During the #FindingDoryEvent, we sat down with the amazing Albert Brooks, and the new voice of Nemo, Hayden Rolence. Brooks voices Marlin in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, so it was a pleasure to speak to “father and son” during the junket. Albert and Hayden has some great nuggets to share with us about filming, and their excitement over the story told in Finding Dory.
Q: Marlin is such a worrier as a father; I was wondering if you relate to that being a parent, or if you have a different style?
Albert: Well, when my children were younger, I worried more. Now I worry less, and pay more [laughter]. I’m a worrier, but not as much as Marlin. Nobody can worry as much as Marlin.
Q: Hayden, what was your favorite part about being able to voice Nemo?
Hayden: I loved being able to meet everyone who worked on the film.
Q: What was the biggest challenge?
Hayden: The biggest challenge was probably knowing that Nemo was already a character, and knowing that I wanted to do him justice.
Q: Albert, what were your thoughts when you heard that they were making a Finding Dory, and that you would be doing your role again?
Albert: It was so long between the two, I had given up on that. Ellen had campaigned for this on national television for ten years. I would see it occasionally and say “good. Let’s berate them into doing this [laughter]. But, I just want the product to be good. I want the people to like the movie, first and foremost. I think it’s going to be hard to hate.
Q: Hayden, did you do any sort of preparation? Did you watch Finding Nemo?
Hayden: I did watch Finding Nemo a lot, just to get myself prepared for trying to make my voice sound like Nemo. I live in Illinois, so I had to send in a tape. I was able to just watch the movie, then practice the scene, and watch the movie and practice the scene. I did that over and over again.
Q: What are you hoping families walk away with? What sort of message are you hoping that they learn?
Albert: I’m not a big message person, because I think that you sort of fail if you try to do a message. This really is a movie that you can take kids to, and you’ll sit through and enjoy. It’s the ultimate kids movies, but enjoyable. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie that like for a while. It’s funny without being sarcastic. It’s heartwarming without being schmaltzy. I think people will be surprised that there’s more feeling than they thought.
Albert is so full of wisdom, and Hayden was a joy to speak with. They were a great team during this interview.
Finding Dory is now in theaters, and has already broken the record for the highest opening weekend ever for an animated film!
