A Chat with John Goodman of 'Speed Racer'

NEW YORK—John Goodman is an in-demand veteran actor who brings his likable charm to all his roles. He's played a wide range of characters from Fred Flintstone, Babe Ruth, Roseanne's husband, a Blues Brother, and Walter Sobchack from the Big Lebowski. He's also supplied the voice for countless animated characters, dropped in frequently at Saturday Night Live, and has worked with the Oscar-winning best directors from the last two years—Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese.

This summer, all the kiddies and parents will come to know him as Pops Racer, the patriarch of the Racer family. We caught up with the larger than life actor for a quick chat on the red carpet at the premiere of Speed Racer, the closing celebration of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Epoch Times (ET): Tell us about your on-screen family in the movie Speed Racer.

John Goodman (JG): They stick together, They love each other. And they put up with the Chimp!

ET: Why do audiences connect so much when they hear Speed Racer?

JG: I don't know, that's what happened to me when they asked me to do the film. I said 'Yeah! I'm down!' It just sounded like a good idea.

ET: Tell us about working with Emile Hirsch.

JG: He's dreamy (laughing). He's a great kid. I love him, I really do.

Roger Allam as Royalton, Susan Sarandon as Mom Racer, and John Goodman as Pops Racer in a scene from Speed Racer. (David Appleby / Warner Bros. Pictures)

ET: What about a sequel?

JG: I'd be the first guy there.

ET: Which cartoons and comics did you like as a kid?

JG: I like the Warner Brothers cartoons. Bugs Bunny, anything with Elmer Fudd in it. I'm a classicist…The old ones from the thirties and forties, the older the better. I liked the underground comics that started coming out around 1967, Robert Crumb and all these guys. When I was a kid, the Fantastic Four, and when I was really young Superman.

ET: What are your thoughts about remaking cartoons into live action?

JG: This one [Speed Racer] is great, this one lends itself to the technology they have. Its live action anime.

ET: What's your dream car?

JG: Black Mach 5 (the car in Speed Racer) with an Ipod station.

ET: What are your thoughts about the Tribeca Film Festival?

JG: I'm glad its here, I'm glad they did it. New York is a vital place. Everybody forgets that they started shooting films on this coast over in Jersey, and New York has been a vital part of the film industry.