After a long wait, Antonio Banderas is finally returning as the titular sword-slashing feline in the long-awaited sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Since his first feature, Puss now finds himself struggling with his desire for action and glory when he’s sent to an old cat’s home, now down to his last of nine lives. When he learns of a legendary fallen star, and the promise of one fulfilled wish, the call to adventure is like catnip for our hero.
Before embarking on this quest, however, Puss is not immediately delighted to make the acquaintance of an odd character at Mama Luna’s Home for Retired Cats. Perrito, voiced by Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) is a tiny dog with a huge personality who sets out alongside Puss and Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek) to locate the wishing star. On their travels, the trio encounter others in search of that one wish, and they’re voiced by an ensemble cast that includes Florence Pugh, Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman, and John Mulaney among others.
Collider’s Steve Weintraub was able to sit down with Guillén ahead of the movie’s theatrical release on December 21. During their interview, Guillén walks us through the voice-recording process, and how he brought Perrito to life. He also shares the moment he first realized when What We Do in the Shadows was taking off and discusses his upcoming film, DC’s Blue Beetle, and teases his part in the film. You can watch the interview in the video above, or read the full transcript down below.
COLLIDER: You've done a lot of interesting things already through your career and obviously, Shadows is huge, but if someone has never seen anything you've done before, what do you actually want them watching first and why?
HARVEY GUILLÉN: Ooh, that's a good question. I try to pride myself in doing different roles that are different from each other. Something to start off with, [What We Do in the Shadows] you can't go wrong with. For animation, obviously, Puss In Boots would be great because those are two different characters. It depends what your demo is. Are you into comedy? Are you into more of a drama? Are you into more animation? It would depend, but I would definitely have a good menu for you. We have a starter and a main course and a dessert.
When they contacted you about the Puss in Boots sequel, did you even ask what the character was, or were you like, “Wait, you want me to voice a character in the Puss In Boots sequel? Where do I sign?”
GUILLÉN: Well, no, they asked me to audition first. It wasn't an offer, and they asked me, “Would you like to audition?” I thought that exactly. I was like, “You want me to audition? It would be an honor.” The audition alone, I thought, I'm not going to get it. You hope for the best, but you just do your best work and put it forward, but never have this entitlement of, “It's mine.”
I auditioned, hoping for the best, and then they said they wanted to do another Zoom with the director and everyone. I was like, “Okay.” And then they told me I got it. I just remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, what? This is happening?” Even then, I still didn't believe it through the recording session because you never know. Because Hollywood is so fickle. Something could change automatically. It wasn't until really recently that I was like, “I'm in this movie. I am in it. I'm doing it.”
And you have a big part.
GUILLÉN: And I have a big part. Yeah. Great.
If I'm being honest, I didn't know what I was expecting with the Puss In Boots sequel, but it's real good. Way better than I expected, and I'm recommending it to everyone. What was your reaction watching the finished film and seeing the animation and the story, and seeing it all come together?
GUILLÉN: I think it's fantastic. I didn't expect the animation to be so advanced. Because we're so used to animation [as] what it's been for the last decade, but this new version of what we're going towards in the future was just mind-blowing.
I just remember seeing it. I knew what the script was because we had recorded it and I could only imagine what it would be. I know what Puss looks like, and I know what Kitty Softpaws looks like, but to put them all together in this world, and the adventure they go on, just the smallest detail of twinkling blue lights and the dark forest that just are mesmerizing. It's a haunted, scary forest you're going into, but yet it looks so beautiful that you're like, “You know what? I'd take the risk. I'd go in there.” It's just beautiful. It was stunning.
What do you actually think would surprise people to learn about the recording process that maybe they don't realize?
GUILLÉN: Well, it seems people think, “Oh, you went in there, you did it in one day, and it's done.” No, it's a process. You go in, and you figure out who the voice is, and you discover it, and then you get directed.
Our director was amazing and the way the film came out, it looks like we were all in the same room performing in front of each other. And then, in reality, we're all in different time zones, different countries, even, because we all live around the world and [are] working around the world. It was the director who railed that in to make it look so cohesive and linear to the story that it looks like we went on this adventure altogether in the same room. It's hard work. It's a lot of hard work for animation. People don't know that.
I've spoken to a lot of people that do voiceover and they love doing it. They dread the efforts where you have to record the grunts and whatever those kinds of sounds are. Did you have to do a lot of efforts, and what are your thoughts on those?
GUILLÉN: I did, especially when he's trying to mimic the look for the cats, when he's being adorable and cute and he can't do it quite yet because he's already an octave higher than my voice. The straining had to go even higher than that. I remember doing that scene. I think we have footage of it, where it's just me going, [makes mewing noises], and just reaching for and reaching for, and really every ounce of my body just engaged. It's a lot of work. It's a workout.
Yeah. I think people don't realize when you leave the voiceover room, your voice is like, “Don't talk ever again.”
GUILLÉN: Yeah, “I'm taking a vocal rest.” Yeah, exactly that. You go home, you sleep like a baby, and you feel it because it's the only muscle that you were really just completely working out that day, full out, and the only instrument you can rely on to tell the story, as opposed to your whole body.
When did you actually realize What We Do In The Shadows was taking off?
GUILLÉN: I really didn't know what we were doing with the fans and whatnot. I knew that we had fans who adored us and did fan work, and it was amazing. But you have to remember that we shot Season 3 and 4 during a pandemic. Season 1 was a critical darling that everyone knew about, and if you knew about it, you were in the know. It was like you were cool to know about it because it was an independent thing, and then Season 2 it got more accolades and more attention. By Season 3 and 4, we shot those seasons under a pandemic. We don't really get to go out and about. It's not until recently walking down the street, I went out to dinner in New York last night, and we were walking out the door and this girl stops in her tracks and goes, "Excuse me."
You forget that people recognize you because of this program because we lived in a bubble for the last hibernation of two and a half years. It's only now that we're coming out of that bubble. You’re living your regular life that you lived beforehand, but you forget, “Oh, that's right. People are going to recognize because they watched the show.” That's when I start realizing it, when more and more people stop you on the street.
I'm really looking forward to the Blue Beetle movie, which I know you have a role in. Originally, it was going to go HBO Max and now it's going in theaters, what was your reaction when you heard, “Hey, this movie is going into theaters?”
GUILLÉN: I think it deserves to be in theaters. I think that is the best choice. The script is amazing. Angel [Manuel Soto], the director, has such a vision for it, and I'm so proud to be a part of it.
It's an all-Latino cast, and it's never been done, and the first Latino superhero – that's Blue Beetle, himself – is just going to be mind-breaking. It's going to revolutionize the way that kids are going to see themselves represented on television, on screen, in film, and the time has come that we need to show kids that they are valued, they are included [at] the table, and they are welcome to be part of this field. I'm really excited to be a part of that.
Have to ask you, who do you play in the film? What can you tease about your role?
GUILLÉN: Well, they haven't announced who I played in the film, and I can't announce it yet, but I will tell you that it is a crucial person to the overall story.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish premieres in theaters on December 21. For more on the movie, check out Collider's interview with Antonio Banderas below: