Last week I had the amazing opportunity to meet and interview John Leguizamo about his role as Alex in the movie Walk With Dinosaurs (now in theaters). As I expected, John Leguizamo was just as funny in person as you see him on screen. While that made for a fun interview, I was really impressed with how knowledgeable he was about about acting and technical aspects of the film.
Q: How is this project different than any of the other animation movies you have done?
This was a completely different situation. They created the movie first and then we came in and recorded. Normally you come in and record and then they animate your voice. This was already done so we would have to comment on it and throw our voices into it. You just has to watch it ALOT. We had to study the footage so you can fit your voice into what was already animated.
Q: Did you get sick of having to watch the film over and over again to get the voice just right?
No, No. Because you want it to be precise. I am NOT going to lie, I got tired. This was hard work. It’s not like Chris Rock said, “You just roll out of bed for 4 hours and get a lot of money”. It was a lot of work. This was 2 months, everyday, long hours to get that voice just right because I am the narrator and the character.
Q: Is the personality of your character based on you or someone you know?
I tried to give it a lot of personality. All of the silliness is definitely me. The narrator part was fun because it was a different thing for me. Being a dad, you’re always giving advice so it was easy for me to slip that into the movie.
Q: Did you have to try out a lot of different voices for your role as Alex?
Yes. With my character Sid (In Ice Age), it was more open. With Alex, we knew he was from Mexico, since the fossil was found there, so we wanted a Spanish voice. Then I tried all my Spanish sounds. I try to do some one that was just off the boat with a very thick accent. I thought that would be exciting but it was hard to understand as the narrator. We ended up with the voice that was very paternal and pleasant but funny when he had to be.
Q: Are you nervous that because you’ve done so many animated films that you’ll be typecast for animated films going forward?
No, not at all. I’ve been like five movies this past year., so there is a balance.
Q: How is doing a live action film and doing a voice for an animated character different?
It’s different but they are the same. In an animated film, I want to make sure that the voice is not of John Leguizamo. I want the voice to sound like it was made for that character created. Doing a voice for animation is also physical because if my character’s running, I also run. If he’s choking, I’m choking. If he’s drinking water, I’m drinking water. Whatever the character’s doing, I’m doing as well so that there is the authentic quality in my voice.
If the part calls me to be out of breath, I’ll run until I’m out of breath. Because you can tell a difference when someone’s actually acting it out of the post just sitting there reading the lines.
Q: Did you get to visit some of the sites they used for the film (New Zealand or Alaska)?
No, they don’t want actors they because it costs a lot of money. I like to fly first class (Laugh), so they didn’t want to bring me along. I’ve been to Alaska in the winter and that was not fun. That was a mistake.
Q: How do you think you have changed since getting your first movie roles?
There’s been a lot of changes artistically, personally. I mean things have also changed in the world. It’s great because I think as you mature as an actor things open up to you in a lot of ways, especially if you do work on yourself. I go to therapy, I still go to acting classes. As you keep challenging yourself you keep growing like all of the great actors. The beautiful thing about acting is that you can go your whole life if you stay current and you stay fresh.
Carlito’s Way was just the beginning. I was just discovering my abilities and my potential and now when I act, I know what I’m doing. It’s a different thing. Now I am mentoring people and I was being mentored then by Al Pacino. I like helping people achieve their dreams just like people helped me.
Q: You wear a lot of hats (Acting, Theater, Comedy…etc.). What’s your favorite? what are you most passionate about?
I love theater. I think theater, when its done right, is the best, like a religious experience. When its done badly, its the worst thing. It’s just an incredible experience. I just shot my play Ghetto Clown, coming out on HBO on March 28th and its my favorite piece that I have done.
His Thoughts on…
Why comedians are great for doing animated films.
Comedians are much better for animated films because we are able to change our voices and we’re trained to work by ourselves. While other actors may be confused or shy, comedians don’t care. So we’re great at doing animated films.
Being the Narrator versus the Character
So the voices have to be a little different but sort of the same thing. The narrator had to be paternal, a little more knowledgeable and as the character be a little more silly and fun. But it still has to be the same character.
On the script
It was a great script. They checked the facts and all of the information is authentic and up to date. They discovered 2 new dinosaurs (one of which is his character) a reptile bird, Alexsauraus, found in Mexico.
Tim Hill, one of the producers, is a funny man. So, we had alot of fun doing this. This was a blast.
What he loved about this movie
There’s a lot of things that I love about this movie. It has the latest technology, Photo Realism. The people who did Avatar did the scenery and they are great animators. It feels like a documentary of dinosaurs with a lot of humor, funny situations and dramatic moments.
Walk With Dinosaurs starring John Leguizamo & Justin Long is now out in theaters…be sure to take your family to see it this weekend. 🙂
