BIG HERO 6 directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, written by Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson and Jordan Roberts, with the voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Maya Rudolph and James Cromwell. 108 minutes. A Disney release. Opens Friday (November 7). For venues and times, see Movies.
You might recognize Scott Adsit from his years on 30 Rock, where he played Liz Lemon’s perpetually put-upon sounding board, Pete Hornberger. But as of this week, the children in your life will know him as the voice of Baymax, the medical droid turned flying battlebot in Big Hero 6.
“I’ve got a few talking dolls in my apartment right now,” Adsit smiles, perched on the coffee table in a suite at the Shangri-La. The film’s marketing is focused on Baymax, a squishy, endlessly compassionate character seemingly designed to be adored by viewers.
“The concept behind him is someone who cares, and is all about bedside manner,” Adsit explains. “He speaks with calm authority and is ready to listen and all that. It’s everything you want from a doctor. That’s coupled with the fact that he really doesn’t know what’s going on sometimes. But he learns, which is cool, and his calm remains no matter what’s happening. He’s still got that same voice when they put the armour on him, which is nice.”
Given that every comic-book project is being positioned as a franchise these days, is Disney planning a sequel?
“There’s potential,” Adsit acknowledges, though he qualifies that immediately. “If they’re talking about it, it’s only like, ‘Do the filmmakers have the energy to do this?’”
In the meantime, Adsit is totally on board with voicing Baymax in other venues should Big Hero 6 prove as popular as last year’s Frozen.
“If those things come up, I’m here,” he says. “There’s an exhibit right now at Disneyland, a sneak peek at the film in 3D, and I recorded something special for that.”
Post-30 Rock, Adsit played a straight role in the current Bill Murray dramedy, St. Vincent – “I’ll be in that movie a lot more on the DVD,” he jokes – and says he intends to keep shifting between comedy and drama.
“I came up through Second City, so I’m used to playing 20 characters every night who are very different from each other,” he says. “I wouldn’t want my career to be any different.”
Interview Clips
Adsit on the importance of listening in performance
normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner
