Gregory Mann discusses Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, in which he is the voice of Carlo and Pinocchio, in this interview.
Gregory Mann Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Interview
Gregory Mann is the voice of Pinocchio in the 2002 film, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. He is also the voice of Carlo. During this film he takes on the iconic role, but brings somethign completely new and special to him. He also sings. In this interview he discusses these new characteristics and more.
This Version Of Pinocchio Is A Bit Sassy. What Did You Enjoy About Portraying This Different Version?
Gregory Mann: My favorite characteristic of Pinocchio is how loud and energetic and boisterous he is. As much as I love having to fake cry, and scream and shout, I love just being the innocent young boy that Pinocchio is because the thing is, that was me two or three years ago. So, I could relate to him in a lot of ways. I love when I make those silly and innocent remarks, like when the cricket tells Pinocchio that Carlos is dead and he’s like, how do you lose someone? I love the lines like that, that really show how Pinocchio has just come into this world.
What Is Voice Acting Like For You?
Gregory Mann: I’ve always wanted to be in an animation. I’ve been in a few live action movies, a few commercials, and a TV show. And I said to my mom, I’d love to be in animation because I find it so fascinating. How, no matter what character you’re playing, when you’re behind the microphone, and you’re not actually there. Even though you’re not the character that you’re trying to be, you have to become him or her. Even though it’s an animation and even though I’m not Pinocchio, and I don’t look like him, I found that I had to become him and try to take on his personality. So even though you don’t have a costume and the set and the people around you, because a lot of the time I was in the booth on my own, the awesome thing is that you’re still being that character. And you’re not just the voice of it. You actually are it.
What Was The Biggest Challenge Voicing Two Characters?
Gregory Mann: There were a lot of challenges when I was recording for such a long amount of time. One of the main ones is, as any preteen boy, my voice is gonna eventually break. So that was a challenge for the directors and producers because we had to get everything as quick as possible. And especially with the singing, I’m so relieved that that is finally over because I’ve always loved singing, but it’s so unnatural for me to hit those high notes. So I had to have a voice coach for about six weeks. But I’m so happy that it did get to be my voice because they were contemplating if it was going to have to be a choir boy because I was close, but I wasn’t there. But I put the hard work in and eventually I did reach those notes and I got to do that those songs.
What Was Working With Guillermo del Toro Like?
Gregory Mann: It was honestly such an honor to work with Guillermo. It was like a walk in the park The way he does stuff is, it’s so awesome. Because sometimes I would look at a line and no matter how many times I say I just, I can’t deliver it. There’s challenges sometimes, but Guillermo could give me the perfect techniques, He’s like a magician. He’s not just a director. It is truly magic how he manages to come up with these prompts to help me, because it’s a lot harder to work with kids, and I was 10 years old. Tt would probably be different if I was recording today. It was it was so awesome to work with him.
What Makes This Version Of Pinocchio So Unique?
Gregory Mann: I think what makes this version so unique is that it’s not just an animation that is made to make money. It’s really a beautiful story. And I think what Guillermo said is that he tried to make it as naturalistic as possible. And it’s so pure, like when Pinocchio’s nose grows, the leaves grow out and branches come out instead of just going in a straight line. I think it’s so awesome that that’s the way he’s done it. And it’s also a little bit more creepy. But I think that makes the movie a lot more interesting and beautiful.
What Was It Like To Record Songs With Composer Alexander Desplat?
Gregory Mann: Alexander is such an incredible man to work with. He’s a very big perfectionist, which is obviously great for the viewers. But for me, it was a big challenge. I’m very happy with how it worked out. But no, it was awesome working with him. I’ve the same with Guillermo and acting is that I’ve learned these vocal techniques and how to hold certain notes that I’m just going to use for the rest of my life. So I’m so thankful of this.
What Was It Like Getting Cast As Pinocchio?
Gregory Mann: So it’s actually quite a funny story. It started off that it was just an animation. There was no title. It was sort of anonymous because it was a big secret. So my mum emailed me a list and it was one line. I had to say it sad, happy, angry, excited, confused, curious. And I was all for it. As I said earlier, I’d always wanted to be in an animation. So I put all the effort in and waited. And a few weeks later, I got an email saying callback for Pinocchio and I was really confused. I was completely shocked because even to get a callback for Pinocchio is such an honor. And so I was desperate for this part. I put all my effort in and for the final audition I went to a recording studio in London with one of the producers, Alex, and I had to say a few lines and then sing a song. The day I got the part I was at my friend’s house and I didn’t have a phone at the time because I was very young. So my friend’s mom walked in and she’s like, your mom’s on the phone and I was worried because I mean, I was on a playdate, that doesn’t really happen, but I picked up the phone and it was my brother and he said to me, Greg, can I call you Pinocchio? And I knew I got the role I was jumping up and screaming.
What Do You Hope The Audience Takes Away From Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio?
Gregory Mann: What I love about this movie is that it’s got so many morals. What I love is that it’s not just [Pinocchio and Gepetto] — there’s three main father and son figures. So, you can see throughout the film, there’s these relationships, and they get into conflicts. In the end, Geppetto realizes he loves Pinocchio, and that he is his son, and he is a real boy, and that your parents might call you things like a burden or treat you wrong. But in the end, they are there to love you.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.
NEXT: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Review
About Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Academy Award®-winning director Guillermo del Toro and award-winning, stop-motion legend Mark Gustafson reimagine the classic Carlo Collodi tale of the fabled wooden boy with a whimsical tour de force that finds Pinocchio on an enchanted adventure that transcends worlds and reveals the life-giving power of love.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio comes to select theaters in November, and to Netflix on December 9th.
