Original-Cin Q&A: Wendell & Wild’s James Hong on Animation and the Enduring Genius of Seinfeld

By Bonnie Laufer

At 93 years young, veteran actor James Hong is still going strong. His latest role is lending his voice to director Henry Selick’s new stop-animation gem, Wendell & Wild.

Based on a screenplay by Selick and Jordan Peele — who also serve as producers — the film is an adaptation of Selick and Clay McLeod Chapman's unpublished book of the same name.

The film reunites comedian-cum-horror master Peele with his onetime Key & Peele costar Keegan-Michael Key as the pair play the titular characters, two scheming demon brothers who enlist the aid of 13-year-old Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross) to summon them to the Land of the Living.

The film marks Selick's first feature film since 2009’s Coraline. Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Hong about working on the film. Wendell & Wild starts streaming on Netflix on October 28. (Click here to read our review of the film).

ORIGINAL-CIN: James, you’ve given us another wonderful, animated character, Father Bests. (Also hear Hong in Kung Fu Panda and in Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai). What was it like to play a priest who gets a second chance at life?

James Hong

JAMES HONG: There's nothing better in the world. A second chance. A third chance to get over all this COVID and everything else but at least I'm here after 70 years in this industry. I'm here and I have about 700 credits, so I'm told I'm still going strong! Being a part of Wendell & Wild was truly one of the highlights of my life. Why? Because Father Bests is the best! It's crazy when you see me do my thing in this film. I go from one world to another, and I'm trying to desperately keep my school going and I get mixed up with some pretty crazy characters. The film is just so much fun and nothing like I’ve ever been a part of before.

O-C: It is such a crazy story, but the stop-animation is beyond amazing. Your character looks so much like you James, it's scary. What was it like to see it for the first time with your voice coming out of this animated mirror?

JH: Well, I'll tell you the truth. I was very surprised. The artwork in general is outstanding and not only my character, but everyone. They look so much like their real-life counterparts. It's amazing. I think it's a way of animation that has never been done before. Certainly, in Kung Fu Panda, I don’t think I look like Mr. Ping but definitely in Wendell & Wild, with the stop-motion and the creation of the characters is just unbelievable. I would definitely encourage my fans out there to watch this film because it’s so creative and different. I think stop motion creates a different atmosphere.

O-C: As you mentioned earlier, you have about 700 credits over the course of your amazing career. Is doing voiceover much different than being in front of the camera? Do you feel a little bit more relaxed or is it more difficult because you're usually working on your own when you're doing a voiceover?

JH: It's really a bit of both, to be honest. I'm usually sitting there alone and I'm trying to imagine the whole scene happening before me described to me by my director. I have to picture what he pictures, think about how difficult that is. This character was so much fun for me because he is so crazy, and he was embedded in me and it was so great to see the finished film. I laughed so hard!

O-C: Your career has been incredible. You started out with Groucho Marx and have worked with Jack Nicholson! A huge highlight for me was watching you on that Seinfeld episode. I still crack up every time I see it. The Chinese restaurant episode is one of my all-time favorites. What was it like working with that gang?

JH: (Does the voice) ‘Seinfeld… four! Cartwright. Telephone for Cartwright. No answer, so I hang up.’ It was crazy TV, and it will never be replaced. It keeps re-running and I keep looking at and laughing at myself because I couldn't make any sense out of it when I was doing it but when I see it, it makes a lot of sense in the world. That's the type of comedy Seinfeld amounts to. You have to make sense out of nonsense.

Click here to watch Bonnie’s interview with Wendell & Wild director Henry Selick