AMANDA DYAR: Will, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you were doing before you came to work at Sony Pictures Animation.
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| Pictured: Will Townsend |
AMANDA: You started as a Digital Marketer at Sony's parent company after finishing school at the University of Southern California. How did you happen upon this job and what was the interview process like?
WILL: As with most jobs in the entertainment industry, it is a matter of who you know. Fortunately for myself, one of my best buddies from college knew someone that worked in digital marketing at Sony. After meeting with them, I was lucky enough to get an interview. The interview process was surprisingly pretty stress free. My soon to be boss was awesome and very easy to talk to. After a great year doing digital marketing, I randomly moved over to Sony Pictures Animation in the next building and have been there ever since.
AMANDA: In the film Open Season: Scared Silly you voice Elliot and Mr. Weenie. As the story goes, you kind of just fell into these roles by being the office loudmouth. Tell us the story from your point of view and how it felt to voice these characters.
WILL: (laughter) I am definitely a loudmouth, but it worked in my favor this time. I happened to yell something silly down the hall, as I do often, and Dave Feiss, the director, was within earshot. He came over to my cubicle and had me say a few more things. I was very confused at this point, but then he explained when I speak enthusiastically that I sound a lot like Elliot. So he asked me to voice Elliot for the Scratch Recording (the temporary dialogue for storyboards in the early stages of the movie). This was an incredible experience, as I was able to leave my desk for 30 minutes every day for 6-8 months. Somewhere in that process, I read too far down the script page, andaccidentally read one of Mr. Weenie's lines. I couldn't help but break out a silly German accent, which Dave loved. I then was able to do the Scratch for Mr. Weenie as well.
WILL: Instead of doing internships in college, I worked at Camp Thunderbird in South Carolina every summer. I absolutely love working with kids so this was the perfect place for me. I was in charge of the seven year olds, who are easily entertained. But one thing they loved was when myself and the other counselors spoke in silly voices. My co-counselors and I once spoke in Russian accents for two straight weeks, without breaking character, simply because it made them all laugh. But one of our favorite games was "Hansel Says." It is essentially just "Simon Says" but with ridiculous, over-the-top German accents. I would get up on stage and play this anytime we needed to pass some time. This Hansel voice is the exact same voice I used for Mr. Weenie. I hope some of the kids are able to watch this movie and recognize the voice.
AMANDA: How did you feel when you was told that you would officially be the voice of Elliot and Mr. Weenie in Open Season: Scared Silly?
WILL: I actually didn't believe it. Once we had finished all the Scratch Recording, I assumed I was finished doing these voices. However, the executives loved my take on the characters and ended up casting me as both parts for the actual movie. The day I found out, I had to leave work early to catch a flight home for the holidays. Dave called me into his office and told me I would be in the movie. I didn't believe him and tried to leave to get to the airport. He convinced he wasn't lying, which was then followed up by me jumping on the furniture doing a few fist pumps!
AMANDA: What did you enjoy most about working on the movie and do you have any funny behind-the-scenes stories that you could tell us?
The absolute best part was when I first saw a scene of Elliot and Mr. Weenie speaking to each other. It was so cool to see two characters I voiced have a conversation with themselves. That was definitely the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.
I was actually almost late for my first recording session because I was picking up a few lunches for people at the office that day. So in the same 10 minute span, I was doing grunt work at my day job and recording lines for a movie. It is quite a weird life I live!
AMANDA: How has your life changed since stumbling into the world of professional voice-acting and do you plan to continue to do voice-over work?
WILL: I do get to record a lot more scratch for other movies in our office now, which is always the best part of the day. Also, I am now a Screen Actors Guild member, which is something I never would have expected. But I still love my job at Sony Pictures Animation, so my life has been mostly the same.
Voice-acting is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life, and I would love to explore this world further. I enjoy being in the recording booth immensely and think my personality suits it well. Hopefully I can make it into the gaming world and do a few voice overs for video games. That would make my life complete!
AMANDA: Who is your favorite character in Open Season: Scared Silly and why?
WILL: Mr. Weenie is definitely my favorite character. He is so overjoyed when his owners are around, and so adorably sad when his owners are gone, that I think any dog-lover, like myself, will gravitate towards him. Plus he has a phenomenal opera singing voice, as you will see in Open Season: Scared Silly.
AMANDA: Lastly, what do you like to do in your spare time and what games are you currently playing.
WILL: My two favorite past times are playing basketball and video games. Thankfully, there is a basketball court on lot at Sony so I am able to play a lot. Also, I live next door to the studio, so I can sometimes go home during lunch and play video games.
I just finished The Last of Us for the second time. That game is the definition of a masterpiece. So now it is time to get ready for the new Uncharted game by replaying that series as well. But in between those games, I always turn back to my Nintendo 64 to play Mario Kart and NFL Blitz. You can never give up on the classics!
AMANDA: Thank you again. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
WILL: Thanks for having me. This is my first time going through this whole process, so I am still in awe that people want to interview me. I hope everyone enjoys the movie and hopefully I'll get more roles in the future so we can chat again!
To learn more, visit the official Open Season: Scared Silly website.
From the Official Press Release
In celebration of Open Season’s 10th Anniversary, Sony Pictures Animation will present an all-new animated movie, OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY, on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD March 8th. This national debut, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, is the latest release for one of the most successful animated franchises to date, bringing back Elliot, Boog and all of the beloved woodland creatures from the previous Open Season series. The fourth installment is a comedic mystery adventure directed by David Feiss (head of story on the original Open Season and creator of the popular TV series Cow and Chicken); produced by John Bush ("The Simpsons"); and featuring computer animation from Rainmaker Entertainment, Inc.
Says Director Feiss, "My affection for these characters has only grown since we introduced them in Sony Pictures Animation’s first feature. We’re having a lot of fun bringing them back for a new adventure— it feels like a big party with old friends." Most recently, Feiss -- whose prolific career began as a story artist for Hanna-Barbera -- directed four mini-movies for the home entertainment release of Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2, entitled Steve’s First Bath, Super Manny, Attack Of The 50 Ft. Gummy Bear and Earl Scouts.
OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY is a heartwarming tale incorporating good values and laugh-out-loud fun for all ages. The Blu-ra™ and DVD releases will be packed with bonus materials including all-new featurettes, bloopers, a director’s commentary track, and an Inside Sony Pictures Animation profile of director David Feiss. The first featurette, "OPEN SEASON Super Speedy Re-Cap" will give viewers a look back at the previous three films, and some of the most exciting moments of the franchise. "Scaredy Pants: The Fears of OPEN SEASON" will tackle what our favorite characters are truly afraid of! Exclusive to the Blu-ray, "Stepping Into the Spotlight – Mr Weenie’s Process" gives a glimpse into Mr. Weenie’s trials and tribulations of shooting his most trying scenes for the brand new movie.
OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY features the voice talents of Donny Lucas (Boog), Will Townsend (Elliot & Mr. Weenie), Trevor Devall (Shaw), Kathleen Barr (Edna & Bobbi), Garry Chalk (Ed), and Melissa Sturm (Giselle).
Synopsis:
Elliot, Boog and all your favorite woodland creatures are back in a brand new, comedy adventure, OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY. When a case of mistaken identity leads both humans and animals to believe there is a monstrous werewolf on the prowl in Timberline National Forest, former hunter Shaw seizes on the opportunity to re-open open season. With Shaw on the loose and all the animals at risk, it's now up to Boog, Elliot, and Mr. Weenie to face their fears, track down the elusive werewolf, and get open season closed permanently.
Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and Digital Extras* include:
- Stepping into the Spotlight - Mr. Weenie’s Process
- Blooper and outtakes
- Scaredy Pants: The Fears of OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY
DVD, Blu-ra™ and Digital Extras* include:
- OPEN SEASON Super Speedy Re-Cap
- Feature Commentary with Director David Feiss**
- Director profile – David Feiss
* Digital Extras only available with iTunes Extras and Vudu Extras+
** Commentary available on physical discs only
OPEN SEASON: SCARED SILLY has a running time of approximately 80 minutes and is not yet rated.