Video:Hop Interviews - Russell Brand and Christopher Lennertz

Transcript:Hop Interviews - Russell Brand and Christopher Lennertz

Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the World Premiere of Universal Pictures' Hop.

Russell Brand - 'The Voice of the Easter Bunny' in Hop

Did you feel any extra weight playing the Easter Bunny? That's a very important role.

Russell Brand: "That's a great deal of pressure for me. I now know how Colin Firth felt playing George the V. It's a great deal of duty, a lot of heritage, and a huge obligation to get it right."

Why did you feel like you were the perfect fit or he was a perfect fit for you?

Russell Brand: "I think because he's a cheeky little bunny and I've described as such even before the casting."

How tough was it to keep it PG?

Russell Brand: "That's not up to me. I just say anything I like. I think if I said anything unusual, they just cut it out."

Hop Composer Christopher Lennertz

You've worked with director Tim Hill before, so what was it like doing it the second time around?

Christopher Lennertz: "It was great the first time, it was amazing the second time. Tim and I developed sort of a shorthand, and so when he came to me and showed me the movie, first of all - I loved it. But second of all, he said, 'I want you to have fun with this one. I want you to really stretch and every idea you have, try it. Don't be afraid to try it.'

"We came up with all kinds of uses of drums because E.B. is a drummer, and all this kind of thing. So it was really a great trusting relationship with Tim that was awesome."

So he never pulled you back? You just got to go for it?

Christopher Lennertz: "Well, he'll say if he doesn't like something or he does, but he trusts me that at the end of the day I'll make him happy. It really came out that way."

Did you work on this one while it was still in progress?

Christopher Lennertz: "I got hired before they even started shooting because of Tim, and then I was writing music as they went along because there are a lot of scenes in here where E.B. is actually playing bongo drums and things like that. I would write pieces that they would then animate the bunny to, and then I would fill it out with orchestra later."

Is it kind of weird to be creating music for an animated bunny to play?

Christopher Lennertz: "It was crazy, but you know what? We knew it was going to be Russell the whole time and that changed everything because we tried to give him an attitude that would match his dialogue, and I think it worked. I think we have him as sort of the awesome, wise guy bunny. It's pretty great."

You just did something that's a fundraiser for Haiti. Can you talk about that?

Christopher Lennertz: "I did something called the Symphony of Hope which I created. I've been working with Haiti for about four or five years, and when the earthquake hit we decided that all the composers in Hollywood wanted to get together and do a composer 'We Are The World.' We got 25 composers, everybody from Oscar winners to Grammy winners, Tony winners, and we recorded yesterday at the Eastwood Stage at Warner Bros a 90 piece orchestra, 60 voices. It'll be out this summer and it'll raise money for Haiti."

We'll be able to get it on iTunes?

Christopher Lennertz: "iTunes, Amazons, stores, plus there will be a DVD of the making of. I came to tears at the end of it yesterday."

What is it about Haiti? You said it's been four or five years you've been involved in this.

Christopher Lennertz: "I have a family friend of mine who actually runs a charity in Port-au-Prince and lives in a tin house. He was actually buried in rubble but came out alive after the earthquake. He was actually my priest as a young child and he married my wife and I. He built schools and drills wells, and helps people down there. We just had to do it. Everyone gave really amazingly of themselves. It was amazing."

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