The Shrek Character You Forgot Was Played By Landman Star Billy Bob Thornton

In Chris Miller's 2011 animated fairy tale mashup film "Puss in Boots," the titular kitty (Antonio Banderas), a dangerous outlaw, dreams of retrieving a clutch of legendary golden eggs from a legendary goose. The eggs, as fairy tales have told us, can only be retrieved via climbing a magical beanstalk into a skybound castle, and the only way to grow such a beanstalk is to plant magical beans. 

The beans in question happen to be in the possession of Jack and Jill, the mythic couple best known for attempting to fetch a pail of water, but failing so badly that Jack fractured his skull. Jill, legend has it, also had quite a fall, although her injuries are not a matter of record. Fairy tales and accompanying illustrations typically depict Jack and Jill as children, but in "Puss in Boots," they are grizzled, outsize adults who run their own criminal enterprise. When Puss tries to steal Jack and Jill's magic beans, Jack whips out a pistol and opens fire. 

There is a lot more to the plot of "Puss in Boots," including the true motivations of Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), the capabilities of a rival cat named Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and the true nature of the above-mentioned goose. Jack and Jill also have a much more involved role in the story, but I shant reveal that here to preserve any potential surprises. 

What you might not have recognized is that Jack and Jill are played by, of all people, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. 

"Puss in Boots" is, as many likely know, a spinoff of the "Shrek" series, giving a whole movie to the character that first appeared in the box-office breaking hit "Shrek 2" in 2004. The first "Shrek" was a boon for the animation industry in many ways. It proved that DreamWorks could compete with Disney in the animation marketplace, for one. Just as significantly, though, it was one of the first major animated films to sell itself on the star power of its voice cast, each one of them better-known for live-action work. Celebrities had participated in animated films before (even "Shrek's" own Eddie Murphy appeared in "Mulan" three years earlier), but "Shrek" was one of the earliest to put big names on its poster. We even called "Shrek 2" one of Murphy's best movies. After "Shrek," most major animated productions sought out live-action movie stars to voice their characters. 

Billy Bob Thornton was just the latest to join the celebrity lineup. Although, unlike Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow before him, his name wasn't highly used in advertising. 

As of this writing, "Puss in Boots" is only Thornton's second animated film job. He previously provided the English-language dialogue for the character of Jigo in the American dub of Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke." On TV, Thornton has also provided voices for animated shows like "King of the Hill," "CatDog," and "American Dad!" He has also narrated several documentary films, but that is a different skill. 

Moreso, though, Thornton is best-known these days for his high-profile prestige TV shows like the David E. Kelly drama "Goliath" and, currently, the gangbusters Taylor Sheridan series "Landman." The show is not realistic, but it's deeply beloved.