For the release of “Kung Fu Panda 4” in the cinema, Manu Payet talks about the dubbing of the protagonist, Po, in all the films in the franchise. Interview.
The Dragon Warrior returns to cinemas. Young and old can discover in theaters Kung Fu Panda 4, new part of the Dreamworks animated film saga, this Wednesday March 27, 2024. In this new episode, the panda Po embraces his life as a kung fu master. But destiny has decided otherwise, since the warrior is named spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, and must therefore find his worthy successor. But the transmission and the change are absolutely not to his taste…
Before the film’s release in theaters, we met Manu Payetwho doubles the hero of Kung Fu Panda since 2008. If the actor was afraid of “making too many films”, he sees his work as a source of pride and does not hesitate to share the dubbing secrets of this new part. Find our interview with the French actor below.
“Kung Fu Panda 4: Interview Manu PAYET”
You double Po in Kung Fu Panda for the fourth time, what do you like about the idea of reprising this character?
Manu Payet : Everything pleases me. Especially going to work to tell the story in French for the children of France is a source of great pride. I take it as a mission, to make the best French version possible. I want it to do for children what the best French versions did for me in my childhood.
And how do we make the best French version possible?
By being as sincere as possible. Even being a little naive. By being Po! And my pride, almost my loyalty, my loyalty to this character and his adventures, was rewarded because the film is great, it’s great, I was a little afraid deep down that four, it was one of too much. And finally… f***** too hard guys!
This film is about change, the fear of change and accepting change. Is this something that speaks to you?
Of course ! Every time I double a Kung Fu Panda there is a message inside that is just for me. Sometimes I feel like they’re expecting me to need to hear it in order to make the film. It’s awesome ! My daughter is little and it’s about transmission, about letting go, “it doesn’t matter, just leave it”. And that is a treasure. Once you start to feel this in a way that you can understand a little bit and understand what it is and the good that it can do and to let go and be more forgiving with yourself, you say to yourself: “how I did without it until then.”
We learn from animated films even as adults…
Absolutely, absolutely. Afterwards, there are some who not only need to see them, but who need to do them so that it fits (laughs).
How is the French dubbing going? Are you basing yourselves on the work of Jack Black (which doubles Po in VO) or are there differences?
There’s a difference in the acting in how you make the delirium really French. Even in the nonsense there will be perhaps more irony or cynicism among us… Sometimes we stopped the film because we realized that it wasn’t clear, but we have the same time for it. say. You are directed by someone whose job it is to do dubbing, Barbara Tissier here, who tells you: “be careful, keep your voice down, be careful, we misunderstood, take your time…” You have to let it be subtle. We still managed, on the others anyway, to bring all that. We don’t think, I think, that it must be pretty good in the original version. We got a prize for dubbing the first one. We managed to keep all the humor, all the jokes, the progression of the characters, in the French way. And it doesn’t look cheap.
In parallel with the release of Kung Fu Panda 4, you are on tour for your one-man show “Emmanuel 2” in which you tell the story of your life as a “boomer dad”: is dubbing a panda who does kung fu your way of staying calm? ?
(Laughs) Of course! This is what I often say, in our profession it is important to keep our childhood part. To play, you have to keep a part of your childhood. This is our job! If you don’t believe in it at all, if you lose your childish soul, because it’s children who believe that Po really exists, up to a certain age of course. If you, an actor, don’t believe in it at all, how are you going to get a story across to someone? So just to believe, you have to remain a child.