Yahoo News Mike Myers: Shrek Is a ‘Dramatic Role’ and ‘I’d Be Thrilled’ to Do One ‘Shrek’ Film a Year
Mike Myers wants more Shrek in his life. During a career-spanning video interview with GQ magazine, the iconic comedian said he’d be “thrilled” if he was able to do one “Shrek” movie a year. Variety reported in 2018 that Universal was tasking Illumination founder Chris Meledandri with overseeing a “Shrek” revival, but a new installment has yet to be officially announced.
“The Euro-centric form that is the fairytale is really about classicism,” Myers said. “When I was approached to do ‘Shrek’ I originally did it as a Canadian and then I re-recorded it as Scottish because that seemed to be the most working class [accent]. I also I love the Scottish people. I have Scottish ancestry. I’m mostly English but Liverpool is the pool of life between Scotland, England, and Ireland.”
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Myers said that halfway through making the first “Shrek” movie he realized his eponymous ogre was “a dramatic role,” despite the film being an animated comedy.
“There’s an emotional center there,” Myers said. “You know the old joke: I wouldn’t want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member. I have always felt that way. The concept of going from a self-loathing ogre to a self-accepting ogre was meaningful to me. I love playing Shrek. If I had to do one ‘Shrek’ a year I’d be thrilled.”
The “Shrek” franchise released four feature films between 2001 and 2010. The original “Shrek” turned DreamWorks Animation into a powerhouse studio with its $487 million worldwide gross. The movie became the first Oscar winner in the animated feature category. “Shrek 2” grossed $928 million. Both films competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. While “Shrek the Third” and “Shrek Forever After” earned less acclaim than the first two movies, they still managed to gross $813 million and $752 million worldwide.
The “Shrek” universe is making a comeback to theaters later this year with the release of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” Universal recently bumped the sequel’s release from September 23 to December 21.
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