"I must confess: I didn't eat any bamboo," Jack Black quips to Metro Parent about preparation for his voiced-part as a martial arts-playing panda in his latest animated flick. In PG-rated Kung Fu Panda, out June 6, he plays Po, a big, bubbly klutz who - gasp! - is selected to fulfill an ancient prophecy and joins the world of kung fu, studying alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five.
"He's a big, full-grown panda," Black says of his character, "but he's still very childish. ... And while he's very positive and a happy panda he's also very insecure because he doesn't actually possess any of the kung-fu skills that he dreams of having."Still, Po's determined to prove himself to the Furious Five's leader, Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), by trying to take down the looming threat, snow leopard Tai Lung. Kids, Black believes, will relate: "(They) spend a lot of time daydreaming about what they're going to be when they grow up and have fantasies about being the best in the world at something.
"And, (they) also feel insecure because they don't have those skills yet and (they're) embarrassed to tell people ... what they want to do."
"And, (they) also feel insecure because they don't have those skills yet and (they're) embarrassed to tell people ... what they want to do."
To read the rest of my interview with Jack Black, visit www.metroparent.com
1 comment:
This movie sounds interesting. I haven't heard a whole lot about it, but then again I haven't watched much TV [what else is there outside of "Six Feet Under" on DVD?!]. LOL. Kidding.
Anyway, I can see Black's point about kids relating, however I doubt they'll look that deeply into it. To them, it's just going to be a movie about a panda who lives and breathes Kung Fu, but can't do it for the life of him.
At most - some kids will wind up wanting to do Kung Fu just like Po.
We'll see how it goes. ;)
All-in-all, Jack Black seems like a great guy, though. I've read other interviews he's taken part in and he always seems so down to earth! He's just an all around likeable guy. Cool that you got to interview him!
- Some Monkey
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