Hondo Ohnaka

How are you doing out there? It's me Tigger. I am Doc Wing Duck. It's me bouncers keep babcat All right, y'all? Did it ring your favorite bibly you desire hold old nag. My name is Jim Cummings and welcome to tune Jim. Welcome to tuned in with Jim Cummings here on the four Finger Discount Network. I and Brendan Dando joined right now by the professor of pop culture. He is Guy Davis. Hello, Podcast Pounds, as well as producer Chris over there. Hey you doing, Chris good? How's

everyone doing? Everyone's doing fine down here in the landown under, and of course they're the man of the hour. He is the one and the only Jim Cummings here to talk about Hondo anaka had on SUPERB. Thank you for asking, how's the life of a scoundrel? You know, it's good. It's good to be the pirate. Pirates get away with a lot. The thing is, you can't be the bad guy who's just evil. He's just this, he's just that. Because I tried to give Hondo a certain sense

of humor about himself and about his coach to it. In fact, this is the one character him and probably Darkwing Duck are the two characters, but definitely Hondo that I just ad libbed a ton of tons of things. And in fact, while we're making a movie, Christopher Robin, one of the producers, came up to me and says, do you subscribe to Vanity Fair? And I don't know. He said, well, just pick up the

one on the news stand now and read through it. And I said, okay, So I did, and right in the middle of the magazine it had this little tribute to Hondo O Naka and his top twelve most famous lines that did he had, And he had tons of lines, you know, like, oh, my goodness, is it a the stories like good Deel, so many of them true, you know. And he just came up and I realized as I went down the line there, I made up ten of them. Ten of them were ad libs. So I felt really good.

So I'm glad Hondo. I'm glad I was here too. You're bringing him out into the world. I'm guessing that someone at Vanity Fair might be a bit of a Gyms Cummings fan, because there was also an article in that magazine around the time Christopher Robin came out saying there is an Oscar worthy performance and Christopher Robin Chris, were you running for Vanity Fair at that time?

Yeah, but there it was. It was Jim Cummings gives an Oscar worthy performance voicing Winnie the Pooh. I'm like nice, Yeah, yeah, I was told about that I and then about that one. So now I have two. Now I have two Vanity Fairs. You're waiting for the next one. Why are they talking about me anymore? Yeah? A couple of years the best podcast online Top twelve episodes of two D with Jim Cummings In the next episode of Vanity Fair, hopefully. Yeah. But you know you

said you improvise Hondo quite a bit as well as Duck Quen Duck. Have you ever improvised something when you've gone it's probably a little bit non PC for Star Wars or do you sort of are you able to sort of get yourself at the moment and go, no, don't cross that line. There is there a line you just never crossed with Hondo. Uh hard to say. I'm sure I crossed it a few times. It just didn't make it to the Yeah you know, um they went and delete. Yeah, I mean

I could remember silly ones. I mean that this has nothing to do with Hondo, but just basically, there were these two hillbillies. Um, I think it was in a I can't even remember what it was, but it was these two hillbillies and they were going across the desert and they were looking for something or this and that one and it felt on one guy says this and that another thing, and I said, well, well that eight man, it must be Yurin. And I ended up back in the studio redoing

that line. Now you have to say yours. You can't say yurine. I said, okay, fine, So nothing to do with Hondo. But I wonder how many gems Disney have to their name because of you that you've improvised. It could probably be never ending what's linking? For one, you got the fat joke in oh yeah voice. I'm good at that. I've done that with two major motion pictures. Thank you, Yes, Ray the firefly oh scued me and um and then of course uh Kunamatada and I got

down hotter, tell him how did you feel? Every time? Did I poom? But not in front of the kids. Sorry, Koona Amatata Jess Harnell and I did the demo for that so that the other two guys could And then and they kept And I remember going up to Don Han with the premiere and I went, you kept the fart joke in. He goes, well, it's funniest thinking of a movie, and I went, oh, oh good, yeah, I meant to do that. Yeah, okay, I don't see the fat joke taxing my paycheck though, so yeah I don't.

Yeah, I don't. And where did that? Where's that residual? That's literally the moment everyone remembers from that song. You did it? You have no credit to it, that's insane. But yeah. And then I read it was in at the La Times and I and it was interesting. They said something about never in a Disney movie has there been a reference to a bodily function, so blatant and so cleverly done, and blah blah blah,

and then they they quoted me and uh. And of course they gave it to Nathan Lane because they said that Nathan, oh my, you know, and I think, oh, yeah, I'm gonna strangle him, and then uh, and then they and then they also praised the most deliciously demonic, not demonic but whatever villain song ever. You know, that was be prepared and Jeremy did the first part and the great guy uh you know, and his incredible voice that that speaking voice is amazing. But you know I

finished the song. I did little sidestep there, but don't tell anyone whatever you do. But bringing Hondo to life? What did you want to express about Hondo? Not just in the dialogue, but the way Hondo just sounds. It's like you're painting a picture of his history every time that he talks.

Well, you knew Hondo, he was too incredible. Kick that I does you'le brenna in Charles Bronson, And that's one way to cover your tracks because that way you're not doing a dead on impression of somebody and um, and that's kind of one of my philosophies anyway, if you do a bad impression, it's a new character. So I purposely did a mix of two pretty strong characters. You'll Brenner and Charles Bronson, excuse me, and you kind of put him together and out came Hondo, and then you just make

him braggadocious and full of himself. So yeah, I was I just loved him. I got two Emmy nominations out of out of that, ye know, one year, and I'm oh for five. By the way, thanks for bringing it up. What were the other three but two? Well, Tigger was up, dark Wing was up once. But that year I was. There were five nominees and I was two of them, and I really yeah, I didn't win Tigger and Hando and the same with any awards. You know, I'm really good at presenting and I'm great at being nominated.

There's not all that good at winning. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Yeah, that's okay. Yeah, but you know what the check cleared, Like my agent said, that's all about okay, it's most of what matters, Jimmy. We've spoken in the past about the physicality that that you that comes to the four when you're voicing your characters, and I mean your name checked. You're Brenner and Charles Bronson, both very dynamic, strong physical

presences. You say you'll bring an automatically thinking him, hands on the hips, standing up, very Yeah. I'm wondering if you feel that in your body when you're in the booth and you're voicing Hondo. I mean sort of pretty much. You gain a couple of inches in stature, and you know, yeah you shoulders get a bit broader. Yeah, yeah, you know it helps, It helps, you know, and with characters like that, a lot of people sit, and uh, you know I sit sometimes,

but I like to stand. You open up the diaphragm. It's probably from singing, you know. Nobody slumps it over and sings because I started off singing so long ago, and it's just more natural. Everyone used to work in radio. We used to have a standing studio and you always founded. The atmosphere and in the energy in the room was so much better when we're all standing. Just I guess we get around a bit better. Yeah,

oh yeah, yeah. I remember the last time I was in Australia, I visited gosh, it must have been five or six eight radio stations and they were really cool, really great people, and every one of them was standing. You know. It was awesome, you know, very cool. We should probably mentioned he coming back to Australie. So you don't you for super over in June. Yes, I am, come on down on, gonna be a good time. June seventeenth, I believe is Sydney. And

then you're hitting over the following week to Perth. Perth is gonna be lovely, very good weather over there in Perth. Oh good, absolutely, well I was crazy about Brisbane. Couldn't what a beautiful place. Oh my gosh, too bad. There's no good food. I'm kidding. Yeah, good, everything down here. But let's go back to the birth of Hondo. So you've just read the pitch for the character. How close was your first impression of Hondo to what you eventually settled on for the role. Well,

it's the voice and everything was the same. You know, the audition they you know what they'll do, uh is because it could be a couple of months between the audition and the actual show, and it usually is. And uh so they you know, they said, okay, well here we go. Here, we're gonna play this for you in blah blah blah, and there was Hondo and I just jumped right in and started swimming. And it's it's interesting he uh he was written into two shows, two maybe three?

Yeah, uh and um what happened. And I'm so blessed. I'm so grateful and thankful. You know, George Lucas liked him really specifically, George w Yeah, and have you met George once a long time ago? And then when I got the Emmy nominations, Uh, he wrote me this really nice letter and uh yeah and he signed it and everything, and uh so it was great, you know, it was and it was just an honor.

And he was only in maybe like two two and a half shows and that was it, right, yes, yeah, yeah, and uh, I guess George saw it and he said, wait, who's this um, Okay, bring him back. I like this guy, you know, condo And so I think I finished off the tail end of that first season there that I was in, and then I was in five or six of the next one, and then the show concluded. But they went on from Clone

Wars to be a Star Wars Um Rebels the Rebels. Yeah, and he showed up again and he was a little bit older but still just as big a con man and uh and he was hanging out with Ezra and you know, the whole gang. And I just loved it. I could not believe that they incorporated this guy into yet another of the of their shows. And I guess it was a universal feeling, thankfully. And I can remember years after that being invited to go down to Disney on the lot, uh and

okay, and what are we doing? And well, it's apparently it's something to do with Hondo and Naka. I go, oh, oh, well that's nice. And there I'm in there and the guys are walking me through

and it's just like with a movie. They storyboard these movies and you you walk around and there's like a wall of frames and pictures and you know, storyboard, story blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, you know, and they walk you through it and then you know, Pooh comes crashing in and flies away and saves the day and defeats the dragon and you know, the whole bit. And so um, it was interesting. They're they're showing me one thing after another, and I'm going, okay, well this is good.

And I go, I mean, gosh, how you know, you're talking about recording things and you're talking about doing that, which is great. I'm going to be there. Oh so you like it? And I go, well, what's not to like? Yeah, of course I like it, you know, And I said, but isn't this going to take forever to build? An IgA? Oh we're almost done, I said, Oh, get out of here. You know, they just started it and too bad. Yeah yeah, we say no, well yeah, well just I

said, yeah, try and stop me. Yeah, there's a slim chance I would like to do this, So can we make make that happen? And here we are, and I can't tell you how cool the ride is. I really want to delve into Smugglers Run. Everything would be letter in the show, because that's just that's incredible. The fact that this character that started up with a couple of episodes in Clone Wars as now the face of

Galaxy's Edge, it's amazing. Well, you know, the big leap for me was always the fact that he started off in a television show and ended up right smack dab in the middle of the Star Wars universe. I mean he's still the Millennium Falcon. Yeah, I mean okay, well, yeah, let's do that. Then. There's definitely elements of Han Solo in the role. You can see that he is of the modern style. He's kids today growing up with their version of Star Wars. Hondo is their Han,

I think could be. Yeah, yeah, he's much better looking. Is the anti hero. It's much fatter looking at he's indeed, yes, but Yeah, so you're you're touching on earlier inspiration for the role and things like that. But who would you say is a Hondo fan? Everybody loves a good rogue. So what do people like about the character of Hondo and has

their feedback ever shaped the way that you view and play Hondo. Uh, well, we haven't been recording him much lately, so you know, they're watching all the you know, the raft of shows that are out there. Yeah, and uh so it's you know, it's it's a gas you know, and inevitably the the young men like him, then wow, old man like me, everybody, everybody, everybody loves a lovable rogue, you know, and a guy who he's and he's not a bad bad guy. He

kind of used to be, but he's been mellowing with age. And it's like he once said, I may not be as young as I once was, but I'm older and you know, and he says, it's like it's a good thing, because it is a good thing. Yeah, and uh, you know, I'm just flabbergast that I love the fact that people glom onto him, and I think it is that everybody loves a rogue. You know, he's not an evil guy, but you know you don't want to trust him with your bank card. Don't leave Walt on the table. Yeah,

no, Jim. Hondo wasn't the first Star Wars character that you've voiced. I mean you've voiced characters like Master a Tag and the General Skylast in Star Wars the Old Republic, is that right? The APG game? Yeah? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, but not really anything to sort of write home that. I mean you, yeah, now you're like a true central part Star Wars Galaxy with Hondo. And I mean you mentioned the sort of the material and all the behind st but behind the scenes stuff that

you were privy to when you were first introduced. I mean, was there a lot of education, a lot of homework that you had to do and sort of like the who, the what, the why and the why. I mean, Star Wars is a saga, man, there's a lot going on. Oh yeah, what's he? Fortunately I was a fan ware before I was in the universe. I wanted to touch on that to your your Star Wars fandom. Yeah oh yeah, well you know, I remember I was living in New Orleans. I want to say it was you were twenty

five when the first film came out. Oh that was okay, But I don't even think I was at old. Were you fifty two? When are you born? Well? When when when did Star Wars come out? The first one? Seventy seven? Okay, so yeah, I would have been twenty yeah, almost twenty five. Yeah, and uh so old enough to know better, but didn't. And I just remember being absolutely blown away,

you know. I just couldn't believe it, you know. And uh and and it's just and it's one of the coolest things not to name drop oops

too late. Mark hamill Um and I were actually talking on the phone the other day, and I remember it was interesting because we were doing Tasmania as would happened you you may have heard of that place, um, and I was, I was up there and I was doing my thing, and uh, I think Tim Curry took a swing at Batman or the Joker, I should say, and they said, well, and they moved on to Mark. And Mark was brilliant as the Joker and the Batman Man cartoon series.

You remember that. I'm sure he is the Joker to a whole generation of fans. Yeah, Oh, he is the Joker, he really is. And he's just bloody amazing at it. And one of the producers said, you know, we're an up in Building B and down and Building A. They were. They were doing Batman and we all kind of knew that, and the buzz was that, Oh my god, did you know that Mark Camil's gonna be the new Joker? Get out you're kidding. Oh well, I'm gonna have to go down there. And as it turned down, I

was coming up and I was getting out of my car. As it happened, I had my mother in law, my mother, and my good old aunt Nan God bless their souls. They were there that day watching Jim go to work, and uh so they're kind of sitting there in the lobby and I look out there and like I said, there's, oh my god, there's Mark Camill. You know, I'm gonna go say hi, and so my god, oh my god. Yeah, I was kind of like that,

you know, Mark Hamill. And so I walked down and I said Mark, Mark, and he goes, Jim, I'm Jim, and I went he knows my name? And and I walked up and I go, hey, man, I congratulations, I hear you're you're down here slumming with us. You're gonna do some cartrions. Oh my god, I've been an animation fami my whole life. Are you kidding me? I love this stuff? So anyway, give me some dark wing duck. What give me some dark wing duck? Um? I am the terror that flaps him. And

oh that's good. That see that's good. So it's in the mask. Uh okay, sure, Oh give me some pooh. Well, I suppose if I had a smack rel of honey. Oh that's amazing. See it's not really falsetto, is it? And I go, um no, I don't, I don't, I don't what? And how about tiggers? Oh, wonderful thing about tiggers? He goes, Oh my god. See that's just like Paul Winchell. That's amazing. So it all comes from right right here. You're not getting to meet me. I'm getting to meet you,

Okay, let's get that straight. I'm the fan fan you're you remember, you know. But he's just so selfless and self effacing. He's one of my best buddies in the business. Great, great guy. So when you first saw the film, where did you Where did you see it? Who'd you see it? With? Tell Us about your first experience watching Star Wars film. It just boggled my mind. Well, I you know, that

was all breakthrough stuff. Yeah, you know all that. I mean, whether it was the green screen, I don't even remember if they had it fixed then, but you know the way that the speeders went across and it looked like they were hovering, and it was. It was just one thing after another. And then I even liked the way the guns sounded. Yeah. And then subsequent to that I saw the making of the sounds of Star Wars. Do you guys know how they did that. Well, they would

go out and to the country in America. We got a lot of country and they would go up to these gigantic telephone poles and there are big steel cables tied to the top and brought down to the ground, maybe about fifteen twenty feet awek pounded into the ground tight as a drum and you know, like a violin string, and they would get the mic, hold it up to the cable and pound the cable with a hammer. That's the pure fuel. Yeah, and then they would go home and dip it in reverb.

Okay, we've got we've got a gun sound. That's how guns sound in the Star Wars long ago in a galaxy far far away. Fund a little trivia fact there, brilliant. If you're enjoying everything we do, hear it tuned in and want access to even more Gym Cummings podcasts, you can support

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becoming a member of the tuned in family today at patreon dot com. Slash Jim Cummings podcast link is in the description of this show. Do you remember where you saw the film? What cinema? He was in New Orleans? You know, I was with friends with a girlfriend. Uh no, I think it was just with a couple of buddies, just a couple of buddies. Yeah, yeah, couple of my buddies. You've got a guy. You would have been how old at the time, would have about eight,

would have been near seven or eight years old. Yeah, I was born in sixty nine. Yes, you would have had a whole you had had the kid experience, you know, Yeah, absolutely, yeah. I mean I always say, you know, I walked into the cinema one person, I walked out a different person. An absolute mind blower. And of course this is um this is the day's prior to UM VHS, prior to DVD

all that kind of stuff. Oh. Absolutely, So I must have seen it like seven times at the cinema because you know, you'd go, yeah, Sadia, mate, what are we going to do? Let's geese? Star was that's what you did? It was like a hobby. Well I had. You know, when I first made my first demo tape, I was working at a video store in Anna High Mills. My sister and brother in law owned a few of them with their friends. And that's an episode in itself. By the way, you managing a video store. I want

to get into some store day. Yeah, I'm afraid it's probably not, but okay, anyway, yeah we're gonna do. But I remember when Star Wars was being released. They gave us these placards and it said Star Wars coming August of blah blah blah, you know, and a guy would come in once a wee can go so, have you got Star Wars yet? And I go, George, it's June. Look at the sign. No, I don't have it. You made the film, you should know this.

Yeah. Yeah, it was a different George. But you know, and when I came out, you know, we had the big screens such as they were back then, and I just put it on in the morning and just let it play all day. Get out another one. I didn't even real wind it. Put it in another tape to tech to rewind it. Got a fresh one, put it in there. We'll watching Star Wars again. And I would have people, you know, the guys from the pizza joint would down the street would come up and they'd bring slice of to

a pizza. Dude, you mind if we sit and watch? Yeah, I go right ahead, go alright ahead. There, the cople the squat there. Man, it's so good, you know, And it was it was it was Star Wars time. Yeah, so you know, to allow me to be a little asterisk in that universe is okay, yeah, you know, not to steal any of Jim Sun because this has tuned him with Jim Cummings, not with God Davis. But my dad brought home our first m vcr F first video recorder back in nineteen eighty or nineteen eighty one or

something. I was like, oh, that looks cool. Oh, we'll be able to record us with the tippy. Then he pulled out from me on his back VHS of Star Wars. It's like, father, I've never loved you more that. Oh yeah. Just a quick question, quick question for you, Jim, just your experienced growing up with Star Wars. Did that inform any of your performance as Hondo or did that inspire anything inside of

that character for you? Well? Yeah, yeah I did. Actually in a way, that's a pretty good question because I noticed that if you notice that, I mean, every now and then there'd be an Australian Star Wars character or or from you know, Tasmania, and a lot of Brits in in in the Star Wars universe. One yeah, you know, yeah, everyone, yeah, I mean, and then Darth Vader whatever, he was so cool. He didn't you didn't know where it was from. You didn't

care because it was James Earl Jones. I knew that I wanted to make him sound well, which is what I always say when they get a British guy or an Australian guy, Well they want him to sound foreign, but we still would like to understand what the hell he's saying. So and that's that was kind of my guideline with the Hondo. I said, well, we got to make sure he sounds foreign, but it'd be still fun to know what he's talking about, you know. So that's that's kind of where

that came. Man. I think with the Hondo character, you bring you bring a real chum wit to the Star Wars universe that allows shows like Clone Wars and Rebels to appeal to viewers of all ages. You know, the Hondo. The dialogue's clever. However, more importantly, I think just your delivery is so commedially time to perfection that even though kids may not truly understand what he's saying, they're still able to enjoy it. It was always obvious

that Hondo was going to be such a generational role. No, not at all. Like I said, he was in and out two three episodes. I think it was in two episodes, then out of one, then a really smile part in the next one, and that's all you thought he was going to be ever just three episodes. Yeah, yeah, well I had no idea. I had no idea A little did I know that Jim Cummings was going to be voicing him and then the whole world was going to change? Oh yeah, the whole world. Well, the whole world, My

whole world change, that's for sure. Because everybody you want to do I mean it be associated with Star Wars, Well let me think. Okay, yea, yeah, let's do that. You know. So it was awesome. It's an honor and I'd take it very seriously. I don't take myself seriously, but I take I take the work seriously. Did you audition for any other roles for Clone Wars before you got Hondo? Was Honda the first one you went for? No? Uh, you know, I auditioned for

um. I think Boba was it? Boba fat? I didn't I wasn't feeling it. But but Hondo, I really really liked it because because of the way he was written. You know, he was clever, and he wasn't like I said, he wasn't an evil, evil bad guy. Anti hero yeah yeah, anti hero yeah, and some people have likened him.

To excuse me, a character I did for Tailspin called Don Carnage and they said Don Carnage in Space and I said, well, he doesn't sound liked I mean, no, he doesn't sound like it, and I go, okay, good, you know, but they both they both have a tongue in cheek and they're kind of self effacing. But you don't want to but don't turn your back before you did a really good Mark Hamill? Do you do any good Star Wars impressions? Like can you do the voices? Like?

Have you did? You ever used to do them? Going? I think everyone's tried to do at least a Yoda at some point, you know what I mean? Like, do you do any of the Star Wars characters? She is you know? My throat? Actually? Hope, I can? You know? You da? You know? That was it? And oh that's funny. We can all do that one. Pretty scary, huh. It's like he was in the room. That's what I love about.

There was a film that came out several years ago called Rogue One, and that's what I felt that the newer Star Wars films might have been lacking. Was that that hero that's sorry, that villain like Darth Vader where all you had to hear was the and everybody panics. You know, it's just that that role was James L. Jones's such a fantastic job with that, with that role, it was incredible. You know. I had occasion to meet him a couple of times and were just a giant of a man, a

big, big hearted fellow. And I will tell you this, um this this a little out of school story, so it's perfect for this. I was recording many many years ago, but also many many tons at times, in the place called Buzzies down on Melrose in Hollywood, and I went into the bathroom did my thing. I'm over there washing my hand and I hear I hear this incredible voice going, this is cn N. This is c N N No, that's known, right, this is c n N. Yes. Then he got to read. He was getting to read in his

head. Wow way yeah, I mean it's like wow, okay. So I was there when he got the this is CNN, this is c NO, this is cn N. And of course he went in there and recorded probably two lines, probably two takes and left and grillions of dollars later, here we are. That is just astonishing. Now I get to tell us yet another classy story from Jim Gummings. That's in the bathroom. Thank you,

oh man, oh man. But you know, with the way Hondo right, the way it was selected to play you mentioned Smuggles Run earlier. Way it was selected to play such a pivotal role in Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge,

it's pretty obvious how important Disney themselves see the character. Tell us about you know, you touched on it earli about the story was, But tell us how they first approached you about making that right and like, did you know it was going to be more than a right at the time when I were pitching it too, Like because you got the big animatronic and he was out at the ground opening and things like that. He's such a it's almost like

the face of Galaxy's Edge. Oh we are, well, very much so, only it were mine, but I think we look a little alike. But you know, no, I mean, honestly, it was an incredible honor I've had over the years. I've had X amount of rides there, you know, the Winnie the Pooh, the Winnie the Pooh ride right was on one? Was he not? Yeah? He was for a while. And now I guess they're going to redo Thunder Mountain as Princess Tiana's something.

Um, but Ray was in any number of shows, you know, the Fantasmic and Winnie the Pooh and Tiger all over the place, and you know now with the Galaxy's Edge, and it's just I kind of can't believe it a little bit. And King Louis and I've done any number of shows for Disneyland, for the Ride and Tokyo Disney. King Louis got this amazing, unbelievable show that he anchors, and he's just really going around doing this thing by bah bah bah bah bah ba. I'm buying. Yeah, I'm the

King of the Swingers. Whoa the johnle v Appy and and it's like everybody's dancing, everybody's clapping, and it's cool as hell. That's you see me small because my kids that is their favorite song at the moment. We listen to it every time you go in the college. Was this thing? You see? It just makes me small? Oh? And rightly so they're clearly of young ones of discerning taste. Good job dad, my two year old

joungle book johnle Book. Yeah. And I you know, I work with Phil uh, you know, the great Phil Harris any number of times. And that was just I was just threw the roof on that. That was amazing. That was a bucket list thing. Of course he's no longer with us. He was a very much older Fellah you're doing they're lead little bridges and just raciently, do I dare announce this to the world? Um?

No? I Uh. There was a big celebration that they put together Rick Dempsey and the gang at Disney character voices and they needed and I was on the phone with him and he was we were talking about it. I don't even remember. We were talking about it just a couple of months ago. He said. I said, so what are you guys doing now? He goes, oh, I'm going nuts trying to find a balloo And I said, oh, come on there, how are can that be? You know, you just you gotta use up bare necessities. He goes, oh,

God, now you're gonna be blue. And I said, am I And he goes, yeah, did I just audition? He goes, no, you just got a part and I said, oh, look ahead, Yeah, I ain't meant to do that, you know, and coming to a theater near yea to be continued. Do you think your ability to just listen to a voice and then replicate it has anything to do with your musical talents? No, you just be able to pick up a guitar or anything any

instrument because you were very musical growing up. Do you think that musical element helps you sort of have the EA for listening and be able to Many musicians can just pick up a guitar and just hear a song and play it. Yeah, well that's not me, but I can. I can pick up a guitar and hand it to someone and then listen. It's I'm really good at that. But uh but no, I uh, you know, I was. I was always a singer, you know, like from I don't know, yeah, sixth grade, seventh grade. And I would I think

I told you this before. What I would do is I would kind of imitate, because you're never got to do exactly a sound alike, you know, but I would. I would do a Joe Cocker song and I would try to sound like him. I'd do a three Dog Night song. I'd try to hynd like them temptations, you know, and so uh, I think what happened was along the way, I was um accidentally developing a pretty good knack for mimicry and and and picking up picking up you know, voices.

You know, I've always said I've had discussions with friends of mine in the business that a lot of times, you know, there's musicality and everything and just everyday speech like if I told you, well, I think I'm gonna go out and hit the road now baby ba ba boo, bad to a bad to, a bit of boo boom. You know that's that could

have been a Sax solo right there. And you know, and I've just had that in my head my whole life, and I think it served me well, you know, it's it's just I don't know, maybe a little tip for those expiring voice actors, aren't there. Yes, mister Davison, you have you something to say, something to share with the class. Piqued

me. I'm ever so smart. Getting back to Hondo for a second, and to Smuggles running Galaxy's Edge. The animatronic there has been described as well a lot of people have described as one of the best that they ever seen. I'm wondering how much influence or sway you had in the development of that. I mean, um, I imagine that I probably weren't as much open to improvising or was it kind of similar? Was the process similar to when you were voicing in in other circumstances. Oh, it was very similar.

And I realized because when I go, they're very kind. They provide a chaperone, if you will, somebody who would certainly sneak, sneak onto the front of the line, right, no waiting, But unfortunately some hey, I don't care hear that guy? Yea, yeah, I think you're going there, mister. But but no, it was fun and and but but the sad thing what I was going to get at is, unfortunately that takes you out on the line, and they have things to kind of ameliorate the

agony of waiting for an hour in line. And there's these little vignettes that pop up on a screen and I remember doing them, and some of them were really funny, and uh, we didn't get to see them. You can find a videos of them on YouTube. But you know, I mean, Jimmy, he's not gonna wait an hour in line for all right, that's just not gonna happen. But you know, no, it is absolutely not. You can't find them YouTube and they have very very funny yeah.

Oh okay, oh good. That's what these need to say. Well, is keeps you enter, It keeps you ento tanged, even when you're supposed to be bored. Oh yeah, absolutely. Have you ever ridden Smugglers run yourself? Oh uh yeah yeah. What do you think of the ride? Oh yeah, yeah, it was great, it was It was really interesting.

I I wrote it before. It was a ride up in Glendale when they were still developing it, and it was you know, without when you don't when there's no Millennium Falcon wrapped around it, it looks like this big sort of like here's the pod where you're sitting in, and here's here's an arm here, and and you go up and go up there and there's a screen. You know, have you been on it? I don't know. I haven't been there. Well, when you get in there and you're in,

you're in the Millennium Falcon. You walk in and uh oh, Chris, I'll tell you we're gonna and and you know, and you want to sit out there in the lounch. I want to sit here and play that hologram chess for a little while, you know. And the problem they had that was that people were just getting out of line, not even what I mean, they did the ride, but they were filling up the darn thing. Because it's like I'm on the Millennium. You know, you're sitting there

like a goober doing you know, love and love and life. Because you're sitting this in this iconic thing. It's life size. It's boggles your mind. You know. You turned this corner and you go, oh, wow, kilk that the real thing. Yeah, that's really good, you know it doesn't that's very good? Quite Jim Cummings, Yes, that's really good.

And so you know we went up up there and we're playing. And but like I said, prior to that, I was at the the launching the developing of it, and they were they said, would you would you like to go up and give it a look? And I go, try and stop me. So you climb up this gang plague maybe ten steps and open it up. Yeah, you know, you shut the door behind it, and there's a gunner in the there's four people on it or is it

six? No? It's six four people, two in front, one steering up and down, one's going left and right, the two in the back are gunners, and the two people in the very back or something. And I don't remember what it was, but it was boring, so I didn't want to do it. And I think they were mapping something or tracking the stars or doing something like that. And I get up there and we're taking off and and and it's really immersing and you're sitting there and you're going,

oh wow. And then you and you could fear yourself going up and you're going, whoakay. Then it's all right, everybody, let's goo hondo screaming that right. So they're talking to myself and off we go, and I went like this, all of a sudden, we just went yeah, and you were just and I mean perpendicular to the floor, like you know, your button, your your head were level with the floor. And then we're going, okay, this is actual gravity. I'm gonna fall. If I

were not strapped in, i'd be crying right now. I'd be something would break, and you know, you write it back up again and then you're going there. And I've I've heard people say that they just do the ride. Then they get off and they have like they'll rotate friends like throughout the line, so that Okay, you're like twenty people back, I'm gonna do

the ride. Didn't run around. Then I'm gonna get on it with you, and then we're gonna run around and get it on the ride with George, you know, and and it's like it's it's one of those rides. It's pretty addictive in it. I can't recommend it enough sent you and the fact that you were the face of it is just incredible. Set Having said that, I mean, in what is tantamount to a crime against humanity, you didn't actually attend that. There was a very grand launch party for Galaxy,

which, understandably you will. Absence was felt. I mean, I'm, oh, yes, is it true that mak him so sort of cold? And it's like, yeah, wis Jim? Yeah yeah, he's a good guy. Like I said, I just talked with him the other day and uh, and he caught me, where are you? I know, what the heck's going on? And unfortunately at the time, I was involved in a big to dude down at the card House of all places, and got that resolved thank you Lord, the good guys one by the way,

and so full speed ahead. But uh, you know that's one party I would not have minded attending. But you know, it all came out in the wash. What do you think when you see your phone, it's like it's Mark again. What does he want this time? It's just amazing to think that you know, this miss man who you went to see at the cinema in nineteen seventy seven, Luke Skywalker, and now he's a friend. Yeah, I thought the same thing. I you know, I've I've had

that a few times in my life. I've been very fortunate to work with incredible people. I mean, you know, household names, and it's just one of the perks of you know, I guess because you know, a lot of a lot of stars like to kind of moonlight and they'll come in and do something and you know, well it's for the kids. Well you know, it's for the grandkids, and that's something everything. Yeah, you're having fun. They're not making a ton of money, but not not like

they used to. But you know, I've I've heard that Bruce Willis did that, you know, did his little animated film for uh, you know, for kids and um and I know that Rita Moreno, who told me not to be a name dropper too late. Anyway, she she just had the time of her life. You know when we did Bonkers and Ron Perlman, you know, from the Beast himself. I mean, he's he's an

amazing he's a good buddy. He's a friend of mine, and he kind of moonlighted for a while and did a few animated characters here and there. He was on Bonkers and a couple other things. So you know, it's yeah, I'm skirting. I'm skirting through Hollywood and around the edges of stardom, I guess you could say, but definitely on the edges. I'm sure they'll come on this show and have a good chat with you someday. Yeah.

Oh yeah, well we get along now, Disney digs Hondo. The fans definitely, yes, what's the next move for this guy light action series? The people demand it's it's surely happening, right, We're not waiting on me. I can tell you that when Ahsoka Tano popped up in the Mandalorian, I was thinking, oh wow, there's my old girlfriend. Course she was everybody's old girlfriend, but that's okay, we don't want to talk about

that. Well, surely they're gonna need Hondo and nothing so far. In fact, I was hoping you guys could put in a word and see what you can make happen. Get this cast this pod right up there, and Bob Baggers, Bob, we know you are listening to this show right now. Everybody wants a live action Hondo art fooling anyone by. If there's one show that Bob subscribes to, it is tuned in with Jim Cummings. That

is for damn sure, that's right. We already say you saw you do Age Harrison forward as Indiana Jones. Frankly, Jim doesn't need it, but it's the thing. It's funny you bring up Indiana Jones. I feel like a Hondo series would almost feel like an Indiana Jones kind of series. It'd be so it'd be had the element of adventurous fun. I think, yeah, no, I agree. I mean, you know, I've got a name for it, the Old Knocker Chronicles. Do you like that? Sorted

Disney never have to think of a title. It's ready to go. Lady. Jim and Chris have already written the scripts you just gotta given and what hasn't been written the improvise? Yes, yes, they were green light green light green the early years. That's not bad. We are big on prequels

now, aren't we. Yeah, we are. Would you prefer to do a prequel series and tap into the element of the character, or do you think you'd want to expand on what you've already created so going forward into the future, or do you think you'd like to sort of show how he became Hondo? What do you think? What would you prefer? Yes to all of the above? Was about to say the little tark I go, why don't we have both? Yeah? Well, Hondo as a kid, he

used to deliver pizzas. Did Well that's what Chris wrote, and you have to change it. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, I don't know what what would be Hondo's favorite flavor of pizza? Topping m Wookie? No, I don't, I don't, I don't know, Bogus, Yeah, that's a good question. I don't know. But you know, when you go to Galaxy's Edge, they've got you know, there is a cantina there, and and yes, it's fraught full of all the people that you're used to

seeing in Star Wars cantinas. The CANTEENA was just always so enchanting as a kid. When when that music hits, it's just takes you to another world, doesn't it. Yeah. I've got a picture of myself and those guys uh down to Disney in Disney World. Yeah, I don't know, ten years ago and it's those guys. They're walking around the band you know what, the heads whatever, the you know and playing that for Carcter song or you know and or or you know, from their medley of their greatest hit.

It's funny. I'm not sure if this happens in America, but here in Australia we have these. I know you obviously got law machines, but the claw machines for chocolates in Australia using the canteen uses the CANTEENA music. I'm not sure if they've paid any royalties for that, but you go to a pub or anything like that and you've got the chocolate claw machine. It's it's always got the canteen of music. Oh that's cool. Yeah, it is very cool, very um. It just moves the kids into want to

spend money to get the chocolate of the Klaw Machine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, before all we wrap up today talking about Hondo. Of course, the final question you to ask you is if you had the chance to travel two a galaxy far far away and meet Hondo, what would you say to him? Oh, keep up the good work and try and dig up a new series for us, you know that might be that might be

cool or anything pretty cool or anything. Yeah, yes, Now before we let you go, Jim, of course, we're going to promote next week's show. But before we do that, what are you got coming up in the next week or so? Like, what's going on a Jim Cummings World. Well, unfortunately, the Radish strike means that I'm not doing one heck of a lie, But like I'll be down in Perth and then Sydney, Yeah, and then I'll do even get at Jim Cummings World dot com to

find up all the future dates for conventions of Jim's appearing like that. You can also listen to next week's show early and add free on Jim's Pagreon and finding other exclusive content on there as well, such as behind the scenes videos of Jim recording some blooper videos which are absolutely hilarious, plus some of Cummings commentaries where Jim and Guy and Chris myself will sit down and watch something from Jim's previous catalog on Disney Plus and just chat about it as we're watching it.

A bit of a watch along there. Plus next week we're going to be doing a bit something a bit different, no topic in particular. It's going to be asked Jim anything, So we're gonna be asking for your questions. Oh boy, We'll hand pick some and we will get Jim to answer

them on the show. So make sure you contribute to that. But of course follow us on social media at Jim Cummings on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram wherever you find your social media channels, and Patreon dot com slash Jim Cummings Podcast if you want to get early and ad free access to this show and all the extra bonus exclusive content available only on the tuned

in with Jim Cummings Patreon channel. But once again, guys, it's been an absolute joy to sit back here and banter and chatting delve deep into the Hondo character. Thank you guys for joining me. Thank you Chris, thank you, and thank you to the one and the only, the reason we're all here, The legend, the Disney Icon. Jim Cummings. Thanks guys, God bless see you next time. Stay tuned.