411mania Interviews: Verne Troyer
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 01.07.2010
Verne Troyer talks about his role in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, working with Mike Meyers on Austin Powers, and much more.
Actor Verne Troyer has worked in Hollywood for the better part of two decades. The performer's humble beginnings were as a stunt man in pictures like Baby's Day Out and Dunston Checks In. Verne also found himself under large amounts of costume and makeup for movies like Mighty Joe Young and Men In Black. Verne then came out front and center in the pop-cultural worldwide phenomenon known as Austin Powers, where Troyer portrayed Dr. Evil's right hand miniature sidekick, Mini-Me.
Verne also portrayed the role of Percy in the Terry Gilliam movie, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, featuring the final role of the late, great actor, Heath Ledger. Percy plays significant role in being Dr. Parnassus' ever constant companion for centuries in this delightful fantasy film. Verne Troyer recently spoke with 411mania over the phone to talk about working on the movie and Troyer's career:
Jeffrey Harris: I was at the Graumann's theatre for the premiere [of Dr. Parnassus], and I was right by the aisle when you came out on stage with the cast and crew. And it was a great experience to see all of you before the movie.
Verne Troyer: Well thank you.
JH: How did you get involved with The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus with your role as Percy?
VT: Well actually, Terry [Gilliam, director] had wrote it – I'd actually worked with Terry before on Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, and he'd seen all the comedies and things that I've done in my past and knowing me he gave me an opportunity to what he said actually act and that's how I got cast, he wrote the part with me in mind. And when he offered it to me I was just overblown and there's no way I wouldn't not to take the role, so I was really enthusiastic and very honored to you know have him ask me like that.
JH: In the movie, Percy is a very important role since he's a constant companion of Dr. Parnassus for years. Early in the movie, we see Percy in a monastery with Dr. Parnassus many years before the present time in which the movie takes place. What is it about Percy that he's able to stay with Dr. Parnassus for so long? Is Percy a supernatural being, perhaps?
VT: *Chuckles* That's a good question. I know that Percy is almost like Dr. Parnassus' conscious. So he [Dr. Parnassus] has a conscious that would be with him the whole time, so that's the way I see it or predict it.
JH: So Percy is almost like the little angel on his shoulder?
VT: Yeah, almost like Jiminy Cricket to Pinocchio.
JH: I know it's probably a bit of an emotional subject with Heath Ledger. Ledger got to work on the movie, and after his passing other actors were brought in to fill in: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell who all did an amazing job. And there was a great narrative device to compensate for Ledger's character changing. But was the process really hard to continue on with this movie after Heath Ledger's passing or did you all feel it was necessary to finish the movie to honor Heath? What were your feelings having worked with Heath and on the movie firsthand?
VT: I'd say it was a combination of both. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever have to do, I've ever done in my life to come in and try to finish it, we did come together almost like a family and supporting each other through a really tough time. And we did want to finish it for Heath but also for ourselves.
JH: At the premiere, Terry Gilliam mentioned that his daughter who was also the producer pushed him so hard to finish the movie. Did you see Terry's struggle at all in continuing to work on the movie?
VT: Well when we started back, no I didn't. I know that it was hard for him but he didn't show it. Heath was a personal, close friend of his, and I can understand definitely and I think he also knew the importance of trying to finish it for Heath.
JH: Terry Gilliam mentioned now that the movie is finished, he can't imagine the film any other way, do you agree?
VT: Yeah. I agree because it's the only way that I've seen it. It is . . . I hate saying this . . . but it's almost like it was meant to be written like this. I'd rather Heath to have finished it which I guarantee still would've been an amazing movie, but it was almost it just seemed to flow with Johnny, Jude, and Colin all coming in and helping us finish it.
JH: You've been working quite a while in Hollywood doing smaller roles, and what really got you noticed was the role of Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies. What was it like transitioning more into a dramatic role rather than the usual type of comedic roles you've appeared in?
VT: With it being more of a dramatic role than my past, I was a bit nervous, but once I started working on the film I felt more comfortable than I thought I would and I enjoyed it more. And it's definitely something I want to pursue more of.
JH: You've gotten to work with some interesting makeup jobs and costumes as a performer. Was there ever any costume for a film that was super hard or uncomfortable for you to work in?
VT: I've done a lot of costume work, a lot of costume work doing that is pretty uncomfortable. Fortunately in working with Rick Baker, like I think one of the best makeup artists of all time, I got to work with him on a lot of films. And I've played everything from a chimpanzee to an alien to a baby gorilla to a dog which I think was probably one of the toughest ones.
JH: And also Pinocchio right? (Troyer portrayed Pinocchio in the horror movie, Pinocchio's Revenge)
VT: And Pinocchio yes. *Laughs*
JH: You got to wear a lot of lavish and impressive costumes in Dr. Parnassus. Did you have a personal favorite?
VT: Yeah, I liked a lot of them and I was fortunate enough to be able to keep some of them.
JH: Are there any projects you working on that you'd like to share?
VT: I have my new website that just recently launched in the past three weeks it's called VerneTroyer.com. It is also linked up to a social networking site called Ning which is like my own kind of Facebook but for my fans and people that just want to join, they can chat with a friend, invite the friend, change the page, it's just exactly like Facebook but it's for my fans to talk to me or for me to talk to them. And then we're also in the beginning stages of writing my biography.
JH: You've gotten the chance to work with Mike Meyers on several movies. What is the atmosphere like on the set working with Mike Meyers? Is the atmosphere very technical, or more kept in a comedic and fun vibe so that comes across onscreen?
VT: It's about having fun and with Mike he loves to improv a lot, so you have to try and get used to it which I love though. He got me experienced to that because I've had so many scenes with Mike in the past. He likes it fun and he likes to have a good time on set. In between takes he'll have the crew play some of the scenes of music back and in between takes he's dancing around, joking around with everybody and it's just a great atmosphere.
JH: On the movies you've worked on with Meyers, is there anything you brought to the improv aspect in Austin Powers or The Love Guru that came off onscreen?
VT: Well the first Austin Powers [that Troyer worked on which was Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me], the scene with the cat. He's saying pet the cat and all this stuff. I went to take a bite out of the cat. That wasn't in script that was something . . . I don't know . . . I just came up with spur of the moment. But there are a lot of times, I can't remember just a particular moment but with him improv-ing, you always have to improv back because you just don't know what's going on, what he's going to do . . . Mike's a great person. I mean the ideas that he comes up with and how he pulls it off is just – he was meant to do this.
JH: Did you have a favorite scene you worked on for Dr. Parnassus that makes you excited for having the chance to work on this movie with Terry Gilliam and everybody?
VT: I have a couple, but one of the ones that sticks out in my mind was the scene with Heath where he comes out the back of the wagon. I get out from my bedroom underneath the wagon, so that whole scene was – Heath just made me feel very comfortable. He's such a giving actor in that when you have your close-up and he's not actually on camera, he's still there for you acting the part of Tony and that just helps you do your job as an actor to play your character.
JH: I thought Tom Waits as Mr. Nicks or The Devil in the movie was wonderful. I realized that Tom Waits as the Devil sort of makes sense, doesn't it?
VT: I pretty much agree with you and Tom did an amazing job. When he's just onscreen you can't really turn away.
JH: Do you think we'll ever see you play Mini-Me again or do you think that part of your career is over?
VT: I would love to play Mini-Me again just because I like working with Mike so much. If he were to call me tomorrow and say, "We're doing another one," I'd be down and there's some other films that are coming up but I can't really say because it's not a done deal yet. But there's a lot of opportunity out there still.
JH: Congratulations to you and Terry Gilliam and everyone for finishing this movie. Thank you so much.
VT: Thank you and thank you for your time.
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is currently in theatres in limited release from Sony Pictures Classics. The film's release will expand to wide in theatres on Friday, January 8.
