H. Jon Benjamin has one of the best jobs in voiceover – he’s the voice of Archer’s (Fox, Thursdays, 10/9C) self-involved titular character, ISIS Agent Sterling Archer. He’s also the voice of Bob, in Bob’s Burgers and was the go-between in setting up the Archer ep that opened in Bob’s Burgers.
If you were to expect that Benjamin would be one of the strangest and most entertaining subjects for a conference call Q&A session, you would not believe how right you were – unless you were to follow the jump to the transcript of this Q&A, recorded late last week.
Earlier in this season, your world of ‘Bob’ and ‘Sterling Archer’ collided. Could you talk a little bit about how that episode came about and what it was like for you making it?
H. Jon Benjamin: Yes, it basically came about… Adam Reed, the creator of the show had the idea to do it. Apparently, he was a fan of Bob’s Burgers and mine. So he came up with the idea to do it. He asked me to ask Loren Bouchard, the creator of Bob’s Burgers; so I was like the middle man, but it went really smoothly.
I think it was like around a 15 to 20 second phone call. Then they turned it over to hundreds of thousands of lawyers and they worked to hammer out a deal. So, yes, it all came from Adam, I think, wanting to open the season like that; which it was really well done I thought. I’m not sure you needed to know about those ….
So for you, is it ever odd or confusing switching back and forth between these two characters that have the same voice?
Benjamin: Well, a lot of people complain how I don’t do anything different for either; and … them. I did notice, finally, that ‘Archer’ is a little bit different than when I had to do him as ‘Bob,’ but I got very convoluted; real subtlety there.
I’m here where Adam and Matt work …. Do you ever need to even come to Atlanta at all? I presume you get off the couch.
Benjamin: Actually, I’ve been many times to Atlanta, but I came recently to visit the studio and boy, was that awkward.
What?
Benjamin: No, no, it was fine. There were just a lot of animators staring at me.
I presume they recognized you even though you don’t exactly look like Sterling Archer. They all knew who you were, right?
Benjamin: Yes, I mean I think, hopefully, they didn’t expect like someone exactly like Sterling Archer in appearance to walk in. No, I got it. It’s one big room with a hundred people drawing and hearing my voice like over the PA. It’s like a sweatshop in Cuba.
I heard they do have air conditioning once in a while, though, and that they sometimes use that.
Benjamin: You have to go to your car, if you have a car, just to cool off.
Has the success of Archer improved your personal sex life at all?
Benjamin: Yes, I have not had sex now in four and a half years; so it’s an improvement.
So that’s an improvement; okay.
Benjamin: Well, if you knew how I had sex, yes, not having it is one step above.
At least Archer gets a lot of sex; right? That’s nice, right? Doesn’t that make you feel better?
Benjamin: So that I can live vicariously through an animated character. I haven’t tried yet to use ‘Sterling Archer’ to have sex and I don’t know if that would work out.
Do you think that Sterling is maturing in any tangible way, now that we’re entering into the fourth season?
Benjamin: Yes, maybe, in really, really like glacial progress probably. At some point, I think he has to and I just feel like, hey, his lifestyle is going to catch up with him, if it in any way mirrors real life. I just like feel like I want him to gain like 15 pounds; like he won’t metabolize alcohol as well or something soon, right.
Right; that’s true. But if you look into the event, do you think he’s better looking now than he was season one? Do you think they’re making him better looking or are they—
Benjamin: Yes, he is pretty rock solid appearance-wise. That doesn’t change. Maybe he’s gotten in better shape. I haven’t checked under the shirt.
I recently read an article that says you could tell stories about Archer fans that are surprised at how you obviously don’t resemble the character. Could you share some of that? I mean, do people really freak out?
Benjamin: Yes, well there have been a bunch of people who have not done well to disguise their, like, disappointment. So you have a lot of people going, oh, … too bad. I think it was more just like sort of shattering hopes.
The show has some really interesting fans, really energetic fans. What’s the best fan experience that you’ve ever had?
Benjamin: What’s the best fan experience I’ve ever had?
Yes.
Benjamin: Like as a fan or with a fan?
No, with the Archer fans.
Benjamin: Okay, because as a fan, it would be … Mick Jagger. But with a fan, I did once—this was what I thought was a good idea at the time, when I lived in New York and I happened to be walking through Central Park, sort of on the south side of Central Park. Two guys came up to me and it was right next to where they do the hansom cab rides, the horse-drawn carriages. So for some reason, they were like, ‘oh my god! Archer! Archer!’
I was like, all right, everybody get in. It just so happened that the guy was right there, so I could give him money. So the guys got in with me and then it’s like—but the unfortunate part is it’s like a 45-minute ride around the park. That got really awkward after about the first ten minutes, because they were kind of like just two college kids. They were like, ‘why are we doing this?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know; I thought it was funny at the time just because we were standing in front of it.’ So that was—it wasn’t fun, but it was the best fan experience, I guess.
What was your take on Archer in the pilot and has that changed at all?
Benjamin: What was what?
What was your take on Archer in the pilot and has that changed at all now several seasons down?
Benjamin: Well it hasn’t changed much. I think I was probably less confident in my character at the time, so now I’m really just sort of full-voiced, full-on arrogant …. But I think I didn’t know that that was the case in the pilot. So, yes, I think I’ve just gotten more aggressive in general and I try to be less nasally than what I used to be.
We’ve seen up to next week’s episode with trying to get back together with … and …, keep her boyfriend in space. What other funny stuff is coming up later in the season?
Benjamin: Well, there’s a really good storyline with his new stepdad, Ron Cadillac. Archer is immediately put off that his mom is getting happy or happier. But then there are all these sort of—this Ron Cadillac character is kind of not what he seems. That’s pretty funny and then there’s a big sort of two-part season finale, which is a pretty grand story that takes place under water.
So you went from space to under water.
Benjamin: Yes, like I was saying, there’s not much more to do; maybe Middle-earth.
You mentioned Mick Jagger. So is Mick Jagger a fan of Archer?
Benjamin: No that was just random.
Oh, okay. I was thinking oh, that would have been really cool.
Benjamin: That was when I was young and he was old.
When hasn’t he been old lately? Anyway, I was going to ask you, the script is so finely, weirdly written, but do they give you a chance to adlib? Do they give you a chance to maybe take a line and go somewhere else with it? Or are they pretty—stay to the script?
Benjamin: No, they’re not slave drivers. Depending on the scene, I think sometimes we could fool around a little bit. But, on the whole, we pretty much keep to the script because, like you said, by the nature in which it’s written, it’s pretty tight. There are a lot of jokes that have to do with scenes cutting against each other, so there’s not much room for it. But I’ll throw in a few things and a lot of things I assumed that other characters adlibbed, end up Adam having written it. Sometimes he’ll rewrite scenes once he hears that they don’t work as well as he thought right at the spur of the moment, so that is probably the most time in which things change.
Do you all ever get to work together? I mean, do you get in the same room with Jessica [Walter] and everybody else and get to do some? Or is it all pretty separate?
Benjamin: It’s all separate. I think, occasionally, I’ll smell her having been there before me.
Have they ever thought about trying it at one time? Doing like a whole group recording and see how it works.
Benjamin: Well, we did an Archer Live! where we read scenes together, which we kind of read the best-of stuff. So we did that together.
Was it fun?
Benjamin: [Teasing] Eh, ah. I don’t know how you spell that but it may be ehhh.
I’d just like to ask you if there’s anything that you’d like to do in real life that Archer gets to do?
Benjamin: Wow, there’s a lot. I’d like to work for my mom; she’s a ballet dancer. No I wouldn’t. That would just be really tedious office work. I don’t know what you do for a ballet dancer.
I would like to kill people; yes, I would like to indiscriminately kill people sometimes. I’d like to go to like … and Morocco. I’d like to travel a lot, like Archer. That would be fun.
Also, because of the new stepfather in the picture, are we going to see some daddy issues?
Benjamin: Yes, I don’t think Archer responds to the stepfather in the way he would his real father; that’s for sure. But I think Archer has some major oedipal inclinations; so yes, I think no matter who filled in for the father role, he’ll want to kill him.
I can’t believe I just said oedipal inclinations. I never wanted to say those two words.
No worries. Last year, I was at your tour day for New York. I had a great time and wanted to know if there are going to be any more in the near future.
Benjamin: If Matt Thompson, the Executive Producer, sobers up—maybe.
No, not the Archer one, but the actual your tour date; like the ‘Jon Benjamin Has a Tour’ dates. Remember those?
Benjamin: Oh, you saw my show.
Yes.
Benjamin: Yes, I think I will do more of those, maybe in the spring. I’ve just got to figure out a way to get less agoraphobic.
Got it. If you need a Kickstart or campaign started, let me know.
Benjamin: I don’t know if money is the answer.
I’m actually kind of disappointed because I was thinking we were actually going to get a…build a movie this past winter and we didn’t get one.
Benjamin: Yes, that would be a good Kickstarter, I guess. If we could get the funding for that, I think it would do well in certain portions of Asia.
I just have to say I’m a huge fan from the Home Movies, so it’s good to talk to you.
Benjamin: So we go way back.
So my first question is do you have a favorite thing about playing Archer?
Benjamin: Well, I really like this show. I think it’s probably my favorite thing. So I like seeing them. So it’s a bonus to be in them and then seeing the final product. I do like that a lot. So I do end up watching, pretty much, like the—I’d probably wait. I haven’t seen any from this current season yet, but I’ll watch them all at once. It’s fun that it’s me; fun that I’m that guy. When I watch it, I’m the guy but I’m a real conceited …, so I’m not sure. I like celebrating myself all the time.
Well, that can be healthy at some point.
Benjamin: Yes, I mean it takes up a lot of my time looking in a mirror.
Do you have a favorite episode?
Benjamin: Wow, man I don’t know. That’s tough. Name a couple. I can’t remember—I haven’t watched them in a while. Like I said, I haven’t watched the current season. My god, I can’t—I know what it was about. I just don’t know it was called and I can’t remember right now what it was about. Sorry. Probably, let’s just give it a number, episode 206.
Did you ever expect Bob and Archer to go at the same time?
Benjamin: No, I’ve gotten that question before. It’s definitely like why are you doing them both; like I would have potentially turned one down to do the other. It just happened fast.
I can’t remember which came first. I think it was Bob’s Burgers, but with FOX, had a very long development process; over a year or more, like a year and a half, where they kept making this demo. Archer was really—I had done it—just recorded the pilot and then heard that the show got picked up, maybe, I don’t know, eight months later or something. So Bob’s Burgers, I think, started along before Archer did. It just took a long time for Bob’s Burgers to get on air. It just was coincidence that they came on kind of at a similar time.
What funny stuff is coming up for Bob’s?
Benjamin: We just started taping the back end of the third season or something. Also, I believe that some of the cast members will be writing some episodes coming up, so I know I am. That’s exciting.
What do you want to write for Bob’s that none of the other writers would do for you?
Benjamin: What will I write for Bob’s?
Yes.
Benjamin: Yes, I think it would be much darker, if I did it. I haven’t figured out what my episode will be about, but I’ll go very dark.
Do you enjoy going from this flawed secret agent to this regular guy burger maker?
Benjamin: Yes, yes. I like how different they are. Yes, it’s nice to sort of get payback for Archer’s attitude when Bob seems to be sort of gets shoveled on; whereas Archer kind of doles it out all the time. So it’s a good balance.
Could we talk about maybe when you get the script coming in, is there any one particular type of episode that you get excited for? Like we see now that we’re into the later seasons and now they’re starting to build on older plot points and some seeds that were planted long ago—do you get excited to see some of those? Or do you like seeing some of these one-off, kind of spoof episodes?
Benjamin: I’m not particularly—I don’t really care, I guess, on the whole. But I do like, obviously, when like thematic stuff happens, it’s fun to read and it’s always fun to see. Adam is very good at that. He will plant a seed and that seed will grow like three episodes later. So it’s always nice to forget about a character and then realize—especially like the Barry stuff, where he’s in space now and then I just sort of forget about Barry and then an episode comes up where Barry is … Archer all along and it makes sense why he’s doing it. So that stuff is very rewarding, I think, especially for people who watch the show a lot and appreciate that.
Are you told when those seeds are planted, that they’re going to become something later? Or do you get kind of surprised when we are the first time you see it?
Benjamin: Yes, I don’t get the script until basically almost the day, the night before the day I record it. So there’s no way to tell. There have been occasions where I read it for the first time while I’m reading it—while I’m saying it.
Hi, thanks so much for speaking with us today.
Benjamin: Oh, how many are there of you?
Probably way, way too many.
Benjamin: You mean like you’re cloned?
Yes; I have a variety of (clones) just sitting around in my apartment right now.
Benjamin: That’s cool.
I’m just curious, so you’ve worked on a variety of animated shows and, as you’ve already mentioned, you worked Home Movies with Vernon Small. Has there ever been any discussion of you doing a voice on …?
Benjamin: No, I don’t think so. I don’t recall.
Do you want to?
Benjamin: No, I don’t. I don’t want to.
Why?
Benjamin: No, I don’t care. I don’t think he’s ever asked. We don’t speak very much—not because we don’t get along, just because we’ve lost touch. But I’m sure I would be happy to do it. Is that show still on?
It is; it’s coming back.
Benjamin: Okay, well then, put a word in.
Was there anything about Archer that wasn’t originally scripted to you that you added to the character?
Benjamin: You mean like I want him to have black hair or something?
Or about his personality.
Benjamin: Oh, no, not really. I mean it might be the case where Adam Reed, the writer of the show, maybe started writing stuff based on like what I’m like. But no, yes, if that were the case; he’d be Jewish by now.
What do you think it is about Archer that makes it such a fan favorite show?
Benjamin: Well, I think the colors are really nice. I think it’s because it’s really funny and really well done. I imagine people appreciate it. When it first came out, there was no sense that it was going to be like this much of a hit, I think even for Adam. Although Adam Reed had done prior shows that I think had a big following; maybe not like as big as Archer, but big in terms of people really loving what he does. So I think it’s pretty much because Adam creates really great characters and really funny stories.
You had just mentioned, you were talking about it earlier, I mentioned that—I have to be very honest. I don’t watch Bob. I don’t watch since—I mean I don’t really watch any animated stuff except for Archer. That’s the only one I watch. I think out of all the bunch, it’s the best one in the air. No BS to you; I really just think you’re great. Everybody’s great. The show is so witty and smart and I can’t miss it. I mean it’s like addicted to it in some weird way. Have you ever thought, though, about going into—do you have a compelling feeling to do live action at all?
Benjamin: Well, yes, I mean I have done it before. I don’t get as much work in live action than I do—but I’ve had a live action show on the air on Comedy Central, which a few people saw. So I’ve done some stuff and yes, I’m going to continue to try and do it. Live action comedy is what I sort of started doing, so I’m kind of more—I’m always surprised I keep doing animation.
Well, especially when it’s as good as this one, I can see why you do.
Benjamin: Yes, I got lucky.
What has been one of the most bizarre things you’ve been asked to voice on Archer?
Benjamin: On the show Archer?
Yes.
Benjamin: Well I only pretty much do Archer, so I don’t get—there have been occasions where they’ve made Archer pose as another character and I know I’ve failed sometimes, because I think there have been attempts to when I’m in deep cover or something where I play a Russian business man or something. I don’t know the specific one, but there was like a Swiss something. I remember I couldn’t pull off the accent that was for sure. So Adam Reed was like, forget it.
At this point, is there anything that you find shocking at all when you first read the script, because there are some strange things that happened on the show.
Benjamin: That what? Say it again.
There are some strange things that happened on the show. Is there anything, by this point, that ever shocks you when you first read the script?
Benjamin: No, no, nothing ever shocks me, even from the very beginning. I’m not easily shocked. So, no, no.
What are the keys to satirizing a genre like you do with Archer satirizing the spy genre? I suppose maybe Bob’s Burgers is a take on like The Simpsons family comedy genre.
Benjamin: I guess, I don’t—actually like Bob’s Burgers really doesn’t satirize another genre of animation, and I don’t think it’s satirizing—it kind of is a family sitcom in a way. If anything, Bob’s Burgers occasionally will satirize pop culture stuff or movies. I think Archer doesn’t really even do that. It’s pretty much like an office comedy more than anything else. So yes, the spy stuff, albeit it’s a big part in the show, I don’t feel like it’s kind of not winking at the spy genre.
Okay; so it’s basically written just as a comedy show about this character, not really ….
Benjamin: Yes, I think it’s a much more character-based comedy and it’s not very high-concept in that sense where it’s trying to take the piss out of James Bond anymore. I think that’s probably the least important part to Adam, although I’m not totally sure about that.
Would you recommend that aspiring screenwriters write animation, because I always hear that they say animation is developed in house?
Benjamin: Who did that?
Aspiring screenwriters, whether it’s T.V. or film animation, I’ve always heard that it’s really … for newcomers to break in like with a spec script.
Benjamin: So what are aspiring? I don’t know what that means.
Like a new writer who has a concept for an animated sitcom and is trying to shop it around, as opposed to having a track record.
Benjamin: Oh, do I think that fits that person?
Yes, right, writing in that genre.
Benjamin: Writing in animation.
Yes, writing in animation.
Benjamin: Oh, I assume it’s probably—sorry about that. I didn’t understand any of it. I assume it’s as difficult or certainly it’s as difficult or as easy as not doing it. I think like people who are specifically getting into animation have a reason to want to do that. I think it’s almost an organic choice for most people who want to write animated stuff. So it probably—people make that decision for themselves. I don’t think it starts with which one am I going to do.
We saw you at Comic-Con this year and I wanted to ask you, how does it feel to walk into a room with 2,000 screaming people?
Benjamin: You should see my apartment. Did your cat laugh?
Do you have people waiting for you every day?
Benjamin: Well, I live with maybe 1,700 roommates.
Nice.
Benjamin: Pretty small, two bedroom, but that’s New York. The market now is really awful.
I watched when you walked into the hall and you had kind of like a stunned look on your face when everyone started screaming.
Benjamin: Well, the first time we were at Comic-Con, I think was the first time, maybe the second season end or something, I don’t think I’d even met the cast at that point, because everybody sort of did the show from their respective cities and countries; Chris Parnell, of course, living in some eastern European country for tax purposes. But so I didn’t have any sense of the popularity of the show at all and it wasn’t that it’s gotten more and more like you said. But I remember the first year being really struck because it was in a much smaller room and people were in this huge line to get in and they had to turn away all these people. I think we were all looking around like, this show? So that was surprising. The other look from this last time was probably because I was high.
Nice, all right. We want to tell you how much the military guys love your show. It gives them something to really ….
Benjamin: Are you with the military?
I write for Military Press.
Benjamin: Oh, okay, I didn’t hear that part.
Yes, so whenever they know the show is coming, the … just gets crazy.
Benjamin: Well, anything I can do for our boys and girls in the military, except fight, I will happily do.
What do you like to watch on TV?
Benjamin: Well, I don’t watch a lot of shows actually, surprisingly. I do watch Archer a lot. Like I said before, I watch it kind of in one—I sort of watch one season in a couple days. Most recently, I think I was—the show I got into most, probably Boardwalk Empire, maybe. Other than that, I really kind of watch sports and news. It’s pretty much predominantly basketball and Democracy Now!.
Are you a fan of James Bond movies and do you have a favorite Bond film?
Benjamin: I was a big fan when I was a kid and I do have a kid now, and he’s a pretty big fan of all of the Bond stuff. As far as like a favorite Bond movie, I actually just watched—it wasn’t Bond, but my kid is a big fan of thrillers. So we go back and we watch a lot of stuff we just watched—what was it? The Day of the Jackal. It’s really funny watching a 70s style sex scene with a nine-year-old, but my favorite Bond movie is probably Dr. No.
Oh, good one.
Benjamin: That’s old school.
Right; I liked the first one too.
Benjamin: Yes, the first one is always the best; although I’ve got to say, I like Her Majesty’s Secret Service. I thought that George Lazenby was a pretty, a really good Bond. I liked him.
I just wanted to know, have you heard the news about the Archer action figures?
Benjamin: About the what?
The Archer action figures.
Benjamin: Did they get away?
They’ve got action figures, ….
Benjamin: Oh, they do? I didn’t know that, no. Wow; when did that happen?
They’re in development and they’re being released in Spring 2013.
Benjamin: They’re coming—wow. So they’re just like—you mean they’re making them.
They’re making them. They’ll be out in the spring.
Benjamin: In development sounds really like really, like they are ….
Oh, no. FX has made a deal to make them, so they’ll be out in the spring.
Benjamin: Wow, I’ll buy you one.
I want a dolphin puppet.
Benjamin: Okay, I’ll just get you a dolphin puppet.
Which figure would you be most interested in getting?
Benjamin: Like ‘Pam’; ‘Pam’ is my favorite character, so I hope they make a ‘Pam’ one.
Do you think the Nielson Ratings … television today and how much does the rating affect your shows, either on FX or FOX, if that is …?
Benjamin: Did you start by saying do I think they’re valid?
Yes, are they valid; do they apply; should they have so much emphasis on them?
Benjamin: Well, I don’t know much about it. I don’t know how they—but I certainly know that they’re a resource for networks for sure. I don’t think that’s changed very much, but I think networks are catching up to understand how shows are being watched differently. Like if it’s true, like I said, I don’t watch Archer whenever it’s on. I always watch it taped or on DVR in that manner.
So I don’t watch much TV live anymore unless it’s, like I said, a sports event or something. So I think it’s probably changing to kind of figure out how shows are watched after the fact or after they air and all that stuff. I think, probably, Archer’s popularity is measured by—you have to start factoring in all of that. I sound like a television executive; that was way too networky. Sorry about that.
But Archer, I think really does—I think it does pretty well, right? Like I don’t really know what the ratings are, but I’m not sure if there are still like boxes, Nielson boxes? That feels like Soviet era technology. Right? Like do they really still do that or it’s all just through the cable company now where they like flick a switch and see what you’re watching for a second.
Kristy Silvernail (Fox): They still have boxes.
Benjamin: What’s that?
Silvernail: They still have boxes.
Benjamin: They do.
Silvernail: Yes, they do.
Benjamin: So, yes, and the boxes—are they nice? Are they like—like how many are given out? So they just do it by a scale? It’s like a multiplier. Like whatever that family is watching, they assume—do you know?
Silvernail: I have no idea, Jon. I’m in publicity, not in research. Cut me some slack here.
Benjamin: Well, can you connect us to research?
Silvernail: Yes, sure. Let me get them on the line.
So I actually had an opportunity to interview Dave Willis a couple months ago; a.k.a. Barry Dillon. He mentioned working with Adam. He feels like every time he reads one of his scripts, and this is what makes the show good and special, that they’re just so well written he has to go consult a dictionary to look up words and stuff like that. Is that …, are his scripts that different from the rest of the pack that that part of the show works?
Benjamin: Well, in fairness, Dave Willis is like a real idiot. So it’s like it’s not fair. It’s like giving a nine-year-old the script and asking him to understand the most basic literary references.
He’s such a sweetheart, though.
Benjamin: Well, that’s why. Aren’t all idiots like that? They’re so nice. They don’t know any better. Well, Adam would like—yes, it’s true, I’m often asking about certain references that Adam makes in the show. So when we record, yes; and I pronounced cuckold wrong. I said cuckold last time, so there are a lot of words that are used that I’m aware what they mean, but I’m not sure how to say them.
Right.
Benjamin: That’s like …. …? I’m often worse with pronunciation, but I’m not an idiot like Dave Willis.
Well at least we learn something new every day.
Benjamin: I hope he reads this.
He probably will.
Benjamin: Because if he does, it’s time to get some learning.
Photos courtesy FX