The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with
The Garfield Movie
lead, Chris Pratt, ahead of the movie’s theatrical release.
Pratt shares his initial apprehension when taking on the role of Garfield, why this movie was one of the most cohesive animation experiences he’s had, and what would surprise fans about the making of the movie.
Pratt also shares updates on future projects like
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf
,
Mercy
with Rebecca Ferguson, and shares his
Jurassic World
advice for the franchise’s new stars.

Since the late ’70s, Garfield has held a special place in pop culture. In The Garfield Movie, those beloved comic strips are brought to stunning animation by director Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove), who sought out actor Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) for the comedically dry, quippy tabby’s voice, telling the actor, “I want your voice.” For the actor who’s gone from the MCU’s Star-Lord to lending his voice to 2023’s wildly successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie, this gave Pratt slight pause when first approached.

The Garfield Movie is a new take on the lovable lasagna fiend that features familiar faces like Jon Arbuckle, voiced by Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), and Odie the dog (Harvey Guillén), and introduces us to new characters like Garfield’s dad, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). With Garfield’s father in the picture, he sets out on an all-new adventure that takes him from his luxurious domestication and into the alleys on a thrilling heist, with Odie tagging along. A stellar supporting cast rounds out the movie with Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction), Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso), and Snoop Dogg (Training Day).

Ahead of the movie’s theatrical release, Collider’s Steve Weintraub sat down with Pratt to discuss his domination of the animation world, from The Lego Movie to Disney’s Onward, and more. Pratt touches on the discord that surfaced after the first time we heard Mario’s voice, recalling, “I was doing a slight affectation on my voice as Mario, even though people were like, ‘You just did your own voice.'” The experience prior to that movie’s release had Pratt wondering if he was the right guy for this role, but Dindal doubled down, assuring him, “I have been doing this movie for a couple of years now, and I just want your voice to come out of his mouth, because every time I picture him, it’s your voice that I’ve always pictured.” Now bolstered by the confidence and having had a “cohesive” workflow on this one, Pratt jokes, “If there are any childhood characters you loved, I’m coming for them.”

Check out the full interview in the video above or the transcript below for what advice he’d give to Scarlett Johansson should she take on the next Jurassic World films, the status of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, and what he’s most excited about for his new movie Mercy with Rebecca Ferguson (Dune: Part Two).

The Garfield Movie After Garfield’s unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, ragged alley cat Vic, he and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered lives to join Vic on a risky heist.Release Date May 24, 2024 Director Mark Dindal Writers jim davis , Paul A. Kaplan , David Reynolds

Chris Pratt Shares Some ‘Jurassic World’ Advice With Scarlett Johansson
Image via Universal Pictures 

COLLIDER: You are obviously very familiar with the making of the Jurassic Park movies, Jurassic World. Scarlett Johansson has just signed on to lead the new franchise.

CHRIS PRATT: Did she sign on to do it?

I think it’s “talks,” but I think she’s doing it.

PRATT: Okay, good.

So my question is, what advice would you give her in terms of fighting dinosaurs and being in one of these kinds of movies?

PRATT: Man, just enjoy it… She already knows that. What advice could I give her? She’s like, what, the highest-grossing movie star of all time, I think? Her or Sam Jackson. Something like that. She’s a pro. I couldn’t give her any advice. But if she forced me to give her some advice, I would say, understand that it’s pretty embarrassing to act opposite things that aren’t there, and have fun, enjoy it and let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be first in line to see the movie.

So everyone knows you like to go full method with your movies. How much pasta and lasagna and pizza did you eat getting ready to voice Garfield?

PRATT: So much. It was painful, but worth it. You sacrifice for your art. [Laughs]

[Laughs] Of course.

Image via Columbia Pictures

One of the things I’m very curious about is, when did you decide to actually take over voice acting? All of it?

PRATT: [Laughs] When did I say, “I want to do it all?” Oh, man, that’s very funny. I’m grateful, man. I’m blessed. I feel thrilled to be a part of any of this stuff, let alone all of it. And yeah, this is just the beginning. If there are any childhood characters you loved, I’m coming for them. I’m coming for them.

Chris Pratt Addresses the Voice of Garfield: “I Want Your Voice”

I am curious, though, how is it similar and how is it different when you’re voicing a Mario versus a Garfield, and what do you think would surprise people to learn about the process?

PRATT: Well, the difference between Mario and Garfield was, Mark Dindal, who’s the director of Garfield, approached me — and it’s funny because I was doing Mario at the time, and I was doing a slight affectation on my voice as Mario, even though people were like, “You just did your own voice.” I’m like, “Eh, no really, it’s slightly different.” — but then Mark was like, “I want your voice.” I was like, “Are you sure I can’t do something slightly different?” And he’s like, “I have been doing this movie for a couple of years now, and I just want your voice to come out of his mouth, because every time I picture him, it’s your voice that I’ve always pictured.” I was like the first guy he came to, and I said, “Alright, that’s great. I’ll do that then.” So, I think that’s the big difference.

What might surprise people is that it takes a really long time, and that you have huge periods of time between each of the sessions. Each of the sessions are only between three to four hours long, but you might do 20 of them over the course of, like, two years. So, it’s a slow evolution. And here’s the biggest thing, and what I love about doing animation: you don’t know what you’re sitting down to see when you watch the final cut. You may watch a couple of edits, you may see some storyboard stuff, you may see some rough assemblies, but it’s not anything like what it’s gonna look like. Unlike a film when you’re on set, you understand what the set looks like, what the costumes look like, the people’s makeup, you’re there, you’re watching the movie, you’re like, “I had a vision of what this would look like.” So, in that regard, when you watch a movie that’s a live-action movie, you’re never really an audience member; you’re always on the other side of it. You’re giving it to the audience, but you’re there, you remember the days that you shot each of these pieces. With this, it takes about two seconds before you just get swept up and you become a member of the audience because so much of it is a surprise.

Well, also, a lot of things with animated movies change throughout the production.

PRATT: That’s right.

That’s my next question. Did you go through a lot of iterations of this or was it pretty much what you thought from the beginning?

PRATT: In my experience, which would be with [The Lego Movie], we started filming before we had the second and third act written, and with [The Super Mario Bros. Movie], they were still working out the second and third act. When we started with this one, they had a pretty strong understanding of exactly what this movie is gonna be. This was the most cohesive vision for an animated film that I’d ever been a part of. So in that regard, it made it a little bit easier because I knew what was coming, I knew what to expect. We just went in, got what they needed relatively quickly, and then when I was coming back, I was just doing little touch-ups, small pieces of writing that were like rewrites, but for the most part, it was completely, exactly what they imagined.

Chris Pratt Finished Filming for ‘The Terminal List: Dark Wolf’
“My baby is out of the nest and flying on her own.”
Image via Prime Video

The Terminal List is a huge hit for Prime Video. You guys are working on the prequel series right now.

PRATT: Yes, we are.

I know it’s more Taylor [Kitsch’s] character.

PRATT: It is, yeah.

Are you a cameo in this thing or are you in all six or eight episodes?

PRATT: I’m not in all six or eight episodes. I’m certainly in the first couple. But ultimately, it becomes Taylor’s story, Ben Edwards’ story of how he gets persona non grata out of the Navy Seals and brought into the ground branch of the CIA. Once that happens, it’s his story. So, we’re currently filming in Budapest today, right now. We’ve already shot the pilot, which I’ve already done my work on, so now my baby is out of the nest and flying on her own.

Chris Pratt Says ‘Mercy’ Is “Absolutely Original” and “Wildly Fresh”
Pratt co-stars with ‘Dune’s Rebecca Ferguson in the upcoming sci-fi.

I’m looking forward to Mercy, and I’m curious, what was it about that project that made you say, “I want to do this,” besides Rebecca Ferguson, who is amazing.

PRATT: [Laughs] She is amazing. She’s incredible. Timur Bekmambetov. I worked with him on Wanted. He has an incredible vision. Working with Chuck Roven, who’s an Oscar-winning producer. And the script was one of these scripts that, the minute I picked it up, I didn’t put it down until I was completely done with. It’s wildly fresh. It’s so inventive. It’s absolutely original, which I have to say is more and more rare these days. The story is incredible. It shoots in Los Angeles, which is a big deal for me because I’m a father and I wanna be home in time to tuck my kids into bed, so that was a big part of it too.

The Garfield Movie is in theaters May 24. See below for showtimes.

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