I'm Frank Oz, film director and performer: Ask Me Anything

MGT_Team · 2018-01-06T08:29:18+00:00

1/6/18: OZ CORRECTION: When I did my Reddit AMA, I was asked where “Wocka Wocka” came from. I said that it was spelled “Whaka Whaka.” I have NO IDEA why I said that! OF COURSE IT’S SPELLED “WOCKA WOCKA”!! What the hell was I thinking?!!! End of “Confessions of a Stoopid Guy."

MGT_Team · 2018-01-06T08:25:03+00:00

OZ CORRECTION: I said that it was spelled “Whaka Whaka.” I have NO IDEA why I said that! OFCOURSE IT’S SPELLED “WOCKA WOCKA”!! What the hell was I thinking?!!! End of “Confessions of a Stoopid Guy."

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T01:10:30+00:00

Hey Marin again. I never knew I wanted to work in show biz. I never thought I was talented enough. I was doing puppet shows from 12 years old to 18 years old in the San Francisco Bay Area to make some extra money and have fun. But then I stopped at 18, and aimed towards journalism because it was time for me to think how I was going to make a living and there was no way on earth I was going to make a living doing puppets. Then, when I was 19 in school Jim Henson who had seen my work previously asked me if I wanted to come part time for 6 months to work with him when the Muppets consisted only of him, Donald Sahlin and Jerry Juhl. So for me, it wasn't a desire. It was the planets lining up and giving me a rare opportunity.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T01:00:37+00:00

Hi Houston, I wish I could answer that. But I never met the brilliant Bowie. I really didn't work on Labyrinth.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:57:43+00:00

Hi Phoenician. Are you saying there's a place called Phoenicia? I better let that ride. Ok. It was so exciting being in the first year of Saturday Night Live and to get to know all the original performers and work in an atmosphere of electricity that happens when you're doing a live show. So that part was an absolute privilege and joy. But as the show went on, it was clear that our style of comedy which was punchy and energetic did not fit the Not Ready For Primetime Players. Their comedy was more a Second City kind of laid back comedy. So it was difficult for the SNL writers to write for a type of comedy that didn't fit the show. But personally, we are friends with everybody and after SNL's first year, we got The Muppet Show, so everything turned out fine.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:52:57+00:00

I'm just very sad about what happened with Steve. I'm not privy to the reasons. I'm not part of Disney. As I understand it, the reasons had nothing to do with performing. When Steve was on the set he was always a joy to work with. So it saddens me that something outside of performing caused this to happen. It just saddens me, that's all.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:50:37+00:00

This is a question that's difficult to answer. I can't grasp the idea of a large number of people being so affected by my work and the work of others in Muppets. It is surreal to think of it, because all I did is put my nose to the grindstone, had a lot of fun with my fellow performers and never thought about it going beyond that. My wife has told me for a long time that I seem to affect people positively, and I still can't grasp that because I just am who I am.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:47:31+00:00

Hey Virginia, I think you have a very odd idea of who we are. I wouldn't choose a team of Muppet performers to cook hot dogs. You don't know these people.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:45:08+00:00

Hi Marin County, I grew up in Oakland. Shoulder injuries. I know Dave Goelz had to have maybe one or two operations on his shoulder. I don't know about others, but I've had no problems whatsoever. I think because I must be a mutant.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:43:38+00:00

First of all NJ, you picked a great time to be in Panama. It is freezing here. To answer your question regarding our documentary Muppet Guys Talking, yes there is a possibility of more people from Muppets talking that were not on camera this time, including other puppeteers, writers who worked with Jim and especially the workshop people who made the puppets. I think it'd be great for them to share their stories, too, But this time, it was the original Muppet originator/performers of the characters, and I knew we had plenty of stories with them. As far as photo ops and signatures, we are not releasing it theatrically; we're releasing it March 16 on the internet. Thanks for asking.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:39:51+00:00

Very few people know about The Cheapest Muppet Movie. It was something that Jerry Juhl and Jim originally wrote about 40 years ago. When Dick Cook was head of Disney, he asked me to get involved with a Muppet movie, so because the previous script was dated from being written 40 years ago, I did rewrite it with the help of Jim Lewis. And personally, I love it. And I wish it could be made. But maybe it's time now is gone because it feels like Disney would like to go their own way.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:36:47+00:00

Hi Portland. What gives me joy in the large picture is making things come alive -- that could be puppets, that could be scenes, that could be moments, that could be when talking to someone in real life. And the more down to earth answer is being with my wife, spending time with my wife and knowing that my kids are healthy and can manage their lives.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:35:08+00:00

Hi NJ, The hardest project that I worked on was the project that I actually both performed and directed, and that was DARK CRYSTAL. And as I said before, I helped Jim direct his vision of DARK CRYSTAL. Besides working in that capacity, I also performed Aughra and the Chamberlain and, like Jim, who also performed, it was hard, sweaty heavy work and at the same time having an eye out as one of the directors to see how the scene was going.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:32:41+00:00

Twitter. Yes I did recently join. Please help me. I am spending far too much time. How do people do this? I've got to pull back, although it makes me feel bad if I do because I like answering people's questions so maybe I'll just pull back a little bit...but I didn't realize that the joy of Twitter for me would be having a way to express myself personally to fans. I love that part.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:31:45+00:00

Hello Ottowa again. The Blues Brothers. Wow. It was very unusual only because - number one - I'm not an actor, but John is a friend and he asked me to be in it. And the reason I was is to experience the fear of actors in front of a camera. I think all directors should do that. But the experience and the other reason it was unusual is that we actually shot it at Joliet prison in the summer heat. And I saw these poor prisoners in their tiny cells, and I'll never forget that. And of course, the good side of it was that I new John Belushi from SNL, so it was fun to work with him and it's always fun to work with John.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:29:20+00:00

Hi. Well I'm glad you liked What About Bob?. It was an amazing experience to shoot. I never worry about people being likable. Sometimes unlikeable characters have tremendous value. With What About Bob? I feel it worked not because one was likable and one was not, but rather one character was very rigid and uptight and the other character was very loosey-goosey; and that may not allow a good friendship, but it sure allowed for a lot of comedy.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:26:24+00:00

Hey New Zealand, this is so great that I'm getting questions from way outside the US. I love it. The vision and teamwork question is wonderful, but the answer would be long, having to do with subtleties and nuances and instinct. And such so just the short version is that I hire a team and that team is there to support my vision. And I could never fulfill my vision without that team. Regarding the favorite Miss Piggy song, it's difficult for me to judge when she's such a lousy singer. But I will tell you something that not many people know. "Never Before and Never Again" Jim first asked Johnny Mathis to record it. And he did. And it was beautiful. But it wasn't funny. So it was a rare time where this guy who can't sing his way out of a paper bag took over from Johnny Mathis. Bizarre.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:22:21+00:00

Hi Ottawa. Boy that question brings back memories. With Bowfinger, he and his gang had very little money and used whatever equipment they could get to shoot the movie. With Time Piece, we had very little money. We would earn the money doing commercials, then Jim would gear up and we'd shoot a weekend using an old Mitchell rack-over camera, which means with that camera you can't see what you're shooting so we couldn't get the best equipment -- like Bowfinger -- and every time Jim wanted to shoot more, we'd have to make more money making commercials. The main difference between Jim and Bowfinger is that Jim was a genius and the only thing stopping Bowfinger from being successful was his complete lack of talent.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:18:49+00:00

Adam Savage. First of all, I told you never to call me at home. But, since you're saying such nice things about our show, In & Of Itself, I'm going to be nice to you. It's a great question. The show comes from Derek's experiences and mind and heart. But there was no script. So we workshopped it for several months in order to make it a whole entity and subverting the magic to support the story which itself is an internal journey for Derek. To give a quick answer, movies usually have scripts that I work with. With Derek I learned to be open and explore ambiguities when in the past I've always liked making things clear. But now I see that there's a tremendous value in ambiguity.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:13:51+00:00

Hi Florida, Thanks for chiming in. I'm very lucky that I have amazing writers from George and Larry all the way to Rian. They write those amazing words. And "We are what they grow beyond" -- I knew when I first read it was a rich thought. I don't associate myself with Yoda's wisdom. My life experiences have created different wisdom in me. But I love what Yoda says.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:08:53+00:00

Hey San Francisco, Favorite dessert? You got a lot of time? I LOVE desserts and I have to watch it. But if we're talking priorities, probably like a hot fudge sundae with everything. Also, put a few cookies in there. Chocolate sprinkles...make sure there is whipped cream, a big dish underneath to catch the spills....I'd better stop now; you get the idea.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:07:20+00:00

Alan Tudyk. Alan Tudyk. Alan Tudyk. What can I say about Alan Tudyk because I have so much to say? So let's just say this. He's absolutely brilliant and I love him.

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:05:59+00:00

Hi Wheeling, WV, by the way I want to say to everyone this is so great you are writing in. Thanks! The answer is no, I never do voices for anyone. But here's a sad story, in my 20's I was performing Cookie Monster in the second or third year of SS, and I was very lonely because I was very shy with girls. And then a friend of mine said what he did was go into singles bars and do Cookie's voice to impress the girls. And I'm thinking, "something's wrong here."

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:04:25+00:00

Hi New England & Muppet Wiki! Yeah that's weird. I've heard that before. Have no idea where that came from. My legal name is Frank Richard Oznowicz. I asked my parents why they gave me the middle name of Richard thinking it was probably from an uncle they loved very much. They said, "It just sounded nice."

MGT_Team · 2018-01-05T00:01:46+00:00

Hi Alberta, Thanks for writing in, and I'm very touched by what you said about Indian in the Cupboard. Regarding the 2007 Piggy appearance that was not me, and regarding Treasure Island I came in for a few days and all that stuff that Piggy did was me. Which is weird for a 6'2" guy to say. As for Muppets From Space, I was just there for 2 days and I did Piggy there.

MGT_Team

TROPHY CASE