You would be hard pressed to find a kid who grew up in the early '90s that doesn't immediately recognize the name Rufio. The character from Robin Williams'
(Patch Adams, Jumanji) beloved 1991 film
Hook is still fondly remembered as the one-time leader of the lost boys.
In the three decades since that movie's release, the actor who played the unforgettable character, Dante Basco, has also made the foray into voice acting. He has lent his voice talents to help create more memorable characters like Prince Zuko from
Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jake Long from
American Dragon: Jake Long.
We were lucky enough to nab an exclusive interview with Basco ahead of the release of his new movie
Rag Doll tomorrow. A range of topics were covered, and we've included some of the best highlights here such as what it was like knowing and working with Robin Williams, what made him decide to jump to voice acting, and how much he wishes to voice Robin, The Boy Wonder in the DC Universe.
Check out some fun snippets from our conversation with Basco below!
Joe: As an actor who has spent the majority of their career being recognized for your role as Rufio from Hook, what made you decide to take the leap to voice acting?
Dante Basco: Man, you know how this career goes, you know? Journeys keep ambling forward in your career and you might have an idea of what you want to do but the way these things work is that sometimes doors open and you have to have the wherewithall to kind of like, walk through those doors.
Sometimes things can happen that are beyond your imagination and that's kind of what happened to me with voice acting. I didn't come to Hollywood to be a voice actor but I've gotten to tell some really great stories and play some really great characters so I've been very fortunate to do that.
Joe: If you were able to lend your voice to a character in any franchise who would you choose?
Dante Basco: There's so many great franchises out there. I always wanted to play Robin from Batman. I've auditioned for Robin so many times on screen and voice so many times and I always thought I could voice for Robin. So maybe Robin, the Boy Wonder? Robin, the Boy Wonder!
Joe: Speaking of Hook and the lost boys, you worked alongside Robin Williams when you were younger. Do you feel like he imparted any skills to you which have helped in your career?
Dante Basco: Of course man, Robin was an amazing, amazing guy - rest in peace. He was very loving and such a great mentor in my life at that time. Going into working with him I was such a big fan of course with Mork and Mindy and then a lot of his films like Moscow on the Hudson and The World According to Garp which is a great film, I love that film.
And then one of my favorite films to this day is Dead Poet's Society. We would spend a lot of days talking about poetry and I became a poet after the film and I gave him a lot of props for kind of supporting me as a poet. But he was magic on set everyday and to see him work and to work with him to this day still kind of resonates with me.
What do you guys think of Dante's comments? Do you think that he would be a good fit for Robin? And if so, would you rather see him tackle a live-action or a voice role? Let us know in the comments!
Check out the teaser trailer for
Rag Doll film below.
Nora is that girl: the one who works overtime, helps out her family by all means, and leaves little for herself. She can't even fathom a love interest. But with her one free hour a day, she takes out life's hardships at the local mixed martial arts gym, where she is no longer who she is, if just for that hour.
When complications in her real life cause it to crumble, she is led to enter a championship tournament as a novice. Nora must learn not just what she is fighting for, but what she is actually fighting against!
Rag Doll is playing at the Arena Lounge until the 27th and you can purchase tickets here. The movie sees a Tuesday release on February 25th.
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