PASADENA, Calif. _ Bobcat Goldthwait wasn't thinking of Seth Green when he wrote "Bubba the Bear," the opening episode of his new truTV anthology series, "Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters." The episode, which airs Wednesday, follows a voice-over actor who begins to question his career and sanity when his popular animated cartoon creation becomes his real-life stalker.
That's not a slight at Green. Goldthwait didn't have anyone in mind for the eight scripts he wrote that will make up the series' first season, which will feature a mashup of wildly different genres to tell stories with funny and creative twists. Once Green was cast, Goldthwait knew he had the right actor.
"Seth is perfect because he's so great with voices," Goldthwait says. "I love that people don't realize that he's both voices. The fact that Seth is also a director meant he came with a lot of ideas."
The experience Green brings comes from all the acting the 44-year-old Philadelphia native has been doing since he was 7. Starring in the "Austin Powers" films plus roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Dads" and "The Byrds of Paradise" have made him a familiar face, but Green has a far more extensive career as a voice actor with "Batman Beyond," "Robot Chicken," "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Family Guy."
It's not as easy to connect Green to the animated projects _ unless you read the credits _ because he does such a wide variety of voices. In the case of Bubba the Bear, who sounds like a love child of Porky Pig and one of the performers in Disneyland's Country Bear Jamboree, the right sound came after long talks between Green and Goldthwait.
"We had a phone conversation and Bobcat said he liked that the character would have a stutter, but we talked in detail about what kind of stutter he would have," Green says. "I have found that animated characters who stutter are borderline offensive to people who have a stutter.
"That's why you see the pain Bubba is going through when he tries to speak."
Green has long wanted to work with Goldthwait and once he landed the role, found the process as enjoyable an experience as he could have imagined, describing the filming as having a "summer camp vibe."
Green points out one big reason for that came from Goldthwait having such a clear vision and a willingness to listen to and use ideas from his actors. Joining Green as guest stars throughout the first season are Michael Ian Black, Bridget Everett, Dave Foley, Melissa Joan Hart, David Koechner and Danny Pudi.
Another reason Green enjoyed working on "Misfits & Monsters" is he grew up a big fan of anthology shows, including "The Twilight Zone," "Amazing Stories" and "Friday the 13th." His love of a collection of stories presented under one banner was another reason he jumped at the chance to do the series. Goldthwait promises Green if there are future seasons of the show, he will bring him back the way William Shatner starred in more than one episode of "The Twilight Zone."
There's no guarantee Green would get to do another episode that features him playing both a live-action character and voicing and animated one. Either way, Green is always just happy to get to continue the career he started decades ago.
"I definitely enjoy performing in all mediums," Green says. "Voice-over acting has you working with two other performers. You provide the voice and then someone else designs the character you play. And, another person animates that character so you all have to be together. If you are thinking of yourself as anything else but that team, you may be misguided.
"As an actor, you make the whole thing with your face and your feelings."
"Bubba the Bear" is the story of an actor who's so closely associated with a character that he can't escape it. Goldthwait didn't realize when he was writing the script that the tale could be autobiographical because he's so closely associated with the loud and frantic persona he plays on stage and screen.
The characters always with Green are Scott Evil from the "Austin Powers" films or Oz from his werewolf days on "Buffy." Unlike his character in the anthology episode, Green never has had a problem with being approached by those who want to talk about Scott or any other character he has played.
"To have someone remember a character you have played is wonderful," Green says. "You should enjoy the fact that the one thing you set out to do worked and the audience liked it. People who watched 'Buffy' when they were young are now showing it to their kids and sharing that experience."
