It’s not every day you get to talk blue magic, brotherly bonds, and responsible smurfing, but that’s exactly what went down when we sat with the cast Nick Offerman, John Goodman & Xolo Maridueña as well as director Chris Miller, talking voice acting surprises, podcast ideas, and more. Smurf responsibly and dive into our full conversation below.
Q: For our viewers, set us up for this new film?
Chris Miller:
We’re jumping in on an idea like “Ordinary Day,” and an incident throws it on its head, right? What kicks this adventure off? It’s an abduction. Some bad, bad operators, bad wizards have taken Papa Smurf. The evil alliance of wizards. And it’s up to the Smurfs now to leave the safe confines of their Smurf village and rescue him. Along the way, they realize that there’s a Smurf family secret, right?
That reveals something about them that’s much larger than their existence in Smurf Village. It explains why they went to Smurf Village, why Papa created that. And I’m a huge fan of backstories, origin stories, and stuff that I thought I might have known but didn’t. That’s what this movie’s about. It’s revealing the Smurfs’ place in the universe.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your characters’ relationship to each other. It feels like they’re total opposites, but of the same coin.
Nick Offerman:
Yeah, I mean, I think their brotherly relationship is solid, even though they ultimately have different philosophies in life. But it’s blood.
So when it comes down to it, they’ll go to the mat for each other, even if they would read different pamphlets.
John Goodman:
It’s the same blue DNA. They both are there to serve the community in different ways.
Q: You’ve come from a background of doing stunts and superhero work. Now you’re in the recording booth. What surprised you most about voice acting that maybe you weren’t prepared for?
Xolo Maridueña:
How physical it gets. Like, we’re still moving around.
Yeah, I have so much fun getting to see what movements and what ways—your body, your face, the whole thing, get you to make funny noises or get your voice to certain places.
That is something that I definitely didn’t expect. Just because of the nature of how simple some of the characters I’ve played before have been, I didn’t really get to tap into that, but this was really cool in that regard.
So you’re really exaggerating your face and body sometimes while recording?
Xolo Maridueña:
Yeah, sometimes we’re in a funny situation, and you find out that if you are, like, hunching over or doing something else, it gives you a better voice or something like that.
It feels very “build your own,” like a choose-your-own-adventure in that way.
Q: There are so many voice actors in this film, some legends, some new. Do you give the same advice to both? What’s your approach to directing in the booth?
Chris Miller:
It’s really no different. Like you said, some are legendary voice actors, some who have just done it and know how to tap into it with ease. But those who don’t have as much experience, it’s still the same approach. The environment is set. You find the character, find the voice. Animation allows you to do that in the booth. It’s not like being on a live-action set where it’s like, okay, we’ve got two takes. In animation, we can do dozens. You get what’s on the script page, but you also leave room for the actor (experienced or not) to make their own discoveries, ad-lib, and make it their own.
I love that part of the process. I think everybody came ready for that. That’s the most important thing to me, creating an environment like that.
Q: Mr. Goodman, you’re a voice acting legend. I grew up listening to and watching you. How do you know when you’ve found that voice, that “this is so ridiculous it might be genius” moment?
John Goodman:
It’s through trial and error, and very, very good luck.
You have to be open to it. Just relax. And if it comes, it comes—and we’re all the better for it.
Q: When you’re going into an animated film like this, do you just get the script initially? Are you given concept art? Or is it all on the page?
Xolo Maridueña:
That’s a good question.
It totally is case by case. Sometimes you’re blessed. Like, I’ve done stuff where I’ve gotten to dub for anime before, and in that case, they’ve got the animation, they’ve got the voices.
Your job is to interpret it in a new language. That’s one thing.
But on something like “The Smurfs,” we got to come in at the earliest stages, before the animation. I’m sure they already had some concept art, but definitely nothing like what we’re seeing today. So we were getting to build that and imagine alongside a script that was also kind of getting built along the way.
And then slowly but surely, of course, you get more animation, more cast members to kind of fill out the story and whatnot.
That’s how it went on this one.
Q: I was a little bit sad that I didn’t get a single from either of you, or any kind of musical moment. Especially you, Nick, with the saxophone. And Mr. Goodman, your amazing collaboration with Randy Newman. If there were to be a musical number, what genre would it be?
John Goodman:
Blues.
It’s befitting the décor.
That’s the right color of the day.
Q: Any updates on the animated Blue Beetle project?
Xolo Maridueña:
Heyyooo! The update is that I’m really excited to see where it goes.
With the Blue Beetle animated show, we’re holding tight.
I think all kinds of hands were on deck to help with the launch of the DCU.
Now that things are moving along, we’re able to head back to the kitchen and whip up some chilaquiles.
Q: If Papa Smurf and Ken were to start a podcast, what would the name be? And would there be any real-world guests since there are real-world moments in the movie?
Nick Offerman & John Goodman:
Smurf Brothers.
Smurfing Smurfing.
Smurfing Out Evil.
Smurfing with the Brothers.
Q: The word “smurf” can mean just about anything. It’s a lifestyle, a verb, a noun.
But with that much leeway… that’s dangerous. So, how does one smurf responsibly?
Chris Miller:
You gotta read the situation. Use it if it’s appropriate. Don’t overuse it.
Xolo Maridueña:
Make sure you’re always carrying a smurf on you. And if you’re not carrying your smurf, make sure you’ve got one nearby, somewhere in your house.
Nick Offerman:
Be brought up with the values your parents have smurfed into you. Look around, identify the work that needs doing, and apply yourself to that.
That’s how one can smurf most charismatically.
John Goodman:
Cheerfully and gleefully
“Smurfs” is in theaters this weekend. You can check out more interviews and reviews by going to See It or Skip It, or watch from our streaming app “News4Utah+”.
Note: See It or Skip It is proudly owned and produced by Patrick Beatty. ABC4 is a broadcast partner, but the show, its content, and opinions are independently created.
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