Andy Samberg and Kirk DeMicco Interviews - Space Chimps
'Saturday Night Live' star Andy Samberg provides the voice of a circus chimp who heads into space in the comedy 'Space Chimps.' On the yellow carpet at Fox Studios, Samberg joined first time feature film director Kirk DeMicco to talk about the movie.
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Transcript: Andy Samberg and Kirk DeMicco Interviews - Space Chimps
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the special Los Angeles screening of 20th Century Fox's Space Chimps.
Andy Samberg (The Voice of 'Ham III')
Andy Samberg: "It's really silly and fun, and it's a cool adventure. I think the story is interesting and a lot of cool, funny people did voices. I think it's perfect for kids."
But just doing a voice…why?
Andy Samberg: "I was just tired of acting. I didn't want to get up in the morning. I didn't want to get in make-up. I was like, 'Screw this. I'm making the transition into animated.'"
From now on?
Andy Samberg: "Yeah, exclusively."
Even for Saturday Night Live?
Andy Samberg: "All my SNL skits are going to be animated now. Well, you know, I did the hard stuff, the heavy lifting, and now it's time to just reap the benefits."
How hard is it to tap into your inner monkey?
Andy Samberg: "Not very hard. It's not very far away. But, you know, you've got to come with the moolah."
So that's what it'll take to be in Space Chimps #2? More moolah?
Andy Samberg: "Yeah. That's actually the subtitle of Space Chimps 2: More Moolah.
Did they actually have chimps on the set for you guys to at least get a look at?
Andy Samberg: "No. I had a lot of chimp centerfolds up, just for inspiration for myself. But that's kind of like…I take that everywhere."
That was yours personally before the movie?
Andy Samberg: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've had it on SNL, I've had it on Hot Rod, so it just sort of happened to be a movie about chimps also."
Writer/Director Kirk DeMicco
You came up with this story. How did this spring into your head?
Kirk DeMicco: "Actually I was just watching this movie, The Right Stuff, which I'm a huge fan of and when Chuck Yeager says, 'You know, a monkey doesn't know he's sitting on top of a rocket that might explode,' I said, 'Well, what if he did?' I brought it to John Williams, the producer, and I had the cover of a Life magazine article with Ham the 1st and we just came up with a comedy concept based around that - if his ne'er do well grandson had to go into space."
And so then you decided to direct it or had you all along been looking to direct?
Kirk DeMicco: "I was writing it for a while and then John and Barry Sonnenfeld, the producers, offered me the chance to direct it."
And that's something you'd been aiming to do anyway?
Kirk DeMicco: "In animation that's for sure because I spend, even in writing in animation you spend a lot of time in the editorial room, so it's a pretty similar quality to directing."
And getting this cast?
Kirk DeMicco: "It's fantastic because they all bring so much comedy and their own sensibilities. I think seeing Patrick [Warburton], Cheryl [Hines'], and Andy [Samberg's] together really makes for a great dynamic."
Did you let any of them work together or were they all separate?
Kirk DeMicco: "Those guys were all separate. The scientists in the movie we always recorded…Jane Lynch...and we always recorded them together because they all were in LA. But Andy was working on Saturday Night Live and Cheryl's on Curb so their schedules just don't permit us ever getting anybody together."
Do you have a live-action directorial one you are going to do?
Kirk DeMicco: "No, not at this time. No, I'm just sticking to animation. I love animation."
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