With The Pout-Pout Fish splashing down in theaters stateside this weekend, we recently got a chance to sit down with the film's leading man Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation; Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning) to talk about his experience voicing the pouty, but loveable blue fish.
Speaking with the always insightful Offerman, we get into the challenges of tackling a voice role versus a live-action part, how he carefully selects his parts and tries to make them different than what he's done before, and, of course, whether he was able to spot any similarities between Mr. Fish and the fan-favorite Ron Swanson!
The animated film, based on the New York Times Bestseller book of the same name, tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of an unlikely duo: Mr. Fish (Nick Offerman) a pouty introvert and Pip (Nina Oyama) an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish (NICK Sparks) to grant their wish to save their homes.
Ricard Cussó and Rio Harrington helmed the animated adaptation, with a voice cast featuring Nick Offerman, Nina Oyama, Miranda Otto, Remy Hii, with Jordin Sparks, and Amy Sedaris.
The Pout-Pout Fish is now playing in theaters!
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ROHAN: I’m a big fan of yours and I know you’re a pretty physical performer, what kind of challenges does it present when you’re voicing a character like this?
NICK: Well, the fun part of that is that I count on the talent of the illustrators and the animators, so I actually feel more free in the booth because I'm uninhibited by my body and by physics. So, like, I can voice things and express things, imagining myself, if I want to do three back flips, or if I want to, like, blow up the size of a moon, or anything, I can try and do these things only creating the effect with sound and with my voice. And then, just hope it's fun, because you sort of give cues to set up the animators to do something to like, trigger their creativity, and so, then it's really fun where you make all these noises, you know, if I'm trying to fit into a soup can to then see how they draw that based off the noises you've made. It's a wonderful form of collaboration.
ROHAN: It’s hard not to draw the parallels, since he is also notoriously pouty, but when you got this role and were reading the script, were you able to see any of Ron Swanson or some of your other characters in Mr. Fish?
NICK: You know, it's interesting. I pick my roles based on the writing that moves me, that inspires me. So, if I get offered something, even if it has big names attached to it, or if it's, you know, some character that I know, I still have to read the script. That's the only thing that's going to make me say yes, is that I think the writing is really good. And, when that's the case, there's never been a time with any role that I think of another previous role. The only exception is like, if Mr. Pout Pout Fish was suddenly running a grill, and like doing some barbecue, it's the only time is when characters are cooking meat on a grill. Then I say, okay, let's make sure that there are no nods to Ron Swanson with this specific action, which is funny. There was one sci-fi show that I did with Alex Garland where when we meet my character, he's eating like a Danish or something. And I said, can I just eat a bunch of arugula out of a container, so that there's no question that this is anything like my previous carnivores. So, I'll make little details like that, just so that people aren't like, oh, he's eating a sausage, just like Ron Swanson. But other than that, usually the writing protects me from having to worry about it.
ROHAN: As the story progresses, and we see Mr. Fish start to come out of his proverbial shell, what was the most rewarding or relatable aspect of the story for you?
NICK: I mean, you know, I am a workaholic, and I love to depend on myself and like, take too much on my shoulders, and I love that part of the message of this story is that if you open yourself up to be vulnerable, to depend on your neighbors, and like lean on the collaboration of others, of understanding that many hands make light work, or two heads are better than one, and especially when it comes to like, protecting your ecosystem or your neighborhood or your coral reef, so having the vulnerability to open up to others and say, okay, I'm going to trust the group to get this done right in a much better way than I could do by myself, and see that come to fruition. And that's my favorite part of this message.
Based on the New York Times Bestseller book, The Pout Pout Fish will be released in theaters nationwide on March 20. Featuring a star-studded voice cast including Nick Offerman, Nina Oyama, Miranda Otto, Remy Hii, with Jordin Sparks, and Amy Sedaris. The film dives into a fun-filled adventure that explores friendship, courage, and the joy of spreading happiness. The Pout Pout Fish is set to make a splash with audiences of all ages.
Synopsis: The Pout Pout Fish is the hilarious and heartwarming story of an unlikely duo: Mr. Fish (Offerman) a pouty introvert and Pip (Oyama) an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes.
The Pout Pout Fish is directed by Ricard Cussó and Rio Harrington and written by Elise Allen, Elie Choufany, and Dominic Morris.