“People look at me and think of a golden retriever”

The voracious cult tomcat starts today May 9, 2024 in his first fully animated cinema adventure: Garfield – An extra portion of adventure confronts the lazy cat and Monday hater with his father – who drags him into a large-scale milk robbery. In the English original, Garfield is voiced by Hollywood star Chris Pratt, who answered Moviepilot’s questions about his love for cats.

Marvel star Chris Pratt talks Garfield, vocal acrobatics and Jurassic World 4 in an interview

Actor Chris Pratt achieved worldwide fame as raptor trainer Owen Grady in the Jurassic World films and Starlord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The star has voice roles in The Lego Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but still has a special bond with the orange cat named Garfield.

Chris Pratt spoke to Moviepilot about his similarities with Garfield, screams in the dubbing business and which pet he is compared to. The star also reveals which film franchise had no interest in him and demonstrates his good knowledge of German in the interview as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son-in-law.

Moviepilot: You were born shortly after the first Garfield comic came out. Do you remember your first encounter with the character?

Chris Pratt: [überraschend auf Deutsch] Naturally! I was five years old! [lacht, wechselt ins Englische] I was born in 1979, but Garfield came out in ’78. I remember my cousin wearing a Garfield t-shirt before I could even read. I also saw the comic strips in the newspaper that opened to inform me about upcoming films.

Do you have anything in common with the character Garfield?

I don’t hate lasagna, but I’m also not as obsessed with it as Garfield. I love pizza too! There have been moments in my life where I have felt lazy, greedy, aloof and spoiled. Especially now as an actor! If you shook my hand, it would feel like a guy who hasn’t worked a day in his life. As much as it embarrasses me, Garfield and I have this in common. [lacht]

How do you prepare to voice a cat? Have you given your voice a certain timbre?

Director [Mark Dindal] I specifically wanted to hear my voice in the film. He said she had a specific lazy, sarcastic tone and saw a similarity to my character in Garfield [Andy Dwyer] in the series Parks and Recreation.

Unlike my other animated characters like [verstellt seine Stimme kurz höher] “Emmet from The Lego Movie” or Super Mario with his Italian touch, this time I was able to hone in on the similarities instead of differences. This took the pressure off and I didn’t have to recreate something that someone had created before me. So I did something only I could do: speak with my voice. [lacht]

But in the first half of the film, where Garfield is spoiled, lazy and aloof, I have this particular one I put the tone in my speech that a person has just before they yawn. Something happens to your voice.

Listen to Chris Pratt’s Garfield voice in the English trailer:

In one scene, Garfield is thrown from one tree to the next and reacts with a variety of screams: How do you take something like that in the dubbing studio on – with specific instructions or improvised?

I let out a gigantic onslaught of screams, loosely based on a rough animation that wasn’t the final cut of the film. So I roared and made loud impact noises like ‘Aaaah’, ‘Ushh’ and ‘Huaaa’. You usually save such recordings until the end of the studio session so that you don’t ruin your voice beforehand. Then they pulled out what was most useful for the animation.

Although sounds are fun, I prefer dialogue. Because there is a certain spirit of discovery in it. You can only deliver so many screams and serves, but When I speak, I constantly try to surpass what is written. For example, with colloquial alternatives or with something that is even funnier, quicker or more imaginative. So I first do five passes with the text that is there and then start playing with it. Director Mark Dindal gave me a lot of freedom to experiment, and a lot of that made it into the film.

As an animated film voice actor, how much time does it take to record a main character like Garfield?

I was in the studio for a total of 15 to 20 days – but spread over a year and a half to two years. With Garfield, they already had a good idea of ​​where they wanted to go. So after the first few sessions I only had to come back a few times for subsequent scenes and improvements. But I’ve also had animated film cases where the first act was finished, they were still working on the second part and the third act had to be developed while production was already starting. This was much more efficient here.

After Garfield, the Lego movies, Pixar’s Onward and Super Mario, are there any other animated characters you’d like to voice?

I’ve always loved He-Man. As a child, I often watched his animated series Masters of the Universe. And I thought GI Joe was great. They could both be made into great animated films. Or live action! But GI Joe There is already a live-action film. I remember, for that auditioned and not even receiving a call back. But maybe they’ll do another one and I’ll get a chance to play Destro or Snake Eyes.

Now after Garfield, let’s get to the hard truths: Are you more of a cat or dog person in real life?

I think people look at me and think of a golden retriever. But if it came to owning a pet, I would prefer a cat. They don’t need as much care and are more independent. They cuddle when she want it. You have to fight hard to get her affection – and I like that challenge. Dogs are simple: give them something to eat and they love you.

Speaking of animals, another Jurassic World film with an entirely new cast was recently announced. Is there still a chance we’ll see you again as Raptors coach Owen Grady?

You never know! I love Jurassic Park and have been a fan of this franchise my entire life. It was one of my greatest professional honors to be a part of it. And I’m still close friends with a lot of people from production and at Universal. So listen: we’ll see what happens. Everything is possible!