The Hangover star Zach Galifianakis has spoken about his role as Humpty Alexander Dumpty in the new Shrek spin-off, Puss in Boots.
In an interview with Collider, he said: “When I got the job, I asked questions like, ‘Do you want me to change my voice? Is there a certain accent you want me to do?’ And, they were like, ‘No, just talk.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I sound like an egg, in real life. I didn’t realize!’
“You amp it up a little bit, for storytelling purposes. But, (director) Chris Miller really is the one that developed the character. Since you really don’t see what else is going on, you have to trust that the director knows exactly what he needs.
“To be honest with you, sometimes directors don’t know, but he did, and thank goodness. My confidence, at first, was not that great, just like with anything that I do, but he made me feel at home and comfortable.
"After the first couple of sessions, you really get into a nice little warm pattern. He came up with it. I just brought my voice. You improv, here and there, but I don’t know how many they used in the movie ‘cause it’s a kids’ movie and I probably just went off the rails a little bit.”
Speaking about seeing his character on screen, he said: “It doesn’t feel like me too much. But, I may have been getting lost in the animation because I was so impressed with the facial movements and the physicality.
“The real hard workers of these kinds of movies are the animators – the people who somehow translate, through their mind and through their hand, what you have done with your voice. That transference is what I’m amazed by.
“You can go record your voice and give it some inflection, here and there, but it’s the animators that are the real storytellers here. I’m just blown away by it. It’s a pretty movie.”
Galifianakis also spoke about his new film Dog Fight which co-stars Will Ferrell: “We start rehearsal after Halloween, and then we start shooting. We’re getting ready to start shooting that.
“It’s a political movie, set in the South, about two guys running for Congress – Will Ferrell and myself. It’s a movie about how the sausage of politics is made, and is a heightened reality of the real political world, which is, within itself, completely absurd.
“I’m really looking forward to it. Jay Roach is directing it, and Will is a really nice person. He’s a gentleman…We’re not playing our usual stuff, which is good. And, I will get to shave, thank god.”
