Classic Sci-Fi and Tim Burton Magic | Deep Roy (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The NeverEnding Story)

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<v Speaker 2>Do it now? How you doing out there?
<v Speaker 3>It's me Tigger, I.
<v Speaker 1>Am Doc Wayne Duck.
<v Speaker 3>It's me Bunker's Deep Bobcat.
<v Speaker 4>All right, y'all, did it rate your favorite firefly you desire?
<v Speaker 2>Hold old knock Gud.
<v Speaker 1>My name is Jim Cummings and welcome to tuned In.
<v Speaker 2>Welcome back, everybody to another episode of Tuned In with
<v Speaker 2>Jim Commings. I am producer Chris, joined as always by
<v Speaker 2>the legend himself, mister Jim Cummings. How are you doing today, sir.
<v Speaker 1>Hey, well, very good, very excited, very excited about our
<v Speaker 1>guest drumroll.
<v Speaker 3>Please tell the people what they know.
<v Speaker 2>Deep Roy is our guests very much for being here,
<v Speaker 2>really appreciate it.
<v Speaker 4>Thank you for having of course, of course.
<v Speaker 2>Great to see you.
<v Speaker 1>I almost didn't recognize you without a big long line
<v Speaker 1>of people in front of you going, I mean next, me, next.
<v Speaker 4>Well, thank you for that, you know. Likewise likewise, well.
<v Speaker 1>We have the people coming in soon, so just to
<v Speaker 1>make it more natural, no, we don't.
<v Speaker 2>But I'm glad you're here.
<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Thank you for having Yeah, it wasn't a
<v Speaker 1>big drive for you. It was okay.
<v Speaker 4>You know, traffic was nightmare, but as usually you know,
<v Speaker 4>six chains, you know. The driver was in and outist
<v Speaker 4>and then asking me a lot of questions and I said,
<v Speaker 4>it's all good.
<v Speaker 1>Yes, yeah, well it's you know, we can't start too
<v Speaker 1>you get here anyway, so you got that going for you.
<v Speaker 1>Well again, thank you for being here. I appreciate that.
<v Speaker 4>Thank you for having me.
<v Speaker 2>Thank you.
<v Speaker 1>But are you keeping busy these days? But is it
<v Speaker 1>lots of fan male, lots of conventions.
<v Speaker 4>Well, I've done periods, you know. Last time we well
<v Speaker 4>I saw you guys were in Houston, and after that
<v Speaker 4>it's just done one. Normally I don't ask people, hey,
<v Speaker 4>then have a convention or all that. You know, I
<v Speaker 4>never all study anyone, you know. If I can do conventions,
<v Speaker 4>if people approach me, the agents and all that, I'll
<v Speaker 4>do it. If not it's all good.
<v Speaker 2>Sure, yeah, And see as.
<v Speaker 4>Far as work is concerned, I don't chase people. I
<v Speaker 4>haven't done that for a long time, normally I don't.
<v Speaker 2>Do you find that I've always believed, like especially in
<v Speaker 2>the entertainment industry, that almost when you when you let
<v Speaker 2>go like how you how you're saying you're not chasing
<v Speaker 2>even like with auditions, and you bring that energy into
<v Speaker 2>the room, you know, when you want something so bad
<v Speaker 2>and it almost seems desperate is the closest word I
<v Speaker 2>can think of. Do you feel the success kind of
<v Speaker 2>comes when you let go of that that that desperation? Almost?
<v Speaker 4>The thing is it's not about success, you know, Like
<v Speaker 4>I said to your success can't be measured respect that counts. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>what's a success? That's the reason? Can't be made? Your
<v Speaker 4>mind sets more and more and more. Your heart says no, no, no,
<v Speaker 4>it's what contentment. And I'm very content at the moment.
<v Speaker 4>If things happen, happen. If they don't, they don't, but
<v Speaker 4>I'm sure something will happen.
<v Speaker 2>That's a grateful alsophy's absolutely because you're raightceed. Success is subjective,
<v Speaker 2>you know, to some people's success is you know, having
<v Speaker 2>a bunch of kids and a family and loving family.
<v Speaker 2>And you know, other people measure it monetarily or you know,
<v Speaker 2>milestones in a career or whatnot. You know, it's very
<v Speaker 2>subjective to what success really is.
<v Speaker 4>Of course it is, you know, don't get me wrong.
<v Speaker 4>I want to do even more. I want to produce.
<v Speaker 4>I've got a lot of ideas which i want to do,
<v Speaker 4>so I'm sure it will happen.
<v Speaker 2>Are you a writer as well?
<v Speaker 4>Then no, I've got friends that write for me and
<v Speaker 4>the ideas and all that I've developed, and screenplays and
<v Speaker 4>the scripts and everything, you know. And I've written a
<v Speaker 4>few commercials as well, my ideas of commercials, you know.
<v Speaker 4>And you know, one has to create something for oneself,
<v Speaker 4>you know, and if don't, you know, anyone will happen.
<v Speaker 2>You know.
<v Speaker 4>You know, writers have tendency to write for average guys.
<v Speaker 4>You know, average means you know, I mean, I mean
<v Speaker 4>I'm not average too, But then again, you know, they
<v Speaker 4>they've got a tendency to write for like you know,
<v Speaker 4>like five feet havn't five feet it and you know,
<v Speaker 4>and they're for few jobs for a person like me.
<v Speaker 4>But then again, I've done what I need to do.
<v Speaker 2>Mm hmm.
<v Speaker 4>That's like I said to you, and and and things
<v Speaker 4>will happen. I'm absolutely positive, yeah, that things will happen.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I'm curious, true, I'm curious about your experience in
<v Speaker 2>the film industry. Like you mentioned. You know, obviously there's
<v Speaker 2>different roles and different opportunities for a man of your
<v Speaker 2>stature and like not to compare the two, but I
<v Speaker 2>think of you know, another great actor, Peter Dinklice, you know,
<v Speaker 2>he dealt with some of the similar struggles. How has
<v Speaker 2>that been in your journey? The perceptible, I mean, the
<v Speaker 2>entertainment industry is such a you know, physically. We've talked
<v Speaker 2>about it so many times, you know, like too tall,
<v Speaker 2>too handsome, too ugly, too short, too dark, to white,
<v Speaker 2>you know, all these different factors. What's your journey been
<v Speaker 2>like that? And then it's entertainment and.
<v Speaker 4>It's been tough, you know.
<v Speaker 2>No.
<v Speaker 4>I started in stand up comedy in London. I started
<v Speaker 4>my father wanted me to be in an accountant. I
<v Speaker 4>was studying accountancy because he was a pretty successful business
<v Speaker 4>person in Africa. And I was studying accountancy in London
<v Speaker 4>and I kept feeling in taxational, postacational, failing company law.
<v Speaker 4>So that was boring for me. I was pushing to that,
<v Speaker 4>and I gave that up. I joined drama school. Three
<v Speaker 4>months later, I quit drama school. My dad said to me,
<v Speaker 4>now what I said, I want to be a comedian.
<v Speaker 4>He said, it's a joke. So that's how I started.
<v Speaker 2>That's exactly right, it's a joke.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, so that's how I started. I met the managers,
<v Speaker 4>the agents, and things started happening. You know, my first
<v Speaker 4>feature I did was in nineteen seventy five with Peter Sellers.
<v Speaker 4>I didn't know that Pink Panther strikes again, Blake Edwards,
<v Speaker 4>you know, and well, what a way to.
<v Speaker 1>Start, What a way to start exactly, you know, at
<v Speaker 1>the top.
<v Speaker 4>Huh. Then I did New Avengers one episode, and I
<v Speaker 4>did Doctor Who the whole season, and things started happening.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, wow, that's amazing.
<v Speaker 2>Is that what you felt like? That's when you arrived.
<v Speaker 2>I always use the term arrived like in the industry
<v Speaker 2>because you know, myself included. You know, you go through
<v Speaker 2>ups and downs in the entertainment industry, you know, and
<v Speaker 2>then I feel like there's a point where it's the
<v Speaker 2>industry trusts you, if that makes sense. Yeah, Well, like
<v Speaker 2>we can count on that guy.
<v Speaker 4>Is that when you of course it does it, of
<v Speaker 4>course I do. But like like like I said, you
<v Speaker 4>you know, show based everybody wants to be an actor
<v Speaker 4>and an actress. Good luck to everyone, you know, and
<v Speaker 4>they're like twenty thousand people chasing for one job. It's
<v Speaker 4>a tough industry, it is.
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, silly.
<v Speaker 4>Is going to get tougher because of what's happening with
<v Speaker 4>AI thing and all that. It's I'm going to disappear,
<v Speaker 4>you know, and they won't be like you ask me
<v Speaker 4>what was like. Of course it was a struggle to
<v Speaker 4>start with.
<v Speaker 2>Well, yeah, if it's worth it, it's worth the effort.
<v Speaker 2>It's worth of.
<v Speaker 4>Course it is, you know, and and and you know,
<v Speaker 4>like like you mentioned, you know, six feet tall, three
<v Speaker 4>feet tall, four feet tall, you know. But then again,
<v Speaker 4>they're far far few jobs that are writers tend to
<v Speaker 4>write mm hm, you know. And I know I said
<v Speaker 4>that before you but then again, you're going to make
<v Speaker 4>your own you know stuff.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you were saying Peter Dingley, it seems like he's
<v Speaker 1>he takes roles that don't have anything to do with
<v Speaker 1>stature or height or anything like that.
<v Speaker 2>I just saw him recently.
<v Speaker 1>And that what was that one with where he was
<v Speaker 1>the manager of a k Mart with oh god, I
<v Speaker 1>can't think of his name. Uh, anyway, it was a Walmart,
<v Speaker 1>I don't know, but uh. And then of course he
<v Speaker 1>was not Snyder Whiplash but an underdog Simon bar Sinister.
<v Speaker 1>He played a villain and and it was awesome and
<v Speaker 1>it had nothing to do with his height. And so
<v Speaker 1>it seems like today things are much looser.
<v Speaker 4>Of course they are. Of course they are. Yes, they
<v Speaker 4>are yes.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well that's good.
<v Speaker 2>You could take a little credit for that in.
<v Speaker 4>There too, right, But that's that happened through came Barton
<v Speaker 4>and done for movies with Tim. I met him two
<v Speaker 4>thousand and one when I did Planner of the Apes
<v Speaker 4>with him. You know. Actually Rick Baker when Academy Worlds
<v Speaker 4>for the Special Affection, Special Facts, Makeup and all that does,
<v Speaker 4>he introduced me to team. And the first time came
<v Speaker 4>asked you can you walk like an ape? I said,
<v Speaker 4>of course I can't work like an ape, because I did.
<v Speaker 4>I did the Hugh Hudson movie Tarzan. Oh yeahper Lambert
<v Speaker 4>before that, you know that, you know that was that
<v Speaker 4>was eighty three eighty three.
<v Speaker 2>So when when you were doing did they use the
<v Speaker 2>prosthetics I know in the in the new one.
<v Speaker 4>Exactly, they've got the scales you got to walk because
<v Speaker 4>the apes got you know, the coordinate you've got to
<v Speaker 4>you know, the APPEs walk likely mm hmmm.
<v Speaker 2>So so the first time you were asked to do that,
<v Speaker 2>what like, how do you prepare for the guy?
<v Speaker 4>What you see with training? You know, with with the
<v Speaker 4>we were in training when we did the tows and movie.
<v Speaker 4>Uh that was in London and we were training for
<v Speaker 4>like three months to work like apes. Yeah, we behave
<v Speaker 4>like apes do all that stuff.
<v Speaker 2>You know, that an experience.
<v Speaker 4>It is, you know, and and you know apes are
<v Speaker 4>very clever and they do you know, they've got a
<v Speaker 4>good good good memory. Apes do that. You know.
<v Speaker 2>So when you when you're training for that for those
<v Speaker 2>three months, are you also like observing apes? Like are
<v Speaker 2>you do you go to like the National Geographic or what?
<v Speaker 1>No?
<v Speaker 4>No, Mainly the coach who trained was like Peter Elliott
<v Speaker 4>and he's he's done that. He studied all the apes
<v Speaker 4>and all that. He was done one and we watched
<v Speaker 4>some movies and all that stuff, you know, and then
<v Speaker 4>that that was an experience that I have for good
<v Speaker 4>and it's still there.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.
<v Speaker 4>And coming back to Tim, that's when I did Plannet
<v Speaker 4>of the Apps with him, you know, and you know,
<v Speaker 4>I did The Big Fish, you know, and then he
<v Speaker 4>asked me to do Charlie and I did voiceover for
<v Speaker 4>Cops Bride and all that stuff, and.
<v Speaker 2>That's so cool. Big Fish was such a great movie.
<v Speaker 2>That was a really good.
<v Speaker 4>Big Fish was yes, yeah, yeah.
<v Speaker 2>I feel like that was a really underrated movie.
<v Speaker 4>But it was very very you know, it wasn't like
<v Speaker 4>I'm I was surprised that Tim did that movie because
<v Speaker 4>it was pretty dark. Tim does dark wing because he
<v Speaker 4>just lost his dad, and it was like, you know,
<v Speaker 4>I mean, Spelberg turned it down. I didn't work. I
<v Speaker 4>don't know what happened there.
<v Speaker 2>You know.
<v Speaker 4>That's that's from Bruce the producer. That's what I understood
<v Speaker 4>from him, you know. And then outcome Tim to do
<v Speaker 4>it was a book, you know, it was Sony Pictures
<v Speaker 4>and that's two thousand and three.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's a great movie, a good movie.
<v Speaker 2>I always describe it as like the fantasy Forrest Gump.
<v Speaker 2>You know, it's almost like the fantasy version of Forrest Gump.
<v Speaker 2>That's what I think of it. And I love yeah, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I mean Forrest Gump's one of my favorite. Big Fish
<v Speaker 2>is one of my favorite movies. I love that movie. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>me too. That's really cool. What's what's Tim Burton like
<v Speaker 2>in person?
<v Speaker 4>It's such a nice guy. You know, he has got
<v Speaker 4>a vision, he knows what he wants. He doesn't do
<v Speaker 4>that many takes. Probably says to me, I got this,
<v Speaker 4>I want you to do something different. So when he
<v Speaker 4>goes to the editing room that he's got a couple
<v Speaker 4>of versions to do. And he doesn't shoot that much.
<v Speaker 4>I remember his editor Chris Levinson that I worked you know.
<v Speaker 4>You know, although Tim button movies. He used to say
<v Speaker 4>to Tim, I don't think so he got so much coverage.
<v Speaker 4>He said, no, I know, we have, we have. And
<v Speaker 4>Chris said to me, he's one of the easiest director
<v Speaker 4>to work with. He doesn't shoot that much.
<v Speaker 2>Wow, that's not bad.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah.
<v Speaker 3>Well, and he knows what he wants.
<v Speaker 1>That helps he does.
<v Speaker 4>You know, he's got always well prepared notes and he
<v Speaker 4>never asks his GP. He always ask this camera preator
<v Speaker 4>when he says the camera, what do you think?
<v Speaker 2>Interesting?
<v Speaker 1>Mhmm, interesting, collaborative process.
<v Speaker 3>That's very nice.
<v Speaker 2>Who would do you have a favorite director? Top three?
<v Speaker 4>For me? The number one would Tim Yeah. I love
<v Speaker 4>JJ Brihans, he worked with him, such a you know,
<v Speaker 4>worked with Michael Bay another great director, Themblund that I missed.
<v Speaker 4>I haven't worked with Clint Eastwood.
<v Speaker 2>Oh he's a legend of course.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, yeah, you know. But then again, who knows you did?
<v Speaker 2>Or you want to?
<v Speaker 4>I want to?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I do too.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, why not? You know if you're watching, I know
<v Speaker 3>you are, so.
<v Speaker 4>Who knows knows? But then again, one never knows what's
<v Speaker 4>going to happen, you know. And but like you mentioned,
<v Speaker 4>you know, there's some good directors, Wolfgang Peterson who passed away.
<v Speaker 4>On a couple of movies with Wolfgang Peterson, they'd Never
<v Speaker 4>Ending Story with him, an enemy mine, you know. So
<v Speaker 4>there's another great director and it was you know, God
<v Speaker 4>bless you know, and.
<v Speaker 2>Never Ending Story that was a classic.
<v Speaker 4>Yes, that's nineteen eighty eighties, eighties. Yeah, I mean we
<v Speaker 4>were filming in Munich eight I think the movie came
<v Speaker 4>out in eighty two or eighty three, and talking about
<v Speaker 4>Never Any Story.
<v Speaker 2>Doesn't seem that long ago.
<v Speaker 4>But yeah, they did another version of it, which wasn't
<v Speaker 4>that good. But I think Disney has got the rights
<v Speaker 4>to it, and I think the guy to do to
<v Speaker 4>do the screenplayer to direct will be Jj Brandts.
<v Speaker 2>He's a great storytelling Yeah, so Jj, if you're doing
<v Speaker 2>ever any story make sure call my agent, call.
<v Speaker 1>Me call me, yeah, yeah, call me direct.
<v Speaker 2>I'm curious to going back to Willie Walker. What was
<v Speaker 2>it like working with Johnny Tapp? What's Johnny Tapp like?
<v Speaker 4>Johnny is an amazing actor. He always he said to
<v Speaker 4>me he wants to be a rock star. I said,
<v Speaker 4>you're a rock star. He said, no, no, no, I
<v Speaker 4>mean a rock star. He's a great singer.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, great, great.
<v Speaker 4>Great, great general And then they've got a bank called
<v Speaker 4>Hollywood Vampires and they pay you know, I mean amazing
<v Speaker 4>you know, and and and.
<v Speaker 2>Did you see him perform? Have you seen?
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, he's it's absolutely you know. I just I was
<v Speaker 4>talking to somebody. I think he just did something with
<v Speaker 4>the Ian McCallan in London. I think they're Christmas Carol
<v Speaker 4>something they filmed there, you know, and Christmas is coming
<v Speaker 4>soon probably the film that and Johnny. I just saw
<v Speaker 4>Johnny about a couple of years ago in Paris and
<v Speaker 4>and he he always wants to direct, and he directed
<v Speaker 4>a movie called Mody know that what was called Moody.
<v Speaker 4>He's an artist and all. They didn't wanted me on
<v Speaker 4>the premiere, but I couldn't go due to other commitments.
<v Speaker 4>But great director, great, you know. I mean he said
<v Speaker 4>he wants to direct. He doesn't want to be in
<v Speaker 4>front of that camera. He wants to be behind that camera.
<v Speaker 4>Interesting really, so that's it, you know, but who knows,
<v Speaker 4>you know, But good luck Johnny.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we're not worried about him.
<v Speaker 3>I think he's going to be doing just fine.
<v Speaker 1>I think we should get him both on the podcast
<v Speaker 1>that that would be only oh Man.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, have you done much voiceover?
<v Speaker 4>I did a couple of voiceovers, but.
<v Speaker 2>Because you have a very unique voice, I.
<v Speaker 4>Know, we'll see. If you've got some agents listening, you know,
<v Speaker 4>they want me to do voiceover, I'll do voiceover. But
<v Speaker 4>matter of fact, I was just talking to somebody yesterday
<v Speaker 4>and he wanted He was asking me, I can get
<v Speaker 4>you the voiceover agents, and you'll be good for the voiceovers,
<v Speaker 4>especially for the video games. Yeah and all that. So
<v Speaker 4>let's see. I mean, if that happens, great, if it
<v Speaker 4>doesn't happen.
<v Speaker 1>Still great, Yeah, yeah, a little less great.
<v Speaker 4>No, I mean it doesn't matter.
<v Speaker 2>That's a pretty healthy attitude.
<v Speaker 4>I'm sure it will happen. But talking to him, because
<v Speaker 4>we're gonna sit and talk and see what happens, you know,
<v Speaker 4>and maybe do the voiceovers for video games and and
<v Speaker 4>voiceover for the cartoons.
<v Speaker 1>Like you've done.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I'm not as talented as you are of the voiceovers.
<v Speaker 3>Well that's okay.
<v Speaker 1>I don't have any on camera credits, so you're you're
<v Speaker 1>doing fine.
<v Speaker 3>Well it did you always know that you we're going
<v Speaker 3>to be doing this?
<v Speaker 4>I mean, yes, I I when I was a kid,
<v Speaker 4>I always wanted to be an actor. And I don't know,
<v Speaker 4>nobody's done in the family, you know, when I was
<v Speaker 4>I'm the first one, and they're telling me that I'm
<v Speaker 4>crazy to get into this business. But if you don't
<v Speaker 4>take chances, if you don't if you don't follow your dreams,
<v Speaker 4>your heart, you know, thanks to the family, you know,
<v Speaker 4>and it was tough to start with.
<v Speaker 2>Your family support you in doing it.
<v Speaker 4>Oh, yes, yes, yes.
<v Speaker 3>Do you have a lot of siblings, yes, six.
<v Speaker 4>Of us, including myself, you know, and lost my elder
<v Speaker 4>brother lost my elder sister lost my mom and dad.
<v Speaker 4>But uh, we all have to one day. We're all
<v Speaker 4>standing in a line and waiting.
<v Speaker 1>Yes, that's what it is about, you know.
<v Speaker 4>So you know what they said, life is this shows
<v Speaker 4>you never know how to breed from here to there.
<v Speaker 3>Mm hmm.
<v Speaker 4>Make the most of it, be nice, but nothing to lose.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, that's that's a good philosophy.
<v Speaker 1>Do unto others before they do unto you, or wait
<v Speaker 1>something like that anyway.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, but the thing is, you know, I mean, you
<v Speaker 4>know people you know, and and uh, I'm not perfect.
<v Speaker 4>I'm still learning.
<v Speaker 2>And so.
<v Speaker 4>Still learn.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I love to learn, you know.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's still were you always in a lot of
<v Speaker 1>place as a kid or I'm curious when did you.
<v Speaker 3>Get the bug so to speak?
<v Speaker 4>I I don't mean I did players in the school
<v Speaker 4>and all that stuff.
<v Speaker 3>Did you?
<v Speaker 4>Yeah? I did, you know, but I wasn't that good either, So.
<v Speaker 1>You've certainly gotten better then, huh.
<v Speaker 4>But you know, when your mind says you got to do,
<v Speaker 4>you've got to do. It's the passion, the term determination
<v Speaker 4>and all that one has to have that, you know.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I agree.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, if you don't you know, otherwise you know. Uh,
<v Speaker 4>you can say I want to be elector oh I
<v Speaker 4>want to do this. I want to do that, you know,
<v Speaker 4>but it's easier than said. But uh, but I'm glad,
<v Speaker 4>Yeah that I did what I'm what I'm doing.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, absolutely, Yeah.
<v Speaker 4>I want to do more more, Yes, I want.
<v Speaker 2>To yeah same here yeah today so that.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I want to puce movies and I don't want
<v Speaker 4>to direct because I don't know anything about it, you know,
<v Speaker 4>and loads of screenplays that I've developed through a friend
<v Speaker 4>of mine that they've written and let's see what happens.
<v Speaker 4>Another thing is I want to do animation. You know,
<v Speaker 4>we got let's see if that happens front of mine,
<v Speaker 4>Rod and animation, and it's in the works. Let's see
<v Speaker 4>what happens. You know. You see the studios, I've got
<v Speaker 4>a tendency not to touch that new product. And the
<v Speaker 4>reason being it I don't want to take any chances.
<v Speaker 4>That's why you keep seeing sequels, prequels and everything.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, yeah, that's what it is. Sure.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. We were just at the Saturn Awards the other
<v Speaker 2>day and James Cameron was talking about that same thing
<v Speaker 2>that you're mentioning. You know, these studios fear to you know,
<v Speaker 2>touch anything that's not an already an ip. You know
<v Speaker 2>that everybody knows already. You see every Star Wars spin
<v Speaker 2>off under the Sun, and you know, we've got Toy
<v Speaker 2>Story five coming out, and you know, like Fast and
<v Speaker 2>the Furious twenty. You know, there's they want to stick
<v Speaker 2>to those main But the point he was making was
<v Speaker 2>that people also just need to, like you're saying, also
<v Speaker 2>just need to go out and make their own stuff.
<v Speaker 2>You know, the fans, the fans of movies, you know,
<v Speaker 2>the people who are passionate about it, they'll gravitate towards
<v Speaker 2>a good story. Yeah, but you have to in order
<v Speaker 2>to tell that good story, you have to be passionate
<v Speaker 2>about it, I think is what you're saying as well.
<v Speaker 4>Exactly that's what it is. You know, if the original,
<v Speaker 4>if you find the originality original stuff, unless the reason
<v Speaker 4>studios doesn't want to touch, these are always going to close.
<v Speaker 4>What's going to happen? Yeah, you know Tim always said
<v Speaker 4>to me, any mission is the way.
<v Speaker 2>To go interesting.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, well, so you can't go wrong with animation.
<v Speaker 2>I agree. Well, that's that's that's it for me.
<v Speaker 1>You know, they've done X amount of movie trailers and
<v Speaker 1>a lot of TV commercials, radio commercials, but mostly animation,
<v Speaker 1>you know, and and uh, I mean I knew I
<v Speaker 1>was going to do it many many many years ago.
<v Speaker 1>I was like five years old, and I said, Okay,
<v Speaker 1>I'm going to do that.
<v Speaker 4>You know, he's the only directors that's done animation and features.
<v Speaker 2>Interesting, I never thought about that.
<v Speaker 4>He's the only director that's on animation and features.
<v Speaker 2>And who Timber Timber.
<v Speaker 4>Animation and and features. You know he's done. I mean,
<v Speaker 4>I remember, he's doing a feature and an animation together.
<v Speaker 4>He's done three times. I said to him, man, what
<v Speaker 4>are you trying to do? And he said, now listen
<v Speaker 4>to you. I'm not going to do no more. I
<v Speaker 4>want to do one one.
<v Speaker 1>You know.
<v Speaker 4>I said, it's gonna do you know, animation. You don't
<v Speaker 4>do animation and feature together. And that's what he's done
<v Speaker 4>three times.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.
<v Speaker 4>So that's the only director that's animation and features.
<v Speaker 2>I never even realized that. Well, Spielberg, Steven Spielberg does Spielberg,
<v Speaker 2>he's animation.
<v Speaker 1>Well, he did a movie Balto, Balto, did he But yeah,
<v Speaker 1>to prove me wrong.
<v Speaker 2>But yeah, but look at it.
<v Speaker 1>It has you have to go all the way to
<v Speaker 1>Steven Spielberg to find somebody else. It's not a crowded house,
<v Speaker 1>not at all. You know, it's a very small small
<v Speaker 1>club of people that can make that statement, that's for sure.
<v Speaker 2>What was it about animation that drew you in, Jim?
<v Speaker 2>I know we've talked about numerous times how you knew
<v Speaker 2>you were going to do it when you were five,
<v Speaker 2>But what specifically animation that called called your name?
<v Speaker 3>Boy?
<v Speaker 1>You know, I I just thought it was it was
<v Speaker 1>cool because you didn't have to look like the character
<v Speaker 1>of any any given care that you want to. You know, I,
<v Speaker 1>in fact, I played many many. One of my first
<v Speaker 1>jobs was Goliath, as in David and Goliath.
<v Speaker 3>So yeah, yeah, that's right.
<v Speaker 1>And I went out there and got myself killed in
<v Speaker 1>my first job, so I could say I killed it,
<v Speaker 1>but they killed me. So but yeah, and I I
<v Speaker 1>just knew I was there. I just never wanted to
<v Speaker 1>turn back.
<v Speaker 2>So is it a fair to say, like the freedom
<v Speaker 2>of imagination almost you'd be so many different characters. Oh yeah,
<v Speaker 2>from the freeing part about animation, Well that I think
<v Speaker 2>what called to you?
<v Speaker 1>I guess absolutely, because you know, you could will, you
<v Speaker 1>could be Goliath, or you could be David.
<v Speaker 2>Or you could be a.
<v Speaker 1>Paramesium, you could be a mouse, you know, I'm sure
<v Speaker 1>I've been a mouse a few times.
<v Speaker 2>Probably.
<v Speaker 1>I'm definitely a cat, Pete the cat and cat dog,
<v Speaker 1>and I've played all manner of critters. And you don't
<v Speaker 1>have to sit around and make up all day.
<v Speaker 3>That's not bad.
<v Speaker 4>Well, that's a talent around the make up all day.
<v Speaker 4>I love to do the voice. Yeah, different different voices,
<v Speaker 4>different creatures, different voices. That's a talent, isn't it.
<v Speaker 3>I think so?
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so far as long as everybody else thinks so.
<v Speaker 1>But yeah, absolutely like my friend Frank Welker as much.
<v Speaker 1>He does regular voices and everything too, but he's got
<v Speaker 1>a range of animal sounds that you can't even believe.
<v Speaker 1>And I mean, if it's the kind of thing that
<v Speaker 1>if you tell people, what are you gonna do when
<v Speaker 1>you grow up? Well, I think I'll be a lion,
<v Speaker 1>I'll do I'll sound like a giant man eating dog,
<v Speaker 1>probably a werewolf or two. Yeah, definitely a were wolf
<v Speaker 1>and oh tigers. I'm pretty good tiger and barking. And
<v Speaker 1>you think that that he was not. But he's also
<v Speaker 1>a very gifted, talented guy who is all of those things.
<v Speaker 1>So it's a it's a career path that's not very obvious.
<v Speaker 1>It's not like a doctor, lawyer, Indian chief fill in
<v Speaker 1>the blank, right, But if you're good at it and
<v Speaker 1>you can get somebody to pay you.
<v Speaker 2>Boom.
<v Speaker 4>But you do different voices, different actions.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, definitely. I do critters, r us, I'm.
<v Speaker 5>Winny the Pool and Tigger too, you know, because tiggers
<v Speaker 5>do a lot of bunting, and so yeah, I get
<v Speaker 5>a kick out of it, you know, and I get
<v Speaker 5>a kick out of it because other people get such
<v Speaker 5>a kick out of it.
<v Speaker 3>You know.
<v Speaker 2>When we do these conventions.
<v Speaker 1>I've said it before, you know, a lot of times
<v Speaker 1>a little one or or their mom will inevitably end
<v Speaker 1>up crying.
<v Speaker 2>Oh you know, I.
<v Speaker 3>Feel like you raised me Winnie the Pooh.
<v Speaker 1>And I.
<v Speaker 3>Didn't mess you.
<v Speaker 1>Up and it was the sweetest honey.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, you know so.
<v Speaker 1>But you know, you do one Winni of the Pooh,
<v Speaker 1>make somebody happy, and then you can go back to
<v Speaker 1>being a jerk for the rest of the day.
<v Speaker 2>You're clear.
<v Speaker 1>If you're a fan of everything we do here at
<v Speaker 1>tuned in with Jim Cummings, you could support the show
<v Speaker 1>on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early
<v Speaker 1>in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings,
<v Speaker 1>and more. You'll feel the difference, So go ahead and
<v Speaker 1>join the tuned in family today at patreon dot com
<v Speaker 1>slash Jim Cummings podcast Do it Now.
<v Speaker 2>And you've also said to you just going back to
<v Speaker 2>like the what drew you to animation to want to
<v Speaker 2>perform an animation? I know you've talked about you know,
<v Speaker 2>people ask you all the time what are your favorite
<v Speaker 2>you know, what are your favorite voices? Blah blah blah. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>and obviously you know the Winnie the Pooh's higger. But
<v Speaker 2>one thing stands out to me whenever you answer that
<v Speaker 2>question is the joy that you have in creating new
<v Speaker 2>characters such as dark Wings, such as hondo O Naka. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>and I think that goes back to you know what
<v Speaker 2>you just answered, what drew you to animation in the
<v Speaker 2>first place was you can be anything? And yeah, can
<v Speaker 2>you speak to the differences between, you know, taking on
<v Speaker 2>a voice as opposed to creating a voice?
<v Speaker 1>Oh sure, Yeah, Well, when you're assuming a voice that's
<v Speaker 1>already been out there, like like Winnie the Pooh or
<v Speaker 1>a tigger.
<v Speaker 2>You know.
<v Speaker 1>The trick is you got to sound like it, like
<v Speaker 1>that character right off the bat, Like even if they're
<v Speaker 1>just you drop something on their toe and they say ouch,
<v Speaker 1>it has to sound like Winnie the Pooh saying ouch
<v Speaker 1>or Tiger saying ouch.
<v Speaker 3>You know. So that's that's job one.
<v Speaker 1>And the difference between that and the other is that,
<v Speaker 1>you know, like say dark Wing or Honda O Naka,
<v Speaker 1>there is no sound. You haven't got anything to go on.
<v Speaker 1>But if you see the picture, that gives me and
<v Speaker 1>anybody I would think a certain inspiration.
<v Speaker 2>Does that feel more of it feels better?
<v Speaker 3>I like it?
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, because you're you. Although you're gonna end up
<v Speaker 1>embellishing the character, be it poor Tigger or task, you're
<v Speaker 1>gonna end up adding some of your own stuff in
<v Speaker 1>there because you know, gosh, I think the well Tasmanian
<v Speaker 1>deublocracy doesn't have a lot to say. He doesn't give
<v Speaker 1>big speeches. But there were only five Taz cartoons before
<v Speaker 1>we did Tasmania sixty five. There were only five, and
<v Speaker 1>you could have told me there were one hundred, and
<v Speaker 1>I would have believed you. But it's just one of
<v Speaker 1>those characters that gets out there and it sticks in
<v Speaker 1>your head and you think it's been around forever.
<v Speaker 2>But yeah, who was the original Tasmanian Mel Blank?
<v Speaker 3>It was Mel Blank?
<v Speaker 2>Jeez, that goes.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>The guy was he was like everywhere he was. He
<v Speaker 1>was the Beatles of cartoon character voices.
<v Speaker 2>Right. Wait, I never read because Mel Blank was the
<v Speaker 2>person who you always told the story about your dad.
<v Speaker 2>Right yeah, I never drew this connection before this. Give
<v Speaker 2>me the chills. Wait, so that year it took over
<v Speaker 2>for Tasmanian Devil after Mel Blank. What was the conversation
<v Speaker 2>with your dad? Like, Oh, did you say, hey, Tad?
<v Speaker 4>You know?
<v Speaker 1>He he uh, he died a long time ago, but
<v Speaker 1>I think I think he knew.
<v Speaker 2>That before you got that job.
<v Speaker 3>No, no, actually not.
<v Speaker 1>But it was Chuck McCann, who was a great venerable actor,
<v Speaker 1>character actor. He he had occasion to meet my dad
<v Speaker 1>once when I flew him out to California and we
<v Speaker 1>did a Chippendale's Rescue Rangers that's what it was.
<v Speaker 2>And he said, well, is Chuck McCann. Guy, he's pretty cool?
<v Speaker 1>I said, He's in everything. He was in gun Smoke,
<v Speaker 1>he was in and you know, and he's a character actor.
<v Speaker 2>You've seen him a hundred times.
<v Speaker 1>And it was like, my dad was finally impressed with me,
<v Speaker 1>you know, because because I got to hang out with
<v Speaker 1>Chuck McCann and Chuck was very, very kind. He goes that,
<v Speaker 1>kidd of yours is really good. He's really something, and
<v Speaker 1>he goes, yeah, well I always knew it would be,
<v Speaker 1>And you know, I was like, nah, I didn't, you know,
<v Speaker 1>you know, yeah, but what are you going to.
<v Speaker 2>Do for a living? No, I'm going to do that.
<v Speaker 3>Oh okay, you know.
<v Speaker 1>But it worked out and then I bought him a
<v Speaker 1>car and it was okay.
<v Speaker 2>Oh man, when your family first started seeing you on TV,
<v Speaker 2>what did that feel like?
<v Speaker 4>Well, unfortunately my dad never saw because he bossed away.
<v Speaker 4>On nineteen seventy five, three months later, I got my
<v Speaker 4>first television appearance New Avengers, and my mom said, oh,
<v Speaker 4>your dad had been so proud. I said, yeah, Mom,
<v Speaker 4>that'd say at least a black sheep did something.
<v Speaker 2>YEA be silly, Yeah, me too, And.
<v Speaker 4>Don't be silly, my mom said to me. And my
<v Speaker 4>dad used to ask me, you know, when I'm going
<v Speaker 4>to see you on TV? When I'm going to see
<v Speaker 4>you on TV? So so there you go, dad, there
<v Speaker 4>you go. Well, yes, oh yeah you know you did?
<v Speaker 4>Did you know? And uh, just because he passed away,
<v Speaker 4>but I'm sure he's watching.
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, yes he is so Oh God bless him.
<v Speaker 3>That's a wonderful thing.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.
<v Speaker 3>And did I ask you where?
<v Speaker 2>Where where were you born?
<v Speaker 4>I was born in uh Nairobi, Kenya in Africa.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.
<v Speaker 3>I can't believe it, but I've been there, yes, ken ye.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, so I was born in Kenya, parents from India
<v Speaker 4>and fifteen sixteen years old when I you know, well,
<v Speaker 4>my dad spent a lot of money on me to
<v Speaker 4>make me grow taller. I was like three feet eight.
<v Speaker 2>If you don't what what is the actual condition that
<v Speaker 2>you have? Like?
<v Speaker 4>What is I don't know by that? I got no idea.
<v Speaker 4>People been asking, you know. It's it's a it's called
<v Speaker 4>the the glands didn't grow but you know, to make
<v Speaker 4>me taller. I was three feet eight when I took
<v Speaker 4>the treatment, and I grew up to be four four.
<v Speaker 2>At that time, I.
<v Speaker 4>Was eight or nine years old, eight nine years old,
<v Speaker 4>I did like for eight years. I said to my dad, Dad,
<v Speaker 4>you've done so much for me, and I feel if
<v Speaker 4>I'm six five and I do, and and he give
<v Speaker 4>me how I did, and tears and it's off. You
<v Speaker 4>go to London for further education. Like I said, studying,
<v Speaker 4>rec I drifted into this business. So height for me
<v Speaker 4>is a material in my opinion. Yeah, what I lack
<v Speaker 4>a gain in other ways?
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, yeah, I'm not crazy about basketball anyway.
<v Speaker 4>Neither can I Neither do I. I mean, I could
<v Speaker 4>have been a good basketball player. But talking about basketball,
<v Speaker 4>I've written a commercial regarding gutter as well.
<v Speaker 2>I thought you were going to say jockey because I
<v Speaker 2>could see you.
<v Speaker 4>List. I mean, I said, people were asking me to
<v Speaker 4>do the jockey, but I said, no, I'm joking for
<v Speaker 4>the position. But it's yeah, so I know, because you
<v Speaker 4>need a bigger risk, you don't. You know, you've got
<v Speaker 4>to be very strong.
<v Speaker 2>I never thought of that.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah it is, you know what I mean? Look, you know,
<v Speaker 4>I mean the whole you know. I mean, first of all,
<v Speaker 4>I don't like horses.
<v Speaker 2>Oh you don't. You're not crazy about them?
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, you gotta love the horses if you don't, you know,
<v Speaker 4>they can smell, the horses can see you know what
<v Speaker 4>they you know, I don't you know what I mean?
<v Speaker 4>So that answers. Your question could have been joking, no
<v Speaker 4>not yeah, yeah, yeah, it's hard, it's tough.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, oh god.
<v Speaker 4>To sit on the horses. And then again, you know,
<v Speaker 4>in any business and stuff.
<v Speaker 2>I was just about to say this.
<v Speaker 4>It's it's it's up to one if you can make
<v Speaker 4>it happen for one, you know, for me, I'm man.
<v Speaker 4>I did for myself. I had to prove it to myself.
<v Speaker 4>I don't prove anything to anyone. Mm hmm, that's right,
<v Speaker 4>except you know.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think that goes back to like what we
<v Speaker 2>were talking about in the beginning about you know, kind
<v Speaker 2>of that letting go of that desperation, you know, to
<v Speaker 2>try and market and doing things for yourself rather than
<v Speaker 2>for anybody else. You know, obviously you want to be
<v Speaker 2>the best performer, you want to be the best whatever
<v Speaker 2>you know is your career path. But when you're trying
<v Speaker 2>to do it for somebody else, I think it's that
<v Speaker 2>that's what really kind of repels people, be it consciously
<v Speaker 2>or subconsciously.
<v Speaker 4>Oh yeah, you know you're talking about you know, you know,
<v Speaker 4>the human you's got got three minds subconscious wine, mine,
<v Speaker 4>subcuscious wine, and I got when I want to feel
<v Speaker 4>I've got feeling three months.
<v Speaker 1>But which one do you listen to the most?
<v Speaker 4>Got feelings? Yeah, I've got a got feelings. I think
<v Speaker 4>I listen to my subconscious mind, you know, you know
<v Speaker 4>mind place get a great game, you know they do. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>it's a it's a question of concentration, if you concentrate. No,
<v Speaker 4>I agree, Easier said than done. But then the gage,
<v Speaker 4>you know, I.
<v Speaker 3>Always say instincts are the best stinks.
<v Speaker 4>Of course it is, it is, you know. So yeah,
<v Speaker 4>I mean good luck to everyone, you know, if you're
<v Speaker 4>passionate enough, follow your passion, go for it. If I
<v Speaker 4>can do it, everyone can do it.
<v Speaker 2>M hmm yeah.
<v Speaker 3>Absolutely.
<v Speaker 2>What do you think draws you? You said that you
<v Speaker 2>want to start producing? What what draws you to production
<v Speaker 2>being a producer? What aspect about it? You said you
<v Speaker 2>don't want to know?
<v Speaker 4>Well, the reason I said that to you is because
<v Speaker 4>I've developed some screenplay and I want to act in
<v Speaker 4>as well. M you and and those are the idea?
<v Speaker 2>Is it? The creative control aspects?
<v Speaker 4>That there's not a creative control aspect. It's nothing to
<v Speaker 4>do control.
<v Speaker 2>I didn't make that negative.
<v Speaker 4>No, no, no, no, it's it's about something that I
<v Speaker 4>want to do my ideas something that would be good,
<v Speaker 4>in my opinion, for everyone. But then again, studios don't
<v Speaker 4>look at that.
<v Speaker 1>They don't.
<v Speaker 4>That's what it is all about, you know. But independent
<v Speaker 4>movies they make money as well, they do.
<v Speaker 2>I thought that was really inspiring. The what was it
<v Speaker 2>last year, last year or the year before, when Honora
<v Speaker 2>won the won the Oscar for Best Film Independent Movie.
<v Speaker 2>I've always said I thought that was a big sign
<v Speaker 2>from Hollywood saying, make your own stuff. We will reward it,
<v Speaker 2>you know.
<v Speaker 4>Especially exactly, you know, and it was independent, yes, it was,
<v Speaker 4>you know, so to the independent movie guys, do it.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, keep it up. Yeah, no, kidding, takes a lot
<v Speaker 2>of money, but hey.
<v Speaker 4>What it takes, you know, you know, uh, you know
<v Speaker 4>you've got to put the body, the budget together, the finances,
<v Speaker 4>you know, and the stuff. It's hard. It's hard. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>it was that easy. Everybody would be doing the movies.
<v Speaker 4>I'm sure they are.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Well, just like even just the other night, you know,
<v Speaker 2>at the Saturn Awards. It reminds me again it was
<v Speaker 2>you know, I think it was George Lucas. I think
<v Speaker 2>he was saying it was like, you know, if it
<v Speaker 2>was just like you said if it was if it
<v Speaker 2>wasn't hard, then everybody would do it. And the pressure
<v Speaker 2>and the difficulty and the struggle is what makes it
<v Speaker 2>so worth it. You know, if it was easy, it
<v Speaker 2>wouldn't be as rewarding. You know. And this is coming
<v Speaker 2>from the guy who made Star Wars. You know. It's
<v Speaker 2>like almost a part of American fabric culture, you know.
<v Speaker 2>God yeah, yeah, And so that's struggle. I mean, you
<v Speaker 2>hear the same sentiment from you know, I'm sure Tom
<v Speaker 2>Brady would say the same thing. You know, it's not
<v Speaker 2>easy to win super Bowls, but it's hard and rewarding.
<v Speaker 2>You know. It's the struggle of making it through all
<v Speaker 2>the blood, sweat and tears, you know, the financing that
<v Speaker 2>everything like that. That's what makes it the ultimate reward
<v Speaker 2>when you eventually succeed.
<v Speaker 4>It does, yes, yeah, of course it does.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, and that goes it's worth it,
<v Speaker 2>of course it is.
<v Speaker 4>You know. So if one puts a hard work into
<v Speaker 4>the project and it takes off, well that's true hard work. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>that's what it is. You know.
<v Speaker 2>So what do you think one of the speaking of difficulty,
<v Speaker 2>what do you think one of the most difficult parts
<v Speaker 2>of your career or life has.
<v Speaker 4>Been no, no, look, I struggled to start in this business.
<v Speaker 4>It's to sell the newspaper Encyclopedias, pump gassing to the
<v Speaker 4>cause and all that. It was all in London, but
<v Speaker 4>it was difficult to start with two years of that.
<v Speaker 2>How did you stay motivated?
<v Speaker 4>How did I stay motive? Worded? Because it's a passion
<v Speaker 4>determination that I want to do it.
<v Speaker 1>Did you ever think you were going to do something else,
<v Speaker 1>like be a lawyer or doctor or No.
<v Speaker 4>I couldn't. I couldn't do the lawyer business because the
<v Speaker 4>judge wouldn't be able to see me because I'm just
<v Speaker 4>so Uh. I always ordered to be in this business.
<v Speaker 4>You know, there's a you know, the passion, the determination,
<v Speaker 4>you know, and uh with a bit of luck as well,
<v Speaker 4>you know, you you know by meeting people, you know, and.
<v Speaker 2>So for you, the hardest part of your career was
<v Speaker 2>just kind of breaking into it.
<v Speaker 4>Yes, it was, it's it's it's the stuff, you know.
<v Speaker 4>It was yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Well plus when you tell the folks at home,
<v Speaker 1>like I said before, it's like they go, yeah, okay,
<v Speaker 1>well you want to do that, but what are you
<v Speaker 1>going to Okay?
<v Speaker 3>But how are you going to pay the rent? How
<v Speaker 3>are you going to eat?
<v Speaker 2>No?
<v Speaker 4>The thing is, you know the sported me through that
<v Speaker 4>like to turn to the family and all that. You know,
<v Speaker 4>my brothers and sisters lived with my brother. I mean,
<v Speaker 4>didn't pay the rent, didn't pay for the food. But
<v Speaker 4>at least I contributed little by little bit whatever I
<v Speaker 4>can do. That's what the reason. Gas and soyclopedias and
<v Speaker 4>all that. You know, you go and sell encyclopedia and
<v Speaker 4>then you slammed the door.
<v Speaker 3>Good you sold those two?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah?
<v Speaker 1>I did, Yes, I did that too.
<v Speaker 4>To do you go there?
<v Speaker 1>You go?
<v Speaker 4>Yeah? For to guy, what are you trying to sell inside?
<v Speaker 6>Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
<v Speaker 3>I got a lot of slam doors.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's a hard gig.
<v Speaker 4>It is. It is.
<v Speaker 3>You know, like I said, two weeks and that I
<v Speaker 3>couldn't do it. I was like, okay, no, it's stuff.
<v Speaker 4>Well listen, I did for a month. You did two weeks.
<v Speaker 4>I did for a month.
<v Speaker 1>No. Yeah, see that explains it.
<v Speaker 4>It is. It's it's just stuff out it is, you know.
<v Speaker 4>But you know, where there's a world, there's a way
<v Speaker 4>and one can do. You know. It's it's it's it's
<v Speaker 4>it's it's it's about what one wants you do.
<v Speaker 2>For me. For me, the entertainment industry always called to
<v Speaker 2>me because it was never the same you know pattern.
<v Speaker 2>I was never wired. I think creative people I'm generalizing
<v Speaker 2>right now, but a lot of the creative people I've
<v Speaker 2>met really like the next challenge, something different, things always
<v Speaker 2>changing slightly. You know, I could never do something where
<v Speaker 2>it's just repeating the same task daily, daily, day in,
<v Speaker 2>day out, getting the promotion. And I know a lot
<v Speaker 2>of people find solace and comfort in that. You know,
<v Speaker 2>like a lot of people like the nonien. Yeah, would
<v Speaker 2>you guys say that being in the entertainment industry, that's
<v Speaker 2>something that kind of appeals to you as the different
<v Speaker 2>creative challenges and the you know, I mean traveling. I
<v Speaker 2>mean you've traveled all over the world. You've traveled all
<v Speaker 2>over the world. To me, that's that's the excitement of
<v Speaker 2>like changing the job slightly, you know it maybe yeah,
<v Speaker 2>you know, it might be a recording session you know
<v Speaker 2>that you've done a million times, but maybe it's in
<v Speaker 2>New York, or maybe it's in London, or you know,
<v Speaker 2>maybe it's a convention. It's in the same Do you
<v Speaker 2>get what I'm saying, like it's in the same kind
<v Speaker 2>of style. You know what's coming. It's not unexpected, but
<v Speaker 2>it's a new, different challenge every every time.
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, Yeah, Well that's that's part of the fun of it,
<v Speaker 1>you know, rising to that occasion, you know, making that turn,
<v Speaker 1>making that adjustment, you know, layering this character or that character.
<v Speaker 1>And I just love it. You know, it's all the
<v Speaker 1>like it's the things.
<v Speaker 3>I mean. I can remember.
<v Speaker 1>Putting on kind of fake story plays with my younger
<v Speaker 1>brother and younger sister and we would get up on
<v Speaker 1>a bed and we'd have my dad's tyrack that looked
<v Speaker 1>like a when you took all the ties off, it
<v Speaker 1>looked like an old ship's pirate ship's wheel. So we'd
<v Speaker 1>sit on the bed and we were pirates, and you know,
<v Speaker 1>and it just, you know, your imagination runs wild. And
<v Speaker 1>I'm especially grateful to the lowerd and Disney that, you know,
<v Speaker 1>I get to make it living and have made a
<v Speaker 1>living for a definitely the majority of my life with
<v Speaker 1>my imagination and because it's only as limited.
<v Speaker 2>And that's what I like about voiceover.
<v Speaker 1>I think I said before one of the first jobs
<v Speaker 1>I ever did, I played Goliath. Well, I wouldn't have
<v Speaker 1>played that on screen, but I got to say I
<v Speaker 1>played Goliath, by the way.
<v Speaker 3>I came in second in that fight.
<v Speaker 1>By the way, I did not win that particular battle,
<v Speaker 1>but Darkwak Duck does, So that's not bad.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. It's a crazy business and I love it.
<v Speaker 1>If you're a fan of everything we do here at
<v Speaker 1>tuned In with Jim Cummings, you could support the show
<v Speaker 1>on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early
<v Speaker 1>in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings,
<v Speaker 1>and more. You'll feel the difference, so go ahead and
<v Speaker 1>join the tuned In family today at patreon dot com
<v Speaker 1>slash Jim Cummings Podcast.
<v Speaker 2>Do it now? Were you into Disney or cartoons growing up?
<v Speaker 4>I did? Yes, I watched the cartoons, of course I did.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, everybody, Now, okay, who are your top three characters?
<v Speaker 1>Obviously bos Yeah yeah, Mickey, let's I know that dude?
<v Speaker 1>Yeah yeah, a big Disney guy Disney.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.
<v Speaker 2>So you so you said you were born in Kenya?
<v Speaker 2>Did you grow up there? How long did you live
<v Speaker 2>there before you eventually.
<v Speaker 4>I was sixteen years old?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah? Oh wow, dang. So did you guys get the
<v Speaker 2>access to the same cartoons that we had. Surely there
<v Speaker 2>was some differences. No, same same yeah, yeah, yeah, wow.
<v Speaker 1>Well that's true that I don't think they, you know,
<v Speaker 1>uh Kenya and Nairobi, there's probably not a lot of
<v Speaker 1>local animation houses there like at all.
<v Speaker 2>And forgive my ignorance. So what what language do you speak?
<v Speaker 4>I speak my own language, which is Punjabi, but I
<v Speaker 4>speak the African language, which was Sohlly okay, and I
<v Speaker 4>think I've forgotten, but I remember a little bit, you.
<v Speaker 2>Know, but that's the language that English.
<v Speaker 4>English my language and so Hilly. You know, my dad
<v Speaker 4>was fluent in all three of them, you know, and
<v Speaker 4>so was I. But you know, I forgotten bit of Sohlly.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.
<v Speaker 4>I can remember Mojabili tATu one two three, Moja bili.
<v Speaker 2>Man.
<v Speaker 4>The rest are forgotten I used to, you know, yeah wow,
<v Speaker 4>or Habariako. How are you Missouri? Sana? Thank you?
<v Speaker 1>You know.
<v Speaker 2>So yeah, that's fascinating.
<v Speaker 4>That's about that. My soley goes that far, you.
<v Speaker 1>Know, so so it's very poetic.
<v Speaker 2>That's interesting to me that you forgot the language that
<v Speaker 2>you grew up speaking.
<v Speaker 4>I have. But the thing is, you know, it was
<v Speaker 4>the Sohelly the African language because while you were there
<v Speaker 4>you listen, you know, and soon you know. But I
<v Speaker 4>haven't forgotten my language. I have forgotten English at least
<v Speaker 4>I've got two.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. We were just talking about this the other day.
<v Speaker 2>Have you ever do you ever have dreams in a
<v Speaker 2>different language?
<v Speaker 4>No, I mean I have dreams, but you know, I
<v Speaker 4>don't kind of vaguely remember them. But everybody dreams, you know,
<v Speaker 4>everyone does.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I just remember when I was a teenager, I
<v Speaker 2>went to I lived and we lived. It was like
<v Speaker 2>a three week study program in Costa Rica, and I
<v Speaker 2>remember that was the first time I had a dream
<v Speaker 2>in Spanish and I was I remember waking up and
<v Speaker 2>I was like, oh, that's really weird. I remember this
<v Speaker 2>whole dream, but like everything was in Spanish, and I
<v Speaker 2>was so close to being fluent in Spanish. But like
<v Speaker 2>you said, you know, if you don't practice, it kind
<v Speaker 2>of just yeah. Yeah, like everything. Do you play any
<v Speaker 2>instruments or anything or you musical?
<v Speaker 4>No? I wish I could, but I haven't been you know.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I found the reason I asked that question is
<v Speaker 2>that there's been so many guests on this podcast, and
<v Speaker 2>so many you know, creative people just happened to I
<v Speaker 2>don't either, but Jim, of course was in a band,
<v Speaker 2>plays the drums, sings everything like that, and I feel
<v Speaker 2>like that informs so much of like the timing and
<v Speaker 2>acting and voice acting and cadence and controlling your instrument.
<v Speaker 2>It's good.
<v Speaker 1>Anything with the microphone is good for your You learn
<v Speaker 1>how to breathe and do things like that, things you
<v Speaker 1>don't even normally think of, but you know, you just
<v Speaker 1>kind of have to map your way through the script,
<v Speaker 1>breathe your way through it. Right, So far, so good,
<v Speaker 1>he said, So, do you have any anything that we
<v Speaker 1>should know about coming up? Anything bodacious near bodacious?
<v Speaker 4>Well, we'll see. You know, my manager has been all
<v Speaker 4>telling me there's going to be a big paramount movie
<v Speaker 4>that's going to be happily. Let's see if that happens,
<v Speaker 4>you know, since about to Warner Brothers. Who knows, but
<v Speaker 4>I'm sure it will happen.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I love your attitude. If it happens, it happens.
<v Speaker 4>Of course, you know, I mean, I'm sure it will.
<v Speaker 4>You know, it's been in the work since last year,
<v Speaker 4>and let's see.
<v Speaker 2>Would you consider yourself lucky?
<v Speaker 4>Uh?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, luck Yeah, I'll tell you do you want to
<v Speaker 2>hear my definition of luck? Sure, my definition of luck.
<v Speaker 2>I didn't come up with this, but it's something I've
<v Speaker 2>always held true. Is being lucky is being prepared for
<v Speaker 2>the moment. Luck doesn't strike people who are not prepared,
<v Speaker 2>in my opinion. You know, even if it's something as
<v Speaker 2>simple as winning the lottery, you bought that ticket, you
<v Speaker 2>were prepared for the moment. You know, nobody wins the
<v Speaker 2>lottery without getting their ticket. You don't get you don't
<v Speaker 2>get an audition without you know everything.
<v Speaker 4>No, but that's just you asked me, Am I lucky?
<v Speaker 4>I said to you, Yes, the reason that's unlucky because ah,
<v Speaker 4>I see another day to live.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's that's that's that's luck.
<v Speaker 4>And also, but the luck is, you know, even if
<v Speaker 4>you were luck, luck, luck doesn't you know, luck, Luck
<v Speaker 4>doesn't pay bills.
<v Speaker 2>No, you got that right, Yeah, if.
<v Speaker 4>You're exactly, so what has to work?
<v Speaker 2>Yes, you know what has exactly?
<v Speaker 5>You know?
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, so luck you can do different ways, you know,
<v Speaker 4>you asked me, Am I lucky? I said, yes, I am.
<v Speaker 4>I'm lucky because I'm healthy.
<v Speaker 3>Mm hmm, absolutely, yeah.
<v Speaker 4>I'm lucky as just to see another day to live. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>I'm lucky that I've got a family and the friends
<v Speaker 4>mm hmm that I associate with. So luck can be
<v Speaker 4>interpreted in so many ways, of course, Ye, yes, i am.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's a great philosophy. You're you're a very positive person.
<v Speaker 4>I think you full thing being positive. It's good for
<v Speaker 4>one's mind and body. Why, I think, narrative, When can
<v Speaker 4>you be positive?
<v Speaker 1>Well, I had a one of our Pretspeck at Ursulaine
<v Speaker 1>High School in Youngstown, said that, oh god, how did
<v Speaker 1>he put it? There's no such thing as luck, but
<v Speaker 1>you have to be prepared to you make your own luck,
<v Speaker 1>and a lot of it is just being prepared for
<v Speaker 1>the moment. And you know, you can carve your own
<v Speaker 1>luck out of the out of that rock or whatever.
<v Speaker 1>You know, different different strokes for different folks, right, Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>it depends on how you look at it.
<v Speaker 4>It is, you know. But yes, of course I am Chris,
<v Speaker 4>very lucky, very very very.
<v Speaker 2>Blessed, very much so.
<v Speaker 4>With a family, the friends and everyone.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Yeah, that's a great message because a lot of
<v Speaker 2>the times we can get so caught up in material things,
<v Speaker 2>you know, possessions and status and whatever it may be.
<v Speaker 2>It's really refreshing to hear, you know, the focus on
<v Speaker 2>just like you said, being lucky to have friends, family,
<v Speaker 2>blessed opportunities. I feel very lucky and blessed as well.
<v Speaker 2>Even this job, you know this, this podcast job has
<v Speaker 2>been a huge blessing for me to meet and talk
<v Speaker 2>to so many legendary people, to sit here called Jim
<v Speaker 2>my friend. You know, it's been a great journeying.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I agree. Well, thank you take that luck anytime.
<v Speaker 4>Thanks guys for having me.
<v Speaker 2>Wait, we need to hear tell us tell Us one,
<v Speaker 2>tell Us one insider edition Hollywood story. I know you
<v Speaker 2>have a good one. I know you have a good
<v Speaker 2>one that the fans will love. Give us some, give
<v Speaker 2>us some nitty gritty inside I'm sting you on the
<v Speaker 2>spot here. I know you have one.
<v Speaker 4>I'm inside. I don't rather not, you know, I know
<v Speaker 4>I'm not, you know, I.
<v Speaker 2>I just tell us something funny that happened on set,
<v Speaker 2>A good memory on set, something like that.
<v Speaker 4>Well, a lot of things that happens on the sets
<v Speaker 4>they do, you know, and bygones are bygones and the
<v Speaker 4>future is bright.
<v Speaker 6>So I tried. I tried for everybody out there. It's
<v Speaker 6>way too cheering. It's way too optimistic. Need we want
<v Speaker 6>some dirt?
<v Speaker 4>Let be past, be past. The future is bright. That's
<v Speaker 4>the reason I'm not wearing sunglasses.
<v Speaker 2>That's the reason I am the same. You got to
<v Speaker 2>wear the sun glass future, so bred I got to wear. Well.
<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much for being you really appreciate it.
<v Speaker 2>Is there anything you want to promote? Social media or
<v Speaker 2>anything like that up with you?
<v Speaker 4>I don't want to promote anything. The reason I don'tant
<v Speaker 4>to promote is because I've got nothing to promote.
<v Speaker 2>What about a bucket list? Do you have any bucket list?
<v Speaker 1>Things you want to get done before all is said
<v Speaker 1>and done, before anything you want to do?
<v Speaker 4>You know, like you know, my own projects. That's that's
<v Speaker 4>what it is, you know. And last but not least,
<v Speaker 4>I've already produced one movie, is the edything. Let's see
<v Speaker 4>how that, you know, So let's see.
<v Speaker 2>So we can look forward to seeing that.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, it's a small budget thing. The first one might
<v Speaker 4>trying to help my friend out.
<v Speaker 3>You know.
<v Speaker 4>She wrote it, she directed, and she produced it, and
<v Speaker 4>I'm part of it, you know, and let's see what happens.
<v Speaker 4>Let's see what Happens's that's that's the that's a that's
<v Speaker 4>a new beginning.
<v Speaker 2>Right on.
<v Speaker 3>Sounds good to me. What's the name of it?
<v Speaker 2>Can you say all string strength?
<v Speaker 4>String sdri I n strength?
<v Speaker 1>Oh string string, Oh yes, strength.
<v Speaker 4>It's like it's all female director and it's like a
<v Speaker 4>revenge female you know what they went through the life
<v Speaker 4>and they wanted to ever revenge.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well that's great, that's great to hear that as
<v Speaker 2>directed by a woman too. We were just, like I
<v Speaker 2>said once again, the Saturn Awards the other night. It
<v Speaker 2>was just really impactful for me. And James Cameron won
<v Speaker 2>an award for directing or something whatever. He wins everything,
<v Speaker 2>and he's he said something that I didn't realize before
<v Speaker 2>since at the time I forget her name. I'm sorry,
<v Speaker 2>I'm sorry. I just heard it for the first time
<v Speaker 2>the other day. But when the first woman won the
<v Speaker 2>Oscar for Best Director, at the time that she won,
<v Speaker 2>the seventeen percent of directors were female. Yeah, it's thirteen percent.
<v Speaker 2>So it's actually gone down. Wow, since the first woman
<v Speaker 2>won the Oscar for Best Director. So anybody that's listening,
<v Speaker 2>find more women to direct.
<v Speaker 4>Oh yeah, so you know what I'm meant trying to
<v Speaker 4>help her out, you know, friend.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's great to hear it.
<v Speaker 4>And then she was her idea, she wrote, she directed,
<v Speaker 4>she produced it, and ye know.
<v Speaker 2>Well right home, Well we'll look forward to that for sure.
<v Speaker 4>What happens. Thank you on that note, you know, be
<v Speaker 4>nice and it's got nothing to lose and the happiness
<v Speaker 4>to everybody.
<v Speaker 2>Amen, Deep Roy, deep boy, thank you so much for
<v Speaker 2>being here. Really enjoy conversation. Thank you, and thank you
<v Speaker 2>guys all for watching. Really appreciate it. Anybody listening out there,
<v Speaker 2>we really appreciate you. I need I need to settle
<v Speaker 2>a little qualm. So I'm seeing in the YouTube analytics
<v Speaker 2>that a good amount of you that watch not subscribed.
<v Speaker 1>Kidding me if wounded and let me get this arrow
<v Speaker 1>out of my neck.
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<v Speaker 2>Once again, I am producer Chris the Legend himself, mister
<v Speaker 2>Jim Cummings, thank you so much for being here. We
<v Speaker 2>will see you guys all in the next one.
<v Speaker 4>Thank you.