Actor Nick Offerman brings his signature deadpan delivery to the animated world as Ken, Papa Smurf’s brother, in the upcoming “Smurfs” movie hitting theaters Friday.
The “Parks and Recreation” star said he developed his distinctive comedic timing from an early age.
“When I was a kid in the Catholic church, they had we do the readings of the gospel,” Offerman said. “I learned then that if I gave it some gravitas, the congregation would be moved. But if I turned it up just a little bit, my cousins would laugh … that was where I discovered deadpan.”
Offerman recorded his voice work separately from co-star John Goodman, who voices Papa Smurf, due to modern animation practices that became more common after COVID-19.
“I was shooting a show in Budapest last year, and so I recorded a bunch of my sessions from a studio in Budapest,” he said. “John was recording his from London and New Orleans. Eventually, you hear each other when you start to get all the recordings together.”
The actor found deeper meaning in the film’s central message about community and belonging.
“The thing I love the most about it is no-name smurf is on this quest to find out what his place is, trying to find himself,” Offerman explained. “The message is that everybody, you know, that we require diversity to make a strong community or family or village of smurfs.”
He said that self-discovery comes through connection with others rather than isolation.
“You don’t learn what your special talent is looking at your phone, or looking in the mirror,” Offerman said. “You learn from your community. They will tell you what they need from you, and that’s how you discover what your power is.”
“Smurfs” is distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is part of CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global. “Smurfs” hits theaters on July 18.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nick-offerman-smurfs-village-we-require-diversity/
