Paul Dano and Ed Asner in GIGANTIC
This past weekend I had the honor of interviewing the great Mr. Ed Asner. He’s a TV legend due to his many years as the character Lou Grant but some of you who are today’s generation might recognize him as Santa Claus in Will Ferrell’s comedy Elf, and you can hear his voice this summer in Pixar’s next animated movie UP as Carl Frederickson.
But Ed Asner will also be in GIGANTIC (check out my review) which will open in select cities on April 3rd, 2009.
I interviewed the director, Matt Aselton and now Ed Asner. I love this job! We had a great chat and here’s what went down. Thanks to Specialopsmedia for making this possible.
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RS: How you would you describe your character, Mr. Weathersby, did you base him on personal experience?
EA: I Based it on some on some of the very born to the rich claws. Nothing from personal experience.. I liked him , I liked the fact that his ultra classy wife dug the hell out of him. I bet we had the most some of the most wonderful sex and we also had 3 wonderful boys
RS: What attracted you to this project? Was it knowing who were going to be in the cast or reading the script itself?
EA: It was the script.. I loved the script… Paul Dano and Zooey are X factor.. and John Goodman, I played his father in a TV series.. Center of the Universe. And of course the lovely wonderful Jane Alexander who played my wife.
RS: You only have a few scenes in this movie, few but memorable. How was the filming process?
EA: For my scenes,.. well.. I think 2 weeks of filming, I can’t remember things like that, I remember scenes or lines or movies I’ve been in much better
RS: You said one of the funniest lines in the movie, in the office scene where you just randomly asked for a bourbon. What’s your favorite scene in GIGANTIC?
EA: Let’s see… Taking a cab,.. doorman to his building.. my wife somewhat being puzzled to.. the characters were rich and they were individuals.. o and the dictator pinada… but the best scene was the one where Jane Alexander had a talk with Zooey.
RS: What do you yourself personally think the movie GIGANTIC is about? What themes or message would like the audience to get from watching your character?
EA: I think it’s about individuality, I’m an individual thinker, my wife is an individual thinker. If I cultivate in all my boys the individuality thinking then that would exceed my wildest dream and what Paul dano wants to do was a marvelous little obsession. It’s about following your urges to the fullest. A slice of life. John Goodman deals with urges, responding with urges, the parents are so overwhelming.
RS: You are one of the godfathers of acting.. your career has spanned for more than 4 decades.. what criteria do you use or how do you choose which projects to do nowadays.. if somebody offered you a role, what would you ask them back before you say “yes I’ll do this one”
EA: If the role appeals to me, if I’ll be a rich man when I finish the movie. If I find it exciting, if I feel I pushed the envelope a little farther, extend my reach. In Roots, they offered me the role of first mate played by Ralph Waite, one form of villain, but I wanted to play a more complex role of villain, the captain. I’ve done the mate, the captain would be an extension for me, and I won Emmy for that role.
RS: One of your many Emmys
EA: Yes, but I didn’t do it for the Emmys. I did it for the subject.
RS: Let’s talk a bit about Pixar’s upcoming movie UP. You voiced the character Carl Frederickson, the old man who finally gets an adventure of a lifetime. Was the experience any different than the previous voice work you’ve done in the past?
EA: It was a slower process. We didn’t see a complete script, just scene by scene. Some of it changed along the way, adapted, edited and I didn’t know where we were going? And then Christopher Plummer did the voice for the villain.
Some of my voice work in the past were more extreme, flatliner, the officer in Freakozoid, publisher J.Jonas Jameson in Spiderman (the animated series), Grany Good in Superman (the animated series), those were more extreme, casual next door
RS: Pixar movies always always have those sad heartfelt moments. What will the audience get from watching UP?
EA: I think what’s great about UP is that it’s wonderful that the movie has something for somebody, I think the dog will steal the show, what a cute animal.
For the lonely Carl, there’s this boy Russell who warms his heart, and for Russell whose parents are too busy for him, he has Carl as his mentor and somebody he looks up to.
RS: I’ve seen some footage, clips, but haven’t seen the whole movie yet. Can you tell us something about UP that you’ve never told anyone, how bout an exclusive?
EA: (laugh) I would.. but just like you, all I’ve seen are the promos. All I can say is.. Much more excitement awaits you (laugh)
RS: Some of Rama’s SCREEN readers are struggling actors, aspiring filmmakers and starving screenwriters, what advice would you give them so that they can still have some hope in this tough business because Hollywood itself is a tough town, not everybody can succeed there.
EA: Develop your skills and trust nobody, it’s the age of sharks. You’ll be offered nothing, figure out a way to prosper and steal if you can, figure out how to survive… Trust in Carl and the dog (laugh).
