Jack Black’s dumpling-obsessed bear returns in the latest installment of the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ franchise after an eight-year absence.
Black found it easy to return to the character of Po after such a long absence. He only had to recall a few things.
“I mean, I do have to prepare… remembering what it was like when I was a kid and the things that I loved. What do I love as much as Po loves Kung Fu? What did I love that much? And the answer is ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’. It was my favourite show,” Black told Reuters, referring to the 1970s series.
“There was a bionic man and I just loved that show. I watched it once a week every week and I also loved ‘The Hulk’…
I would pretend to be bionic and I would draw pictures of bionic man and that’s what Po is all about, that youthful enthusiasm.
You can hear it creeping into my voice already and it’s as simple as that, just remember your childhood exuberance.” In ‘Kung Fu Panda 4,’ Po is charged with choosing a successor to become the next dragon warrior.
That successor is the thieving fox Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina), who offers to assist Po in fighting the power-hungry Chameleon (voiced by Oscar winner Viola Davis).
“There is something that feels very relatable personally to her so I feel like that probably is one of the closest to my personality and voice that I’ve ever voiced in an animated character,” Awkwafina said in a joint interview with Black.
Black and Awkwafina are real-life friends, so director Mike Mitchell said he let them use their imaginations during voice sessions.
“I knew they had this contentious chemistry with each other, joking with each other all the time. So I’m like, let’s just make them into cartoon characters and do that so when they’re behind the mic, I really just stay out of the way,” he said.
The film ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ opens in theatres in the United States this Friday March 8th.
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