Video:Dwayne Johnson Interview - Planet 51

Transcript:Dwayne Johnson Interview - Planet 51

Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the LA Premiere of Columbia Pictures' Planet 51.

Dwayne Johnson – The Voice of 'Chuck' in Planet 51

You've done a batch of family-friendly films. What's the appeal of doing those now at this point in your career?

Dwayne Johnson: "Well, you know, for me it was never a methodical choice. 'Oh, I want to do three or four family movies in a row.' The material just happened to come in. I really enjoyed the material, which now I'll go back to action. But I think there's always something special and unique about making a family movie, especially if it's good and entertaining and has a pretty good message."

You're such an action guy, how tough is it to confine yourself in a booth and just do a voice?

Dwayne Johnson: "It was interesting. The interesting part about this entire process was the fact that you had to realize right away just how much your voice lends so much power to the character, in terms of bringing it to life. So you have to find different tones and intonations and pitches in your voice, and kind of talk way up here and down to there. This is the only interview I'll be doing that voice by the way. But you realize that very quickly so part of that process was pretty fascinating and fun. And in terms of being subject just to a booth, you know it was one of those things where you prepare yourself. 'I'm going to pack my lunch today. We're going to be in the studio for 10 to 12 hours, and let's go and have fun.'"

So this is a character you could really get into, somebody that you were close to and could relate to?

Dwayne Johnson: "I could totally relate to this guy. Blonde hair, blue eyes, white, incredibly arrogant, damned good-looking, successful."

Sounds just like you.

Dwayne Johnson: "Yeah, I had a lot of fun."

Did you really?

Dwayne Johnson: "I did. Had a lot of fun. A lot of my buddies have done big animated movies and I could see what the appeal is and I really enjoyed it. But I'll also say there's nothing like going onto a set and making a live-action movie and kicking some ass. There's nothing like that. I love saying ass in the morning – 10:30 in the morning."

Do you believe? Are there aliens out there?

Dwayne Johnson: "Yeah, sure, absolutely. My ex-girlfriend was one for years. Yeah, I'm a believer. Sure. I believe in a lot of possibilities out there."

What's the message of this movie?

Dwayne Johnson: "I think the message would be not to fear the unknown and how important it is and to embrace it."

Co-Directors Jorge Blanco, Marcos Martinez and Javier Abad

What was the appeal of doing a movie about an alien planet?

Javier Abad: "It was a very original idea and really thought… Give me a hand, guys."

Jorge Blanco: "It was really great because it was a new concept in animation movie, no? It was the first time…"

Javier Abad: "…the humans were the invaders. It was a reverse alien invasion story. We think that's pretty unique and that people are going to be really interested in what happens in the movie. The characters are great. The actors, the talent was amazing. I mean, Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, Jessica Biel, they gave a lot of energy to the characters. Really a great love working with them."

Did you change any of these characters when you got Dwayne Johnson or Justin Long to sign on?

Javier Abad: "Well, a bit. A bit, maybe. The character of Lem and the character of Chuck, we changed them a little bit according to the actor doing the role. But they're great actors. I mean they can do whatever they want."

Planet 51 Writer Joe Stillman

They came to you with this idea and you jumped on it?

Joe Stillman: "Oh, I jumped on it, I wrestled it to the ground. I took it away to my cabin in the woods. We lived together for three years. I'm not sure what I mean by that, but yeah. The guys in Spain have been developing this amazing, beautiful world and this really great concept of an astronaut from NASA who lands on an alien planet so I just kind of ran from there."

So they gave you the basic premise and you just ran from there?

Joe Stillman: "Pretty much. They had actually been trying to do actually a different set of characters and a different story. But then they made this beautiful two minute trailer that showed something you'll see in the movie where on an alien planet a barbeque is taking place and in the middle of this barbeque comes an astronaut. And that kind of sparked the whole movie, really."

And do you believe?

Joe Stillman: "Do I believe in Santa Claus? Oh, aliens! I do believe in aliens. They come by once a year and they give me presents."

No probes, just presents?

Joe Stillman: "I thought that was the present."

More on Planet 51:

Planet 51 Photos

Planet 51 Interviews, Poster and Trailer