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Dustin Hoffman on Kung Fu Panda
By Fred Topel | Image property of DreamWorks Animation
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is Dustin Hoffman's first animated feature. The acclaimed actor found it tough to work in the recording sessions because he is used to indulging all the methods available to live-action actors.
Dustin Hoffman Talks Kung Fu Panda
"You’re in a room with a microphone," Hoffman said. "You’re not interacting with other actors. One day I got to work with Jack Black, and it was wonderful. In my naiveté, I thought when I said yes to this job that we’d all be together. But you work a few days, they call you back in a few months. They rearrange the scenes, they change them. They work on it the way most artists work, writers, or painters. Movies, you kind of have to get it right the first time. But they had four years, and longer than that, in terms of the idea. But four years working on it. You have to put yourself in their hands."
Hoffman also reserved the right to redo anything he felt did not reflect his best. "They said to me, gentleman’s agreement, I could do over anything I wanted to. I had heard that Mike Myers had seen Shrek and said, 'Okay, I want to do it all over again' and they allowed him to do it. I said, 'Could I see some animation?' They said, 'But the lips won’t move.' I said, 'Just to see what we’re trying to find as a voice, that it matches.' After a while, it was a united effort. We both agreed, there it is. So I didn’t want it to sound like me, per se. I didn’t want it to sound contemporary. I always think it’s no different than going to the closet and picking out, 'I’m gonna wear this, I’m gonna wear this.' You look and 'No, I’m gonna take this off, try this on.' And then you say, 'Okay, I like that look.'"
Ultimately, after getting his day with Black, Hoffman enjoyed his work. "The one day I worked with Jack Black it was all the diff because he’s at a mic, I’m at a mic, and they allowed us to improvise. I mean, they would allow us to interact with each other if you could but they’re doing this over a four-year period. They’re asking you to work a few days, and then they come back at you in three, four months, and they’ve re-done this, so you just can’t get actors in the same room for four years. I’m sure they would prefer it, too. I’d love to one day be able to do it just like we’re talking instead of pretending I’m talking to the person who’s asking the interview question."
There is some controversy over what kind of animal Hoffman plays. "They said I was a small red panda and I think it’s a copout because I can’t believe that’s the proper name. No. Small red panda. Small. I want to be called a Goodovafafa."
Kung Fu Panda will open to theaters on June 6th.
For the trailers, poster and more movie info, go to the Kung Fu Panda Movie Page.
Fred Topel
Sources: Image property of DreamWorks Animation
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