Rock Paper Scissors Cast Discusses New Nickelodeon Series

Ron Funches, Thomas Lennon, Carlos Alazraqui, and Melissa Villaseñor discuss their new Nickelodeon series, Rock Paper Scissors.

Based on the game often used to make decisions, Rock Paper Scissors Rock, Paper and Scissors, who are a trio of best friends and roommates who lovingly compete over everything in hilarious and wildly absurd ways.

Throughout season one, the trio will go to extremes playing hide-and-seek around the world, running from the birthday police, defending the world from an alien invasion, going head-to-head with the Rat Bros and more. Rock Paper Scissors premieres on February 12th on Nickelodeon.

We caught up with Ron Funches (Rock), Thomas Lennon (Paper), Carlos Alazraqui (Scissors) and Melissa Villaseñor (Pencil) to talk about their new animated series, Rock Paper Scissors. They reveal how they felt when they first saw their character’s designs, as well as what they love about the series. They also talk about what they couldn’t wait to see animated when they read the scripts and their favorite part in Rock Paper Scissors so far.

Rock Paper Scissors Cast Discusses New Nickelodeon Series

Tessa Smith: What was it that drew you to want to be a part of Rock Paper Scissors?

Melissa Villaseñor: The cast and the scripts are really funny. And I really connected with my character Pencil.

Ron Funches: I wish I didn’t let Melissa go first. Because those were my exact answers.

Thomas Lennon: The scripts are one thing but the main thing that made me want to do it was auditioning for it and getting the part. Whenever that happens, I take the part. But the nice thing about this show is I actually showed all three of the early screeners to my 14 year old, and I laughed at them, and he loved them. It’s a fun show. 

Carlos Alazraqui: I echo the same. Working with Tom on Reno, obviously getting to work with Ron finally, and Melissa is just a joy. Kyle and Josh are great writers. They write really well for the characters. I used to love a show called Bottom with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson and it has that kind of desperation of three flatmates moving in together, their neighbor Pencil, the landlord, it’s just a great world that’s written really well. It’s a lot of fun. And I too, had to go through the auditioning process. And there’s something very satisfying about having to go through that and making it. So it’s just a joy. 

Tessa Smith: I’d love to know what you guys thought when you saw the design of your characters for the first time.

Ron Funches: I was excited because I was like, finally someone captured my true essence as a model. Chiseled rock features. I love it. He’s buff. He’s great. I think the whole world of the show looks beautiful. The mix of the animation with the photo collage type art that they do. I think it’s so unique and makes the show really stand out. I was kind of blown away as soon as I started watching it.

Melissa Villaseñor: I got really excited. I thought she was really cute.

Thomas Lennon: It’s one of those interesting ones where we had definitely been recording the show for a long time before you see even close to what anybody looks like. And I wasn’t really worried except for what would Scissors look like? How could you do that? And then I was very pleased with what Scissors happens to look like, but it was the one that was always sort of looming in my head. I was like, I really don’t know how you would do that. 

Carlos Alazraqui: As long as you make me look as good as Johnny Depp and Edward Scissorhands, I was happy and they’ve done it. They’ve done it.

Tessa Smith: And he has a tail.

Thomas Lennon: My favorite moment in the early three episodes is that we see it once and we’ll never see it again. I think what’s great about it is it’s really like a microcosm of the whole idea of the show, is that things like that can happen.

Tessa Smith: You’ve juts mentioned one of your favorite parts, does anybody else have any favorite parts of the first couple episodes?

Carlos Alazraqui: I love Jonathan fart joke and I love the fact that all the entire episode, Paper has his high brow opinion of comedy, and in the end he laughs because people are falling over during this giant fart. To be able to laugh at physical comedy and pain is lower than laughing at farts. I love that conclusion.

Ron Funches: For me, it’s in the birthday police episode. Just watching it and enjoying it and it was a moment where I fell in love with the show was just a joke where the police call Paper and ask him to snitch on Rock and Scissors and asked him what his life would be if he didn’t have Scissors and the first thing he thinks of is that he can’t afford his apartment. And I was like, that is such an adult fun and silly joke without being crude, without being anything. It’s such a great joke that I was like, Oh, this show is on one of those levels that I truly enjoy where it’s comedy for everyone. I could watch it with my niece and nephew and I can watch it with my like 30-40 year old friends and they all seem to really enjoy it.

Thomas Lennon: It’s a fun family comedy that seems to be inspired by the movie Inception. Sometimes. Not afraid to go that deep.

Melissa Villaseñor: I was telling them I liked the landlord the trash, voiced by Eddie Pepitone. It really really made me laugh. I think that was my favorite so far.

Tessa Smith: What’s your go to when playing rock paper scissors? 

Thomas Lennon: Obviously, rock.

Melissa Villaseñor: I do rock as well.

Carlos Alazraqui: I do scissors because a lot of people go do paper to cover rock and it’s just kind of a sneaky move. And so I’m gonna go with scissors, not to be my own character, but scissors.

Ron Funches: Rock is the correct answer.

Tessa Smith: When you got the scripts, what was the thing you were most excited to see on screen? 

Ron Funches: For me, it was a power shark. I was like, what’s the difference between a shark and a power shark and I learned quickly is that he’s so charming and sweet and like a great friend but aggressive.

Carlos Alazraqui: I wanted to see the janitors becoming superheroes. I just thought that was ridiculous and fun. And they pulled it off.

Thomas Lennon: I really love that this is a show that can commit to taking the most absurd wacky, let’s say in a way it reminds me of The Monkees in a way that I really love. That kind of show. Tt feels kind of like The Monkees where almost anything could happen, but then you’re also very grounded with these people back at their place. And then they can be in the future and they can be in space and a lot of crazy things can happen to them.

Carlos Alazraqui: There’s the potential for so many crossovers. You could imagine pop Rock Paper, Scissors, like The Monkees, in Land of the Lost, going on to Green Acres. They could just travel anywhere. They’re gonna be right at home because they have each other. That’s the beauty of it.

Rock Paper Scissors premieres Monday, Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT).