GENEVIEVE PARLEY

GENEVIEVE PARLEY: Kung Fu Panda is genuinely an hilarious movie. What was it that made you want to be part of it, and in particular do the voice of Po the panda?

JACK BLACK: It was Jeffrey Katzenberg (CEO of Dreamworks Animation SKG) who approached me about it. I did a voice in Shark Tale and it was so much fun. After we did that, Jeffrey said ‘Hey I’ve got this other idea for a feature where you would be the main character and the film is called Kung Fu Panda.’

GP: And what were your thoughts about playing the unlikely hero of Po?

JB:  I was intrigued the minute I heard about Po, so I said, let’s talk some more.  Jeffrey showed me some artwork and some sample animation where an animator took a voice clip of me from High Fidelity and put it on a panda’s body.  From that moment on, I was in.

GP: What did you know about Po before starting the project?

JB: Jeffrey told me the basic idea for the story was this big childlike panda who has these dreams of becoming a kung fu master, but really he just works at the noodle house.

GP: What kind of Po-like panda qualities do you possess?

JB: Well, I’m a little roly-poly so we have that in common (laughs). We’re both hefty sized, a size 40 waist and I’m kind of furry like a panda. My beard has a lot of white in it too so that makes me feel panda-esque because it’s black and white. So we definitely have a lot in common.

GP: Did you bust any kung fu moves in the recording sessions or were you quite tame?

JB: I did a lot of moving around in the recording booth to get into character. The animators might have used some of those moves. They’re always filming you while you record, just in case you do something funny with your body and they can imitate it.

GP: Take us behind the scenes of what it was like for you recording the voice, because you can’t use your face in this type of comedy.

JB: It’s true that I use my face a lot in my comedy, but when you’re doing animation, you rely on your voice. I remember when I first saw Aladdin, I thought Robin Williams was brilliant in that and hopefully I can do something like he does. He used his face like crazy too in other films, but Aladdin is one of my favourite things he has ever done and it was just his voice. I’ve also thought that maybe people are sick of seeing my face too (laughs).

GP: Po works as a lowly waiter. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

JB: I did some telemarketing. I was that guy calling you and annoying you so I’m sorry if I called you. I was selling audiotapes of whale sounds that were supposed to have a therapeutic soothing effect. Really junk.

GP: How many did you sell?

JB: Zero. Can you imagine? I didn’t sell one. Telemarketing was not my gig so it’s a good thing I’m here doing this now.

KUNG FU PANDA opens in cinemas everywhere on Thursday. Check out the WIN STUFF for a ticket giveaway.

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