Original-Cin interview: Canadian Bugs Bunny Eric Bauza Lures Us to Cali (Via a Left Turn at Albuquerque)
Fun fact: Bugs Bunny is from Scarborough, or at least the latest voice version of him is.
Ditto Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn and others were voiced by Canadian Eric Bauza in films like Space Jam: A New Legacy, and he’s Bugs in several projects, including the upcoming Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Toons Musical.
Bauza (aka Bauzilla) – the fifth person to voice Bugs after the legendary Mel Blanc - performs these characters for Warner Brothers, and is currently enlisted to persuade his fellow Canadians to visit California in a state tourism project Keeping Up with the Canadians.
Eric Bauza and some alter egos.
Growing up in East Toronto, a student at Cardinal Newman Secondary School and a graduate of Centennial College’s Radio, Film and Television Broadcasting program in Scarborough, Bauza recalls his roots with a smile.
“I’m a Scarborough boy who managed to find his version of Scarborough in California: Sherman Oaks.” Eric tells Original-Cin with a smile. He modestly describes his incredible voice talents as a product of his Toronto upbringing.
“It was always something I loved to do – every kid runs around and does silly voices, right? It wasn’t until high school where those impressions started to really take hold. I was holding an audience doing impressions of teachers – which I shouldn’t have been doing!” he says with laugh. “But it got a good reaction and I owe it to the teachers of Cardinal Newman who didn’t hold me back!”
Eric is featured in California Tourism’s latest project Keeping Up with the Canadians – a marketing campaign that targets Canadians with the aim of visiting the many attractions the state boasts. In a YouTube clip produced by Visit California, with his son, Ryker, Eric takes Canadians on a short trip describing a few of the many tourism sites that California has to offer - including Warner Brothers Studios, Universal Studios, LegoLand and some of his favourite culinary sites.
With Bauza participating in their campaign, it had to be asked if this was some sort of plot secretly devoted to yet another Canadian success story infiltrating the American talent-base?
“We are among you!” Eric joked. “Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck – this is work I do behind a microphone. When they approached me to promote travel tourism in California, it was a surprise and I thought it was a funny idea. I’m in the company of A-Lister Canadian talent who have made their choice to live here.
“For me, I made the choice because everything was here for me to be successful. But this is where I’ve decided to plant my feet. It was like, you can take the kid out of Scarborough, but you can’t take the Scarborough out of the kid! Sherman Oaks is the LA Scarborough! A nice place to raise your kid.”
Eric is among good company. Other Canadian talent like the Juno Award-Winning Alternative Rock duo, The Darcys or Television Host, Liz Trinnear have also been picked to be a part of the Tourism campaign, as they, like Eric, have now made California their homes. Chris Diamantopoulos, a fellow East Torontonian Voice Actor, is the voice of Mickey Mouse and is another talent who made the same trek as Bauza.
“Talk about mega talent.“ Bauza began, talking about Diamantopoulos first. “The Three Stooges is one of my favourite films! But how cool is it that we have two Canadians voicing the flagship characters for the biggest media corporations?”
In the Keeping Up with the Canadians clip, Eric begins his tour by looking at where else? Warner Brothers Studios. Given Eric’s most prolific works find their home there, we asked Eric how he felt being the voice of such a well-recognized and historical character.
“I’m only the sixth person to voice Bugs Bunny. It was Loony Toons cartoons and they were just looking for a screwball character for Bugs, and I guess I had submitted what they were looking for.“ Bauza says.
“But these characters have a lot of integrity. The world around them may change, but these characters don’t. Bugs is Bugs, Porky Pig is Porky Pig, Daffy is Daffy – you know who they are, and they’re just dedicated to keeping these characters true to their origins. My audition was just what they were looking for.”
Such a Canadian answer.
But of course, it’s this vibe of integrity and honesty that California Tourism is tapping into. If there’s anything Canadians are proud of, it’s our success stories. Eric Bauza isn’t just one of those Canadian stories, he’s one of us. He’s a Torontonian whose parents still live in Scarborough and who is regarded as one of Centennial College and Cardinal Newman’s famous alumni.
When he gives us good reasons to visit California, of course we’re going to believe him.
Because he’s Canadian, so will everyone else.