Toxic Tales
Jean Smart proves that love is thicker than toxic waste in her role as Pickles in the new animated series 'The Oblongs.' Source: Entertainment Tonight - March 30, 2001
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: Did you get to see the character before you had to voice it? JEAN SMART: Well, it helps when you can see a drawing. For some reason you can pick somebody that the drawing reminds you of, and obviously, the fact that Pickles chain smokes is going to affect her voice a little bit, and the fact that she's hung over much of the time ... that woman needs a Wonder Bra. I hope they do a Wonder Bra episode. ET: Well, all the characters need a Wonder Bra except for Helga. JEAN: She needs a wonder something, I don't know if it's a bra. All the women were, "Angus (Oblong), do you really have to draw her breasts that way?" He said, "I think breasts are funny." Pickles was already drawn in Angus' head before I walked in the door. They showed me a picture when I went in to audition. I thought it was a riot. The hair, the dress, the body, everything just really made me laugh. Of course, the fact that her name is Pickles and her husband's name is Bob; it's such a wonderfully cheap laugh. ET: So there's someone Pickles reminds you of? JEAN: No, no, no, I'm saying that when you can see a drawing it helps you try to hear a voice in your head. ET: Could you describe the show and the odd assortments of interesting characters? JEAN: I love the name The Oblongs because it fits -- they're not a perfect square or a perfect circle. They're a family that lives in the valley. They're the have-nots and the hill people are the beautiful people, the rich people. The valley is this toxic wasteland from the big factories owned by the rich people, and it's spawned a generation of people with some serious abnormalities. My character actually came from the hill but when she met Bob she fell madly in love and became a valley person, and started drinking and lost all of her hair. But I love the fact that the valley people, for the most part, especially the Oblongs, don't really point fingers and blame. They just get up every morning and look forward to the day and what it holds in store. ET: So, what's it like in the booth, doing voice-over with Will Ferrell and the other cast members? JEAN: In the beginning we were all together in the same room and it was really fun. They're all a really, really nice group of people and they're so talented. I was sort of embarrassed. I thought, "OK, I'm not stupid. I'm sure part of the reason they cast me is because my name is more recognizable and probably my voice." And then I thought, "What am I doing here? These people do this for a living." Will and I were kind of new at it, but we just had so much fun. Now we are scattered to the winds. I miss having everybody around, but it really won't be that way so much anymore. Especially, if I do another series, I'll just have to jump in and out. ET: Is there another series coming up? JEAN: I actually just turned down a couple of things that I really liked, but I had to turn them down for a variety of reasons. There are a couple of things that people brought to me that I'm looking at. I'm very flattered to have that luxury. But they're not on-the-air deals yet and the scripts are not completed so I'll wait and see. ET: What's different about voice for animation and your role on Frasier? JEAN: Well, I didn't have to audition for Frasier, but this was scary because I haven't really done a lot of voice work. Even though you're not thinking about your hair, I felt it was a very different thing. It's as if you're a golfer and someone says, "Come and play in this tennis tournament." And you're like, "Well, I consider myself a good athlete but I haven't played a lot of tennis." It's just a very different thing, so I walked out of there thinking that I had humiliated myself ... and that was not a good feeling. So, to put it mildly, I was actually stunned when I was offered it. ET: So you didn't have to audition for your role on Frasier, and that won you an Emmy? JEAN: That was nice. It was fun. Had a ball. ET: It was quite a character, and I hear you are going back. Did you base her on someone you know? JEAN: My husband thinks it's just me. So, he said, "I don't get it. I don't get the joke. I live with this. What's so funny?" I can't remember the last time I'd done a guest spot. I guess way before I'd ever done a series. But Frasier is by far the best sitcom on television, so when they said they had this great guest part, I said, "Tell me about it." And the writer called me and told me basically what the plot was and I just thought it was hilarious. It was fun to play someone who's a lunatic. It was very therapeutic. ET: I know you have an 11-year-old son. Do you think it will be OK for kids to watch The Oblongs? JEAN: I was thinking about that earlier. My son's age? ET: What do you think is the appropriate age? JEAN: High school or up. I would say well-balanced high school students. Although, I read something by a psychologist that children innately know, whether or not they can put it into words, that something animated is not real. |