The Cast Of Bob's Burgers Interact Just Like Their Characters, And It's The Absolute Best [Interview]
H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, and Larry Murphy have been providing the voices of Bob Belcher, Linda Belcher, Tina Belcher, Gene Belcher, Louise Belcher, and Teddy on the animated series "Bob's Burgers" for over a decade. It's clear that over the last 11 years, their personalities and relationship dynamics have slowly morphed to resemble what we see on screen, and so much of their characters' personalities come from their own brilliant, comedic instincts. In preparation for "The Bob's Burgers Movie," I was given the great honor to interview the cast ... at the very, very end of a long day of interviews.
The "Bob's Burgers" cast had been trapped together in perfectly arranged chairs for peak YouTube video presentation purposes for nearly eight hours by the time I was up to bat. For the most part, they all utilize a voice that's pretty dang close to their natural speaking voices to bring their characters to life, which makes interviewing them as a collective sound like you're witnessing an episode of "Bob's Burgers" in real time. Full disclosure: I'm going to spell out "H. Jon Benjamin's" name anytime he talks, because calling him "H. Jon" makes him sound like the world's least impressive SoundCloud rapper, and I'm not about to disrespect a living comedic legend like that. If this article were an episode of "Bob's Burgers," I'd title it "Interview with the Glam-pire," with me acting as the titular glam vampire for reasons that will become apparent as you read these hilarious interactions.
Why the Belchers are one of the best families on television
The Belcher family is frequently hailed as being one of the best families on television. What do you think it is about each of your individual characters that resonates with audiences so deeply?
Roberts: I think Linda's a fun East Coast kind of mom that a lot of people have met before. She wears her heart on her sleeve and she loves her kids. She would go through anything for her kids to protect her family. And she's got a great sense of humor and she's a good singer.
Mirman: Yes. I would say each character is like an archetype of a real kind of person.
Mintz: Tina, I think, is very authentic and just is into what she's into. And doesn't try to like, change herself to be someone else's idea of what you should be.
Schaal: That's true, and Louise is — she is really challenging. I think she always tries to challenge the status quo and shake things up and go on adventures. She's feisty.
H. Jon Benjamin: I will say Bob, he's dependable and supportive. He's willing to learn from all of his family members.
Mirman: Did I answer?
Schaal: You did, didn't you?
Mirman: I answered real broadly, which is fine. That's my answer.
H. Jon Benjamin: I think everybody fell asleep when I was talking.
[whole room laughs]
Roberts: I did.
Schaal: It's this voice!
H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, I don't mind it.
Schaal: This whole day of press with this voice behind my head in a dark room and I'm supposed to stay awake?! Do you want to switch seats?
H. Jon Benjamin: No, you don't have to.
Roberts: Guys, it's been a long day. [plays with Kristen's hair] Can we get hair in here?
[whole room laughs]
Kristen Schaal on Louise Belcher
So Kristen, I can throw a question to you. A lot of the characters in the movie are showing a new sense of vulnerability, but I think none more so than Louise. So what was your process like to bring that authenticity to the anxieties of a small child?
Schaal: It's easy to access my inner child and having a kid, too, I mean, she's so vulnerable. I felt really protective of her story and the whole process and it got pretty raw. There were some times where I felt a little shook up in the booth because she's really going through it and she's small and she doesn't want to be small anymore. I wish all little kids could know that it's temporary and to just enjoy being a little kid, because it's going to be over before they know it. But yes, the process was vulnerable and sweet, and as a mom and a former kid myself, I felt very protective of her.
That's beautiful.
[H. Jon Benjamin chortles]
Schaal: What?
H. Jon Benjamin: Well, I didn't mean to, I was just scoffing.
Roberts: That was nice! That was sweet!
Schaal: It was dumb.
H. Jon Benjamin: No, it wasn't.
Roberts, Mintz, Mirman, Murphy: No, no!
H. Jon Benjamin: I like it. I laughed when you said, "as a former kid."
Schaal: We're all former kids.
H. Jon Benjamin: I know. That's why I thought it was a funny way to phrase it.
John Roberts connects his YouTube career to Linda Belcher
My next question is for John Roberts. I have to confess that I am admittedly a very large fan of your early YouTube videos. They were very formative for my junior high self. I'm curious how it feels, knowing that some of this character work you developed that just went on YouTube is now going to be in a future film?
Roberts: It's probably the best conclusion to that. My YouTube videos — and when I started them, obviously I was trying to put myself out there and my comedy out there in the world, but this is beyond my wildest dreams. And to have that thread, it's very special and unique to me as an artist in my career. I'm so lucky to be attached to all this other huge talent to start off by yourself and from that small place with YouTube and to end up here, it's just been beyond.
Schaal: But you were basically back on YouTube, right? Is this going to go on YouTube? This interview?
I'm actually going to write this because I don't need anyone seeing my face or spooky lookin' office during this.
Whole cast: NOOOOOO!
Schaal: No, come on! You're so beautiful!
Roberts: Look at your cheekbones! Aw, so lovely.
Thank you! I showered today just for you all!
Schaal: This is the most together interviewer we've had.
Louise and Gene Belcher have ended the chat
Oh, thank you! [blushes profusely and tries not to cry with joy] I have one last question before they kick me out, because I don't get a whole lot of time, but I'd love to know what sort of conversations are you hoping that audiences are going to have once the credits roll, they leave the theater, and they head off into their lives?
Murphy: I hope they say that it's a fun ride. Right?
Roberts: I want them to want to hang around the Belchers more. I want them to go home feeling like they're connected to the characters and that they want to do deep dives into season 1 if they haven't. And then go from there and just to love the characters and to love the world and to feel some kind of emotional attachment to it.
Schaal: I hope they're like, "Do you know what you want for dinner? Let's go get those chicken wings. Oh, We had those just yesterday? Okay. Well what do you want for dinner?" [whole cast laughs] "Well, do you want to cook? Oh, I'm too tired to cook. Well, we can just swing by in the store." That's what I want.
Mirman: And I hope they look up the history of swimming pools! [whole cast laughs] Hope they're just like, "All right, let's investigate! When did they start?!"
"The Bob's Burgers Movie" hits theaters on May 27, 2022.