Who is Frozone in Incredibles 2? An Interview with Samuel L. Jackson
It was just a few days ago that I did something unbelievable. I had a chance to not only be in the same room as Samuel L. Jackson, but to ask him questions as part of a group interview for Incredibles 2!
Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of Frozone in Incredibles 2 and he originated the voice of Frozone in The Incredibles.
So this is the big question I had when I saw his name on the interview list: Is Samuel L. Jackson just as cool in real life as he appears to be on screen?
After all, we’re talking about Jules from Pulp Fiction. He was in The Red Violin and Django Unchained. I’m riveted when I see him on screen as Nick Fury in Marvel movies, and I could never forget that Samuel L. Jackson is Shaft!
Related: Who are Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible? An Interview with Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson from Incredibles 2.
A few minutes after the interview started I could tell you that YES, Samuel L. Jackson is just as great in real life as he is in his movies.
And he was cool in a real, no BS way. He didn’t pander to us. He didn’t ask clarifying questions. If what was being asked wasn’t articulated in a way that worked for him, he didn’t hesitate to throw some shade and move on. I got the feeling that this was a one-shot opportunity:
- Ask your question.
- Make it count.
- Accept his answer as the truth.
Thankfully, we had some really good questions about his roles as Frozone in The Incredibles (and Incredibles 2!), a little bit about playing Nick Fury and some requests for life advice. Thankfully, Samuel L. Jackson came through with some amazing answers!
How did you feel about an Incredibles sequel right after the first movie was released and how do you feel about it now that it’s actually happening?
I’m relieved now…that was a lot of pressure! People were always asking when they were going to make Incredibles 2, like it was my decision! Now I feel a lot better knowing that the pressure has been relieved. They’ve made it. People can be happy.
The way The Incredibles ended, everybody just assumed there was going to be another movie. Then Brad [Bird] went off and started doing real people movies and I don’t think they wanted to put it into the hands of anyone else.
It’s also one of those things where the first movie was so perfect and so awesome that you’ve got to say to yourself: “Can we really do something that awesome and just a little bit more awesome the next time so it justifies us doing a sequel?”
I think they accomplished it. I mean, the movie is kind of awesome.
On working with Brad Bird as a director when voice acting:
Brad turns out to be pretty good. He pretty much tries to imitate everybody’s voice when we’re doing this stuff. And he is Edna, he’s the best character in the movie.
I’ve only worked once with Craig [Craig T. Nelson] in the room and that was in the first movie, the first time we were in the studio together. I think that’s when they decided, “no, we’re not going to put these guys together!”
How much do you relate to Frozone?
I’d be shooting fire, not ice. I’m hot like that! Fire is for the Black Panther guy, and old guys get to be cool, not hot! That’s a little ageism, I’m feeling a little #MeToo about that [laughs].
It would be like dry ice. It will burn you when you touch it!
On his real life superpower:
Earning money for my wife and daughter. Surviving 38 years of marriage. That’s the super power!
When asked which other character from The Incredibles he’d like to voice, he said:
Edna. Edna is just the dopest. She’s wise, cool, dry and unaffected by the world. The world revolves around her.
If Samuel L. Jackson could freeze any moment in time, he would choose:
1976 Halloween, when we got to New York City. When we started this marvelous journey. We were ready to conquer the world and be the best actors on the planet.
My wife and I thought we were going to be Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. It was a vibrant time in New York. There were so many of us there. It was a great time for work and comradeship and all the people we met. Morgan, Alfred, Denzel and Wesley. Everybody was there working. We all worked together. We ate together. We went to auditions together. We went to the same unemployment office when we weren’t working.
They were vibrant times and learning times, which cemented some really great friendships. The challenge of being on stage with those people and wanting to be good, wanting to be better, made all those things happen.
That makes us who we are on screen, because we had all that discipline. We worked together and learned how to be an ensemble and not just outshine everybody who’s around you.
You’re known for some…language. Is that something you do for movies, or does it slip into your everyday talk?
That’s pretty much who I am. I’ve talked like that my whole life
I stuttered really badly when I was a kid, and one of the mechanisms to stop it was to say “mother f***er,” so I could say what I had to say. That worked and it just kind of flowed over into the rest of my life.
When asked what advice he would give to young actors just starting out, Samuel L. Jackson said:
Do as much theater as you can do. If you’re serious about it, go to new York. Challenge yourself. On stage or off-Broadway, on Broadway. Work with as many different kinds of actors and directors as you can, and learn the craft.
There’s a wealth of information to be gained from working in front of real people, because you learn from that. There’s no real way to know you can do it until you hear people say it or you’re in a theater and you feel the energy of the audience.
Samuel L. Jackson had some great things to say about playing both Frozone and Nick Fury.
Note: Nick Fury is returning to the MCU in March, 2019 in “Captain Marvel“
I love Frozone because he’s got super powers, but Nick Fury’s power is persuasion. He’s able to talk people into doing all kinds of things; getting and recruiting people.
Samuel L. Jackson on working with Brie Larson in Captain Marvel:
I’m having a great time being Nick Fury, especially in Captain Marvel, because Brie [Larson] and I are really good friends after we did Kong together.
She and I are really good friends and I enjoy watching the ascendence of young actors. She’s so special and just so good.
Outside of being just a super talented person, she’s very concerned about what’s going on around her and she’s outspoken about women’s issues. And I think that’s really, really, really great.
People are constantly trying to separate us from our ordinary lives. We’re actors, but we live in the world and we’re affected by the same thing that’s affecting everybody else.
So when people say, we don’t need your opinion; I pay bills, I pay taxes, I’ve got a right to my opinion. I’m not asking you to believe what I believe, I’m just asking you to hear what I’ve got to say, and you can do what you want with it.
Incredibles 2 opened in theaters everywhere on June 15th. Learn more here.
Read more of my Incredibles 2 coverage:
I’m going to Disneyland for Pixar Fest, Incredibles 2 and Big City Greens!
The Best of Pixar Fest at Disneyland – Must See Entertainment & Must-Try Treats!
The Latest Incredibles 2 Trailer, Movie Posters and Pictures.
About Incredibles 2:
In Incredibles 2, Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell), Dash (voice of Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack—whose super powers are about to be discovered.
Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything.
But the Parrs don’t shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) by their side. That’s what makes this family so Incredible.
Stay on top of all the Incredibles 2 news:
- Visit the official Incredibles 2 website
- Follow Incredibles 2 on Instagram
- Follow Incredibles 2 on Twitter
- Like Incredibles 2 on Facebook
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