Simon Pegg

British funnyman Simon Pegg, best known for his work in the comedy hits “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”, lends his lungs to the highly-anticipated “Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs”. In this exclusive interview, the actor – also seen recently in the cash-cow that was “Star Trek” – tells Moviehole why he jumped at the chance to do a family film.

Have you done voice work before?

Yes I have voiced some animation and cartoons before but certainly nothing of this scale and such a beloved story.

Do you enjoy doing the voice work?

You think initially it will be a nightmare because you are isolated in a sound booth and you don’t get to interact with other actors but it’s easier than you think. I like the fact that you can do take after take and then the director can piece together all the best readings from all the actors to get the most effective performance, which couldn’t be done if you were in the same room together. You have to just completely get into character and channel all your physicality into your voice and go for it.

What about doing all the sounds you had to make as Buck?

Yes (laughing). There was a lot of yahooing, and impact noises when you are getting hit and the breathing is actually hard. When I was doing the whole sequence when he was flashing back to when he was being chased by Rudy the Dinosaur I had to do some really heavy fast breathing. You actually get pretty light headed and it’s tough.

What do you like about the Ice Age movies?

I always liked them because they felt slightly separate to me from all the other animated films. There is something stylistic about it that really appeals to me. I think Manny is a good example. He is very much a woolly Mammoth and he has very angular tusks but the fur looks real, so there is this brilliant combination of photo realism and caricature that makes it look very beautiful. They manage to make a film that is great for kids but also keeps the adults entertained.

Were you allowed to improvise at all?

A little bit. The script was there, and occasionally I did input some Britishisms I thought were appropriate. It was such a collaborative effort between Carlos (director Carlos Saldanha) and myself, I couldn’t pinpoint a moment when I went off on a tangent, because the script was really good. I loved the scene where Buck is talking to all the different skulls and he is doing all these different voices. That was really funny to do, and I was swapping between the voices in one take, so I had t change quickly between all the voices. At one point I tried it as all the Beatles, so one was John, one was Paul, one was Ringo and one was George.

Did they make the character look like you at all?

When I went in for my first session they had a pencil sketch and an animated version of how he would move. Then once you have an idea of the character, you do the voice and then they film you, and they then take a lot from what they get on film, so their animation is inspired by your physicality. My wife Maureen said she can definitely see me in him. She thought our facial expressions were very similar. I went out to White Plains to meet all the animators at Blue Sky and sat in front of about 75 people and had this amazing chat about what they wanted for the character just so they could study how I was talking – it was a fascinating process.

What did you think of the finished film?

It really works beautifully. There are genuine layers of activity – there is rain falling here, a stone falling and trees and then there is Manny. You can see every layer, the depth of field is amazing. I was really blown away. I loved the Pterodactyl sequence that was amazing.

Would you describe Buck as a little Captain Ahab?

I think the fact is he has been down in the underground world for so long he has made a decision to have a purpose rather than curl up and die. He fixates on Rudy as being his great white whale or dinosaur in this case and that’s what keeps him going. He convinces himself that it’s a two way relationship when in fact it’s all him.

You said it was nice to have a film that your nieces and nephews can now see. How old are they?

They’re 8 and 13. It was nice to be able to take them to the premier, because often with my other films, the family comes up to London but the kids never come because the film is too adult, so it was

You might have to start doing more now that you are a new parent?

That’s what I like about this film. I don’t think children’s entertainment means being childish. I think it’s hard to appeal to children because they’re not stupid and it’s easy to underestimate them and what they like. Bright colors and falling over is not going to cut it. You need something that is genuinely beguiling and smart I think, and that’s the challenge to create good children’s entertainment.

We see you in so many films now. Was this your dream when you first started?

Simon Pegg: I didn’t really have a game plan. It just sort of happened. Back when we did Spaced – all I wanted was a sitcom, but when we made Shaun of the Dead it was just a case of “let’s try a movie”, but I had no idea it would lead to any of this. It was just a very low budget British movie that we managed to somehow get off the ground and it ended up being a global success. Then it all falls into place – someone sees the film and they call you up and the next thing you know you are in Mission Impossible 3 or Star Trek. It’s quite incredible

Are you a fan of Blu-ray?

Blu-ray is brilliant. Whenever anyone comes over to the house and they haven’t seen it I show them the first five minutes of Blade Runner on my big television. I’ve watched films that I have seen hundreds of times and on Blu-ray it’s like seeing them again for the first time. I watched Evil Dead 2 the other day and there was stuff in there I had never seen before. It is such a beautifully crisp format.

It sounds like you have an extensive DVD collection?

Yes, that’s my extravagance. I buy DVD’s. (laughing)I have a whole room full of them.

Is there anything we would be surprised to see in your collection – musicals perhaps?

I probably have Grease and West Side Story but I am pretty much a contemporary boy. It’s all mostly high concept stuff. My wife likes the older films. She is more likely to watch black and white films than I would. I’m more into John Carpenter and John Landis.

What about animation?

I do like animation. I have all the Toy Story’s and I already had all the Ice Ages in my collection.

”Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs” out on Blu-ray and DVD December 2