I recently had the wonderful opportunity to chat with actor Will Arnett about his role in the up coming movie release The Secret Life of Arrietty. The movie will be in theaters on February 17, 2012. Will voices the character Pod who is Arrietty’s father.
When I think of Will Arnett I think of the quirky role he played in the movie Blades of Glory (am I the only one who thinks that film is funny?). He also voiced characters in the films Ratatouille and Monsters vs. Aliens.
Will is mostly known for his character George Oscar “G.O.B” Bluth II on Fox’s cult comedy hit Arrested Development. Dare I say I have never seen the show before (Gasp!). I know plenty of people who LOVE Arreseted Development and think it’s one of the funniest shows ever. FYI… Will informed us that they are making an Arrested Development min-series which will lead up to the release of an Arrested Development film.
Will is currently staring in the NBC series Up All Night with Christina Applegate.
Will was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. When he was 20 years old he moved to New York City to study acting. He landed his first acting role along side Felicity Huffman in the independent film Erie. After a few “bumps in the road” Will finally landed his breakout role in Arrested Development.
In 2003 Will married comedienne Amy Poehler. Together they have two children. Amy has a voice over role in the movie The Secret Life of Arrietty. She voices the character Homily who is Arrietty’s mother.
I had the fabulous opportunity to interview will along side some awesome bloggers and discuss his role in the film. I was even lucky enough to ask Will the first question of the interview.
Q: The Secret Life of Arrietty is based upon the book The Borrowers written by Mary Norton. Have you ever read the story, or were you familiar with the story, before being cast for the movie?
Will: I have not read the books. I did not know a lot about these stories or the book before I got involved in the project. I was very new to all of them.
Q: You are known more so for your comedy work. How is it that you came to be cast as the stern, yet loving, Pod, which is different than what you are mostly known for?
Will: The people who were involved in the film and Disney came to me and my wife (Amy) and asked us to be a part of it. I was excited that they tought of me. I was also excited because it was a bit different than what people are used to seein me in. At the same time, for many years, have been a voice over guy. I’ve don’t countless things other than narration and commercials. I’ve been a part of a lot of different films in the animation world over the last 10 years…Pod is sort of the stern but steady hand in this story. I was just happy that they thought of me in this way. And I was excited to do something that was a little bit “out there”, outside of my comfort zone.
Q: What is the process of working on a film like this? Do you do individual voice work or do you read it with the cast or others so you get a fell for the other characters?
Will: It is individual. For the most part in animation you are on your own. It’s just the way that it’s set up. Of course I have the luxury of knowing some of my castmates (Amy), so we were able to talk about it. You don’t generally have that luxury.
Q: Prior to this movie were you familiar with any of the Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli films, and if so, what was your favorite one?
Will: Studio Ghibli has some pretty iconic films whether it be Spirited Away (“of course amazing”) or Ponyo (“incredible”). They’ve made like 15 to 20 movies, I think. I haven’t seen them all but definitely Ponyo was the one that was most recent. I think Spirited Away everyone can agree with was so cool. I think that was the first of their films that I saw. I thought it was so amazing.
By the way, when they asked me to be a part of this movie I jumped at it because I was such a fan.
Q: Where you originally drawn to the character of Pod because you are a father as well and it’s a character that you can relate to?
Will: I wouldn’t say I was drawn to him necessarily. I would say that once I started working on this film I would say my performance was probably colored by it. What you don’t understand before you are a parent is what it means to be a parent. Once you have a child it changes your world view forever. I wouldn’t have had the same perspective had I not been a parent when I became a part of this film. So yes, it definitely had an impact on me being a parent.
Q: I read somewhere that you consider Steve Martin and Chevy Chase as biggest comic influences. I was wondering for the character of Pod where you drew your inspiration from?
Will: For the character of Pod I don’t think I was really leaning on one particular inspiration. I was just trying to be this steady patriarch. A character that could have this inner calmness to him. He understands the reality of their situation of the Borrowers and where they fit in the world. He is very protective of his family and he knows what he needs to do to take care of his family.
I think that goes back to what I said before. Once you become a parent you understand the responsibility of that role and it colors everything that you do. I understood that from my own experiences being a father.
Q: You have been a voice in so many animated features and I wanted to see what it is about animated films that draws you in?
Will: In animation you kind of get to hide. All you have is your voice and you have to work in concert with the other great artists who are creating this story. It’s a different kind of collaboration. It’s such a visual medium. I don’t know. It’s just such an interesting thing to be a part of.
Q: You have mentioned that you have done a bunch of different voice overs in the past few years. Do you have a favorite?
Will: Right now it’s Arrietty. It’s so hard to play favorites in that way. They each have a thing about them that I really love. I know that might sound like a “cop out” answer but it’s actually true. If I say that I like this the most I feel like I’m short changing the others.
Q: After you learned more about the movie, what made you really want to become a part of it?
Will: I didn’t really know much about the books or stories. But once I was brought into the process and they told me this was coming from Studio Ghibli, that is what initially got me. Once I started working on the film and saw the Japanese version I just loved the story. I think it’s great. It has such a universal theme and a touching story. I was just very excited to be a part of it.
Q: There was a lot of depth to the story and visually it was beautiful. What is the message you hope the audience will take away from the film?
Will: I think it has a really nice message of tolerance. I guess you can also say it’s kind of about friendship. By the end of the film the friendship is preserved and ultimately I think that is an important message.
Q: Did you have the opportunity to record with your wife (Amy) and feed off each other while making the movie?
Will: We did not. That wasn’t the way it was set up. Unfortunately that is not the way they record these films. Obviously we talked about it which was great and not a luxury that you often get. We never did record together.
Q: What other projects do you have and what can we expect to see you in, in the upcoming months?
Will: Other than the mini-series and the movie? I work on the NBC series Up All Night and it takes up the bulk of my time. Then I go right form that into the Arrested Development mini-series and movie. It’s kind of a crazy time.
It was a lot of fun having the opportunity to chat with Will. I think it brings the movie experience to a whole new level having the opportunity to meet and talk to the talent and the creative minds behind a film.
Here is the movie’s trailer for your enjoyment. You can also find the trailer here, http://youtu.be/VlMe7PavaRQ.
If you would like to read my review of the movie you can check it out here, http://www.shescribes.com/2012/02/movie-review-the-secret-life-of-arrietty.html.
The official website is www.Disney.Go.com/Arrietty.
You can also follow the movie on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/SecretWorldofArrietty.
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the enjoyment of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own unless otherwise noted.
i love will arnett.. great interview