While the good folks over at Sony Pictures did us all a favor in bringing The Smurfs to the big screen, they took it a step further by introducing us to a new smurf named Gutsy.
Played by Alan Cumming, Gutsy leaves us wishing he had been a part of our childhood to help give the kids of the world more guts.
Alan Cumming is perfect for the role, since Gutsy’s colorful humor will leave the adults laughing uncontrollably at his antics. Especially since Gutsy seems to be entraced by his giblets!
We had the chance to talk to Alan Cumming about his role in The Smurfs, as well as his attraction to playing charaters with blue skin.
Check out this hilarious interview below and be sure to go see The Smurfs in theaters this Friday, July 29th, 2011.
Unlike the other five Smurfs, Gutsy wasn’t real a main stay of the ’80s series. So was that frame, where you can sort bring anything to him, giving you a sense of freedom?
Alan Cumming: Yeah, I think it was quite liberating both in you didn’t have history you can potentially screw up and it’s also a new thing. I think he was there as also a function in the story to kind of cheer them all on and to be more of the backbone and allow Papa Smurf to be more frail. It was kind of good for that and I also enjoyed the process a year and a half ago and there times where you get to contribute lines. I think everybody got to contribute, but I guess I got to more because there was no precedent.
They gave him a kilt, did that determine your voice?
Yeah somewhat, when I read it, it’s hilarious you get a letter from your agent going project, director, shoot date, role: “Gutsy Smurf” and I said oh, this is fun. Then I went to meet them and they showed me this ginger haired guy in a kilt and that kind of narrows it down.
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He’s seems very preoccupied with his giblets…
I think I’m pretty preoccupied with my giblets.
Did you have to be careful with the Smurf euphemisms when you were improvising to not inadvertently say something you might regret?
I have a bar of which acceptable becomes unacceptable, and I think mine is a bit higher than a lot of people, it might be a cultural thing. When I started improvising away and I would hear them laughing away in the headphones and they’d stop and say ‘that’s hilarious but we’ll never be able to use it, think of something else.’ It was quite funny the first time there was any footage and we’re actually doing voice to picture, so I emailed Neil (Patrick Harris) and I said we’re doing our first film together! Then about half an hour later I emailed back like, ‘Oh my god I’m tying you up, it’s like a bondage scene in there.’ Also I think that what’s good about the film, the adult-y jokes, the parents will recognize and will be appreciated.
You actually played a blue person at least three other times and you played a green person. You’ve played a lot of colorful people. Which one of those was your favorite?
Well, obviously they’re all so colorful. Nightcrawler, I really liked that film but I hated the process just because it was so arduous getting all that shit on my face and the same for the Great Gazoo. I really enjoyed the Great Gazoo but that was an arduous process too. I suppose my favorite in terms of my preference was this, because I didn’t have to be blue. I did another miniseries a couple of years ago, that sounds fun, ‘oh god he’s blue,’ it was a very quick blue, TV knock ’em off blue.
Any plans to play a blue person again?
Life is long and I never say never. Hopefully I expand my palette.
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How big were the Smurfs when you were growing up?
Huge, huge. They originated in Europe. The thing that’s hilarious, that no one in America knows, is they were pop stars. Actually, I remember them more for singing songs and being in the charts. They were on TV and cartoons but I remember all the merchandise but they had hits. They had loads of hits. There was guy who was like Papa Smurf and then there were all these people dressed as Smurfs singing these songs on Top of the Pops but that would be the equivalent of something on MTV. It was nuts and I’m sure they’re dance remixes of the Smurf songs somewhere.
Speaking of songs, what’s your favorite Katy Perry song?
I’m slightly obsessed with “Firework.” I was on a cruise with my mom and there’s this club we went to a couple times and met these kids and the DJ played something and the dance floor just cleared and he was like, ‘Oh My God what have I done?’ I said put on Katy Perry “Firework” and they’ll be back on here in a second. It’s true. I think it’s such a good builder. I think it’s an amazing structure of song. I love builders.
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Alan showing love to a Smurf.
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Alan Cumming at The Smurfs premiere.
