Thanks to Disney for the incredible trip to Los Angeles to cover this event!
I’ve been a Craig T Nelson fan ever since his days as Hayden Fox on “Coach”. I used to watch that show with my grandparents during summer visits to Florida from Alaska. Then, “Parenthood” became the first TV show I ever watched every, single episode of. I think it goes without saying that I have a bit of a soft spot for the man.
He’s a tall man with a booming voice who made Holly Hunter look like a sprite.
These two iconic actors are back as Mr. Incredible & Elastigirl whose alter-egos are Mr. & Mrs. Parr in Incredibles 2, and they sat down with 25 of us to talk about this much anticipated film.
Both actors said they were excited to get back into the studio as the Parrs, but one of them had some anxiety over whether or not they could still do it.
Holly Hunter: We were not hesitant in wanting to do this sequel.
Craig T. Nelson: We didn’t know anything! It was a question for me about being unsure I could do it vocally. I had been doing Parenthood and Zeke had a different vocal quality. There was some anxiety there for me. We never saw the script. Brad laid out the idea, and it sounded like it was going to be fun.
They had both anticipated a sequel long before the 14 year mark, and one of them *MIGHT* be an over-spender. Any guesses as to which one?
HH: It was amusing to me that the movie was going to start 15 seconds after the last film, 14 years later. It’s impossible to do that in TV and Film which is what Craig and I both normally do. The ability of animation to do that was so delightful. There were so many things about this opportunity that were effortless.
We record only with Brad Bird. The opportunity to encounter Brad again 14 years later with only a microphone between us was just fun. He’s somebody that both of us just inherently trust.
CTN: When we did the first film, we didn’t know what it was going to be. The thing turns out to be huge, so we’re waiting to see when we’re going to do the sequel. You’re still actors and some of us find that we’re not always working, so you have stuff to look forward to.
After the 5th year of no sequel, you start wondering about how you’re going to pay for the stuff you already bought because you thought there would be a sequel!
Then you’re too old to do it anymore, so you assume they’re going to get a new Bob!
HH: I thought maybe Helen and Bob would be dead by now!
The role reversal that happens between Helen & Bob in Incredibles 2 just happened to be something serendipitous with the current climate of the world. It’s like a right time, right place kind of thing. You can read more about it in my Brad Bird interview , but Holly & Craig had somethings to say about it as well.
HH: It’s serendipitous that the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements happen at the same time as the release of this movie. It’s just totally by coincidence, but it is in the air. It’s a great thing for kids to see this movie. Not just little girls, but little boys too. Everyone needs to see what men and women are capable of, that men are capable of being fantastic, nurturing parents.
We all know this, but it’s still great to see this exploration for both of our characters. It’s fantastic to see Elastigirl living up to this great gift that she has without apology.
My favorite quote of the interview came from Holly Hunter about motherhood. I’ve never been the type of parent that throws her entire being into motherhood. My children do not define me. I’m still Summer Len Davis, with or without them and I think it’s healthy to live in that space of being yourself despite having children.
Holly Hunter: It’s great for a mother to be fully engaged with something that has nothing to do with parenting. I think it’s difficult for all of us to give ourselves license to do.
It was great to hear Craig T Nelson then take the steering wheel of the interview and explain why the role reversal was so great for him as a male actor.
Craig T Nelson: The great part about the character in the film for me, was that I was given the opportunity to get to know my kids. At the same time, Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible are competitive and treat one another like, “When you fail, I’ll be there.” They also give each other the freedom to explore their potential.
Incredibles 2 is set in the 60s during a time where hand held electronics didn’t exist. Craig T Nelson hopes that families come away from this movie wanting to do more talking to one another.
CTN: When I go to visit my kids and grandkids, it’s very disturbing. We’re not talking to one another, they’re always in their devices.
One of the beauties of the film is that nobody’s doing that, they’re engaged. Bob is trying to make himself work as a dad.
Holly Hunter is super excited about the Incredicoaster opening at California Adventure on June 22nd. It will follow a storyline about chasing Jack Jack and will take the place of California Screamin’.
Brad Bird is magical according to Holly. He didn’t look for the biggest names in Hollywood when he cast the original film. The cast has chemistry because of Brad Bird and because of the way he does things.
HH: This is the gift of Brad Bird, this is what he can do. When Brad cast, he had in mind the sound of the movie and the sound of the characters together. He had a chemistry in mind that was all audio. Craig and I never met each other until about 9 months ago.
Brad’s imagination was at work when putting the whole film together.
I LOVED Incredibles 2 and feel it was worth the 14 year wait. How did 14 years go by so quickly, by the way? I remember watching Incredibles with Styles when he was a wee boy and always wondered what the sequel would look like. When I got to watch the first 22 minutes at Pixar Studios, I was impressed.
Now that I’ve seen the full film, I’m just excited.
I get excited to take my kids to see all new Disney films, that’s nothing new. What’s new is counting down the days. I didn’t even count down the days to take them to see Solo, and I really enjoyed that movie too. This is next level and something we’ve been anticipating for SO long. It’s just different while staying true to the film and I can’t wait for them to see it.
Get your tickets NOW to see Incredibles 2 in theaters on June 15th!
For more EXCLUSIVE Incredibles coverage, check out the following articles!
*Incredible Fashion: What goes into dressing the stars of Incredibles 2
* What the Heck Took So Long for the Incredibles Sequel? Brad Bird Spills it!
[…] supers to come back into the light. Helen joins a team of supers to fight back against crime, while Mr. Incredible, Bob, gets to stay home with the kids. It will be interesting to see this modern take on our favorite […]