Actor John C. Reilly insisted on recording his lines for the new Wreck-It Ralph sequel alongside co-star Sarah Silverman so their real-life friendship could come across in their voices.
Animated film stars typically record their parts in individual recording booths, often without ever meeting their castmates until they hit the promotional trail, but Reilly wanted to ensure he and Silverman got to renew their bond in the studio as they reprised their roles as best friends onscreen in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
“I figured if you’re gonna work with someone as fun and as creative as Sarah Silverman, why not have them in the room there with you?” he explained on breakfast show Good Morning America.
“A lot of times actors go in for animated movies they’re just alone, they’re playing someone’s best friend but they never lay eyes on them, and I thought, ‘We gotta be in the room together so we can find stuff and improvise.'”
Recording their scenes together in-person also helped the pair develop little jokes to add to their playful dialogue.
“Sarah and I definitely did that a lot for this movie, so I think this movie has an extra soulful quality because we’re actually in there looking at each other, talking to each other,” he smiled. “We riffed like crazy!”
Reilly also shunned the typical dressed-down attire actors usually wear for off-camera roles, and opted instead to show up in a three-piece suit.
“Sometimes when you have the right to wear sweatpants, you go for a three-piece suit instead!” he quipped. “It makes Sarah really happy… It got to be this running joke that I’d show up way overdressed for our recording sessions, and it’s a good thing to make Sarah happy; she’s a sweet girl.”
Ralph Breaks the Internet also features the voices of Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, and Alfred Molina, and opens in theaters later this month (Nov18).
