You said you only read your part of the story.
“I never read the entire script. I just read my pages.”
How do you understand the entire story and where your character fits in if you only read your part?
“Because it’s not necessary for you to understand the entire story, but it is necessary for you to understand your story. Sometimes I think if you understand… I wouldn’t have knowledge of what the other characters are going through if I’m not there, and it’s much cleaner and more real if I come into a scene and I’m just wrapped up in my own problems. I want to understand my problems and they’re like, ‘Don’t you understand we have things going on, too?’”
What is the attraction of doing an animated movie?
“I wish I had a better answer than getting to work with Pixar, but that was everything to me, getting to work with Pixar. Pixar is, I don’t want to sound cheesy, but they to me are one of those models for how to pursue your career. Anything you’re doing creatively, Pixar is a place you can look at and say, ‘How do I apply that to my stand-up? How do I apply that to anything?’ Their complete attention to, honestly, not since Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell with The Archers has there been this level of complete craftsmanship and control over quality over quantity. Pure quality over quantity.”
How do you apply what you picked up from Pixar to your stand-up?
“I mean, I had to keep re-applying it because what they do naturally, I have to keep reminding myself. ‘Wait a minute, don’t rush it. Really work this stuff out and make sure it’s just solid and amazing.’”
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Ratatouille was directed by Brad Bird and hits theaters on June 29, 2007.
