CARS 2 Q&A With OWEN WILSON & LARRY THE CABLE GUY

OWEN WILSON (Lightning McQueen)

Was it easy to step back into the role of Lightning McQueen for “Cars 2”?
It felt pretty seamless to return to Lightning McQueen after all these years. In fact, it felt like I was catching up with an old friend. I liked the idea of already having the character worked out, but taking him on a whole new adventure. Plus, I was really excited when John Lasseter decided he was going to direct the movie. It couldn’t have worked out better for me.

What can you tell us about the story of the sequel?
“Cars 2” is an action-packed global adventure and we take the crazy “Cars” characters all over the world. There’s also a fun espionage element to the story with the excellent Michael Caine playing a British spy. The movie is a really fun ride.

Where in the world do the characters visit?
The gang travels around the world to places like Paris, London, the Italian Riviera and Japan. The thing I enjoy the most about seeing these places is the way the Pixar animators “car”-ify the locations and the buildings. Instead of Big Ben in London, there’s Big Bentley. Different buildings and locations are made up of car parts. It’s amazing to see.

What new characters do we meet in “Cars 2”?
The filmmakers did a great job of populating the world with fantastic new characters, including spies Finn McMissile, voiced by Michael Caine and Holley Shiftwell, voiced by Emily Mortimer. One of the fun things about the espionage in the film is that they’ve created lots of cool gadgets for the spies. It makes the movie that much more fresh and exciting.

Are you a fan of spy movies and espionage?
I have always been a fan of spy films, especially James Bond. I grew up with Roger Moore playing Bond and my favorite spy movie has got to be “The Spy Who Loved Me” because of the villain Jaws. Jaws was the guy with the metal teeth and he was such a great, iconic villain. I’ve never forgotten him.

What is it like to work with Pixar?
As an actor, working with Pixar has been one of the highlights of my career. The standard of excellence that they set is unmatched. It’s great to be a part of something that they’re doing because their movies stand the test of time.

Why do you think Pixar movies are so popular?
I think the reason their movies are so popular is that they take on universal themes, but tell stories in such a personal, unique and passionate way. You know what? They never cease to amaze me.

Were you surprised by the success of “Cars”?
The success has been incredible. I was in Hawaii recently and an Argentinean family told me that their kids are fanatical about the movie. They watched the first “Cars” 50 times and they couldn’t wait to see the sequel. It’s incredible to work on movies that work their way into the culture the way Pixar movies do.

How much fun do you have in the recording booth?
It’s a whole lot of fun in there. You go in with John Lasseter and feed off his energy and enthusiasm. He gives you the context of the scene and you go for it.

Do you ever work alongside your fellow voice actors?
No, it’s usually just John Lasseter and me, but I’m fine with that. It’s always great to work opposite someone in live-action where you get something back from your acting colleagues, but this seems to work just as well. It’s not a problem.

Do you get the chance to improvise in the sound booth?
To be honest, they have everything scripted so there’s no need to improvise. I’ve added a few lines along the way, but not many. In the original movie, I blurted out the word “ka-chow” and they keep adding it into the script because they like it.

What can you tell us about the DVD and Blu-ray extras for “Cars 2”?
There’s a lot of extra material on the discs, including a commentary from John Lasseter and some short films.

Are you a fan of DVDs and all the extras that come with them?
Yes, I am. I think it’s great to own the DVD of a movie that you really love, especially when you’re able to hear the director talk about his inspiration and the way that he makes his decisions. I’m a huge fan.

Are you a fan of 3D, too?
Yes, I love it. Filmmakers are getting much better at 3D now and it’s amazing to think that “Cars 2” will be released in this format on Blu-ray, too. As a viewer, I used to think, “Geez, how can they improve on HD?” Well, 3D does that. It’s a whole new world.

As a family man, are you looking forward to your son being able to watch “Cars 2” when he gets a bit older?
Very much so. I’ve heard they’re building a “Cars” land at Disneyland, so I imagine that will be a fun destination for us in a couple of years.

What goes through your mind when you start working on a movie?
The first thing that goes through my mind when I start work on a project is the hope that it will turn out well. You hope people will want to see the movie, enjoy it or be drawn to whatever it was that interested you in the script. Sometimes it works out, but sometimes it doesn’t. Thankfully, “Cars 2” didn’t miss the mark.

LARRY THE CABLE GUY (Mater)

How did you react when you discovered that Mater would have a larger role in “Cars 2”?
When I signed up for the sequel, I had no idea that Mater would be the star of the movie. [“Cars 2” director] John Lasseter used a storyboard to walk me through the story during one of my early meetings for the movie and that’s when I first discovered Mater’s role had been upgraded. My first reaction was, “Well, it sounds like Mater is going to have a pretty good part in this!”

Did you have any idea how popular “Cars” would become when you first signed up for the role?
When I first got the role, I had no idea that the movie and the characters would become as popular as they did. We hoped for success, but we had no idea what was going to happen. As soon as the first movie was released, I realized we had ourselves a very successful cartoon.

How did you win the role of Mater?
When the filmmakers first started work on “Cars,” I got a fax from my manager saying Pixar wanted me to voice a tow truck in their new movie. Mater wasn’t even named Mater at that point. He had a completely different name. I immediately said, “I’d love to be involved.” It was Pixar! Who wouldn’t jump at the chance?

Do you know why they chose you in particular?
John Lasseter said he’d been talking to lots of people, but he hadn’t found the right voice for the tow truck in the film. Then he listened to a “Blue Collar Comedy Tour” CD, which is when he heard my voice for the first time. He realized he’d found his tow truck within the first 30 seconds of listening. He apparently said, “That’s him. That is it. Call that guy up.”

Mater has a lot of scenes with a character called Holley Shiftwell in “Cars 2.” Do you know why British actress Emily Mortimer was chosen for the role of Holley?
John saw Emily in a couple of movies and I can guarantee you that he also saw her getting interviewed by TV crews and the press. During those interviews, he would have seen her personality shining through. From my experience, I know that’s how he would’ve decided that he wanted Emily for the role of Holley. He hires people because of their personalities and you see those personalities when they’re being interviewed.

Did you get the chance to record any of your dialogue with Emily?
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to work with Emily in the sound booth because we always record our voices solo. I don’t think they recorded any of the actors together, which is weird, but it works.

Where did you record your dialogue for the movie?
I record all of my audio at Pixar near San Francisco. But if you can’t make it out there, they make it easy and they come to you. For the “Cars Toons,” they came to me in a studio in Orlando, Florida. They are a very versatile bunch.

Do you get to see any of the movie before you record your dialogue?
No, we don’t get to see any of the animation. We just walk into the recording booth with John Lasseter and he takes us through everything. He tells us exactly what the scene is going to be like. He sets the mood and he tells us exactly how we should play it. He might say, “In this scene, you’re really excited. You’ve just met so-and-so for the first time and you’re over the moon.” It’s a pretty cool process and John is a master at it.

Were you nervous when you recorded Mater’s dialogue for the first time?
When I first started doing the voice for “Cars,” I admitted to John that I was really nervous. This was John Lasseter and Pixar! I couldn’t believe I was part of the project, but luckily he’s very comfortable to work with and pretty soon I calmed down.

What do you think of the animation in “Cars 2”?
The animation gets better and better with every Pixar movie. I was amazed when I saw the first scene of “Cars 2” with the water and the ocean. It looks incredible. I have no idea how an animator can make a fake ship look so real, but that’s exactly what they’ve done here. It blows me away every time.

Do you still pinch yourself when you hear your voice coming out of Mater’s mouth?
It’s crazy, but I never thought in a million years that I would be able to say that I was in a movie with an actor like Michael Caine. That’s not bad for a kid from a town of 1,200 in southeast Nebraska.

You must be incredibly proud…
Oh, I am. I’m over the moon.

Why do you think Pixar is so successful?
Pixar is successful because they are the best at what they do. There are lots of animated movies in the world, but a lot of them don’t have great stories. Then there are great stories with bad animation. Pixar does both well. It’s the market leader.

What’s it like to visit Pixar?
I love visiting Pixar. It’s awesome. It’s such an amazing place. I told John Lasseter, “Man, I bet you don’t have much of a staff turnover at this place.” He said, “That’s the problem. Nobody wants to go home. People come into work at nine o’clock in the morning, but they’re still here at nine and ten o’clock at night.”

How much of that is because of John Lasseter?
I think a lot of it has to do with John Lasseter. He’s a great leader. He has also become a great friend of mine and I love his enthusiasm for animation. He’s always happy about the work. He’s always enthusiastic, and it’s completely contagious. He’s the best.

 CARS 2 races to DVD and Blu-Ray today

For more information about the movie, check out Disney.com/cars. Like CARS 2 on Facebook:facebook.com/pixarcars, and follow “Cars 2″ on Twitter: twitter.com/disneypixar.