long time, I was star-struck. Let’s just say that.”

The reigning NFL MVP set up the interview between Obama and fourth-grader Rosie Smolowitz as part of his new Nickelodeon show, “All in with Cam Newton,” which premieres Friday night at 8 p.m.

“She wanted to be the president of the United States,” he said of Smolowitz. “We have a lot of kids that dream big, and there’s no doubt in my mind that all of them [are capable] of being the person they want to be.”

Newton said he has worked with Obama before on her Healthy America campaign. However, it was Smolowitz’s first time meeting the first lady, and Newton said she acquitted herself well.

“Oh, she was great! She handled herself like a pro,” Newton said. “I think she handled herself better than I did! Above all, that’s what it’s all about, to see kids’ lives become better because they dreamed about something and it actually came to fruition.”

The Obamas have strong Chicago ties, and President Obama is a noted Chicago Bears fan. Newton said they avoided talking about football, and instead the conversation was more about everyday life at the White House.

He also said that even though Michelle is known to bust out dance moves, she didn’t end up doing Newton’s signature move, the dab.

“People don’t realize I’ve been playing football since I was seven years old. And everybody looks at success nowadays like, ‘Well, he just got lucky, or this or that,'” Newton said.

“But the kids that I came across ranged from seven-15 years old, and every time, they’d been doing what their passion was for four-five years and were committed to their craft,” he added. “That was inspiring to me, to see kids have that much dedication to the things that they like to do.”