'King of the Hill's Pamela Adlon Says That Bobby Hill is Her "Favorite Character" She's Ever Done

New York Post

Watch 'King of the Hill's Pamela Adlon Says That Bobby Hill is Her "Favorite Character" She's Ever Done - New York Post on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Can you take me through what it was like learning of the show's revival?

00:04Who called you? Was it an immediate yes for you to return?

00:07Tell me, what was it like hearing this news?

00:09Well, A, of course, immediate yes.

00:14And two, Kathy Najimy, I guess for the past, like, 15 years, it seems longer,

00:21has been always sending, like, the cast, like, little snippets

00:24that she would hear, like, in a chat room that was in, you know,

00:30like, South Korea and that was attached to a Reddit

00:35and she would send the cast and I would be like, bro, it's not happening.

00:39And then when it really became a thing, you just pinch yourself

00:46because actually when we were recording the show,

00:48it was really a pinch me moment.

00:51Like, we kind of felt like, oh, this show is really special.

00:55Always from the beginning, it wasn't like, you know, just a job.

01:02It just felt like you were creating something that was just so profoundly

01:08stick-to-your-guts worthy, which is what King of the Hill always was to all of us.

01:17So it was really, like, a pinch me moment.

01:21I love that.

01:23And what was it like returning to such an iconic character like Bobby after so long?

01:29Well, I always say that he's my favorite character I've ever done

01:34and when I see a picture of Bobby, I think it's a picture of me.

01:37Like, I feel like it's my headshot and it's this cartoon 12, 13-year-old boy.

01:45And so it's an amazing gift to be able to portray a character

01:51that you feel so deeply connected to.

01:56Even though he always was a 12-year-old boy,

02:00where did I reach down into myself to, you know, be this kid?

02:08And the reality is, you know, he was always such a free-thinking,

02:12out-of-the-box character.

02:16And he was, you know, just happened to be being raised in Texas

02:22and in this small suburb with his parents

02:26who both, you know, have certain ways about them

02:30and ways of thinking.

02:31And Bobby always challenged them.

02:34And it's really fun now because you get to see Bobby

02:39with attributes of both his parents

02:43and yet still being himself.

02:46And so you get, like, the good, like, vintage King of the Hill stuff

02:51but also the fresh, new parts of the show

02:57that really, like, keep it relevant and exciting.

03:01Definitely.

03:02And one of those new aspects of Bobby

03:04is that we see him chefing up at a restaurant,

03:07Robota Chain, German-Japanese fusion restaurant.

03:12Were you at all involved in developing this plot line?

03:15Or, like, did you give any ideas

03:16for, like, any of his growth in this new season?

03:19Or were you just kind of presented with this idea

03:22and you rolled with it?

03:23They did all the work.

03:25And, you know, I like to think that maybe, you know,

03:29because my love of cooking and, you know, part of it

03:33is, like, maybe that would be cool for Bobby.

03:36But it's just kind of a great way

03:39to introduce his cooking method

03:43as opposed to using propane on a grill.

03:46So it creates a good little bit of static or friction.

03:54In an era that's filled with so many revivals

03:56and returns to older shows,

03:58what do you think sets King of the Hill apart from the others?

04:02I don't know about the other shows.

04:04I mean, it was really fun being in Comic-Con with South Park

04:08and the two shows, you know, are coming back

04:13at the same time, the new seasons.

04:16I feel like those shows are really, like,

04:21the thing about King of the Hill,

04:23it was always, like, a very handmade show

04:26and including, like, down to the animation.

04:30And it just really honors the characters

04:37and the detail and the situational stuff

04:47that they get into that's just part of where

04:50and who they are in that moment.

04:53And it's a very present show.

04:57And I learned a lot about writing myself

05:01from being an actor on King of the Hill

05:04and just letting moments land.

05:07And I feel, you know, like I said,

05:12I loved it when we were doing the original seasons

05:15and doing this new season was just rare air.

05:20And with there being such a huge fan base

05:24for this show from its previous 13 seasons,

05:27was there anything you were nervous about,

05:28I guess, with this revival?

05:30Like, navigating both an old audience

05:32and also welcoming it and opening it up

05:34to a new audience?

05:36Well, you start to feel, well,

05:39I start to feel very protective

05:41because it just feels like you don't want it

05:45to be just doing a show for the sake of doing it.

05:50You want it to be as good or special as it always was.

05:55And when you're coming in with something like this,

05:59you've got to probably even be a little bit more better.

06:03I know that this season also welcomed

06:06some new voice actors as well as a new showrunner.

06:08What was it like working with some new members

06:11of the cast and crew as well?

06:13Well, you know, full disclosure,

06:18in terms of recording, we don't get to see people.

06:22So when I found out that Keith David

06:24was a voice on the show, I was like...

06:26I couldn't believe...

06:29I was so frickin' excited

06:31because I'm such a huge fan

06:33and I love Ronnie Chang.

06:36But really, Saladin Patterson,

06:39who is our new showrunner,

06:41so it was like my third dad.

06:45That was so cool

06:47because we had this guy come in

06:50who's like an OG fan of King of the Hill,

06:54be able to really nurture it

06:57and develop it and bring it into the now.

07:00That's awesome.

07:02And do you think fans can expect more

07:05King of the Hill after this season?

07:07And if so, would you be on board for more seasons?

07:10I would...

07:11What am I, insane?

07:13Of course I'd be on board.

07:15That would be the best.

07:16That would be amazing.

07:18But just a gift to have done this one.

07:20Where do you see Bobby going forward

07:23if there is more to come?

07:25Well, I hope he can stay 21 for the next 20 years.

07:28And I don't know.

07:32I would never put anything on Bobby

07:35because he's like, even though he's me,

07:37he's like one of my kids.

07:39So I just want him to be fulfilled,

07:43healthy, and keep going.

07:46Yes.

07:47And with him growing older,

07:48did you work on anything

07:49to make your voice sound at all?

07:52It was just, you know,

07:54we talked about it a lot.

07:56We had a lot of meetings about it.

07:57And it's really, it was just like a nuance.

08:02Like, you know,

08:04I lowered the balls a little bit.

08:07I don't know if you could say that here.

08:10I said it.

08:12Yeah.

08:13I got a thumb up.

08:16My butt.

08:16Sorry.

08:17No, it was just,

08:21it was just like the tiniest tweak.

08:24And, you know,

08:25because you feel very protective of the character.

08:30And so, you know,

08:32they had every right they could have gone

08:34and gotten, you know,

08:35like a man,

08:38you know,

08:38a Barry White sounding

08:40or done something electronically.

08:42But we just did it,

08:44you know,

08:45with just a little change

08:46so people could get that,

08:48that Bobby feeling,

08:51but that he has grown.

08:54How else does your experience

08:55with voiceover work

08:56like on King of the Hill

08:57differ from some of your

08:58more onscreen acting roles?

09:00Well, I mean,

09:01it's just,

09:02it's just so easy.

09:04It's just,

09:06it's kind of the best feeling

09:08is to be able to go

09:09into a recording studio

09:11and, um,

09:14and lay down recording tracks

09:16and not have to worry about hair

09:19and makeup and locations

09:20and, um,

09:22wrangling all these things.

09:24It's, it's just,

09:24it's, it's really kind of

09:26a perfect, uh, world.

09:28And, you know,

09:29voiceover,

09:30I, I think that my first job

09:32when I was 10

09:34was a voiceover

09:35and it was an accident

09:36and it was when I first

09:38visited Los Angeles

09:39with my dad

09:40and now it's still

09:43my bread and butter

09:44and it's,

09:45and it's, uh,

09:46it's, it's just,

09:47it's the greatest world.

09:48So hopefully one day

09:50I could create

09:51my own animated show

09:52or movie.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended