LOS ANGELES _ "Smallfoot" is the latest project for Channing Tatum and Common as the voices for animated characters.
Before taking on the role of Migo, a Yeti determined to prove there is such a thing as a smallfoot (i.e. human), Tatum worked on "The LEGO Batman Movie," "The LEGO Movie" and "The Simpsons." For Common, before he was cast to be the Stonekeeper, the leader of the Yeti, voice work came through "The Lion Guard," "Happy Feet Two" and "The Simpsons."
The pair didn't have the opportunity to be in the recording studio together during the making of "Smallfoot," but they are hanging out in a Hollywood facility that looks like it could be part of the village in the movie.
Both Tatum and Common find working on animated projects a test of their acting skills.
"We don't get to physically embody these Yeti," says Tatum. "Even though they watch how we act it out in the booth, it really is you having to trust the director and putting it all in his hands."
Common echoes the sentiments talking about the challenge of not being able to play a scene without having to deliver dialogue. He likes the pauses he can take in live-action projects.
The way Common deals with the loss of physicality is to find the right voice for the character and depend fully on the director to make the scene work. In the case of "Smallfoot," the direction came from Karey Kirkpatrick, whose previous work includes "Over the Hedge."
"Smallfoot" presented an additional challenge for Tatum and Common as they both had musical numbers to perform. Tatum's Migo kicks off the film with "Perfection" while Common's character delivers a sobering warning with "Let It Lie." The musical part was no big deal for Common as he's won two Grammys and an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for "Glory" for the 2014 film "Selma."
Common explains the muscles he uses to perform music and those he uses to do an animated voice are slightly different.
"When I rap, it's my natural voice that I use. Even when I go a little higher, I am not going way out of my range," Common says. "For the voice of Stonekeeper, I felt myself going into a much deeper range than I use. And I was using that deep voice in different ways."
Having to belt out a tune was a new experience for Tatum. The first thing he stresses is he's not a singer. Anyone who has tracked Tatum's career knows the main muscles Tatum uses beyond acting is to dance. He's showed off his dancing feet in such projects as "Magic Mike" and "Step Up."
Tatum has the same feelings about being called a dancer as he does being called a singer.
"I can dance and I have always danced freestyle, but I am not, like, somebody who has committed their whole life to learning the craft of dancing. I can barely count music while I dance," Tatum says. "I was gifted with the ability to move and I love to move, but I haven't devoted my life to dancing."
Common laughs when he hears Tatum beating himself up about singing. He says when he heard the opening number he was pleasantly surprised to hear how well Tatum could sing.
Tatum and Common have taken different career paths. Common's a Chicago native who launched his acting career after establishing himself as a singer, while Tatum grew up in the South where he worked as a model before landing his first acting role.
But, they grew up with one thing in common: a love for cartoons. Tatum watched cartoons every single morning, with his favorites being "Woody Woodpecker," "Thundercats" and "Gargoyles." Common agrees with Tatum about liking "Woody Woodpecker" but also grew up a fan of "Tom and Jerry," "Looney Tunes" and "Super Friends."
Once they both were able to go from watching cartoons to being part of them, they realized how special voice work can be. Tatum describes it as a "fantasy" job because it's the chance to play someone or something he would never be able to do any other way.
"And you are creating a fantasy for the kids. We still feel young in our minds, but we are not children anymore. And to be able to do something that invokes that connection to these youthful minds, that feeling is great to me," Tatum says.
"When I first saw myself in a movie, it blew my mind. Growing up I would have never known I would be on a movie screen," Common adds. "Just hearing your voice coming from an animated character blew my mind again."
