No entertainment medium is beyond the golden touch of JOHN GOODMAN (BALOO). A true star of stage, screen, television and animation, Goodman continues to set new standards of performance.
Goodman is a seven-rime Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on "Roseanne," the role for which he won a Golden Globe Award in 1993 and back-to-back American Comedy Awards for Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series in 1989 and ‘90. Goodman has also received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special for "Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long," and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for "A Streetcar Named Desire."
In singing Randy Newman’s "I’d Be Nothing Without You" from "Monsters, Inc.," Goodman helped Disney win an Academy Award for Best Original Song last year. His animated performances have included a starring role in the landmark "Monsters, Inc." and in "The Emperor’s New Groove," as well as the voice of the title character in the holiday special "Frosty Returns" and as Rex in "We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story."
A perennial favorite of the Coen Brothers, Goodman has been cast in several of their films, including "Raising Arizona," "Barton Fink," "The Big Lebowski" and "0 Brother, Where Art Thou?" Among his many feature film credits are standout performances in "Sea of Love," "Always," "Arachnophobia," "The Babe," "The Flintstones" and "Bringing Our The Dead." Goodman has hosted "Saturday Night Live" a total of 11 times, and most recently performed to rave reviews in the off-Broadway production of "The Resistible Rise of Arruro Ui."
Rather than try to find a sound-alike for the great Phil Harris, "The Jungle Book 2" filmmakers searched for a soul-alike to fill the huge paws of Baloo. They wanted an actor that could capture Baloo’s jazzy, devil-may-care spirit and energy. Watching a clip from the Coen Brothers’ "Barton Fink" provided the answer.
"We played the dialogue track of a ‘Barton Fink’ clip against a pencil-rest of a scene with Baloo, and it was a perfect match," recalls Jamie Thomason, head of Walt Disney Television Animation’s casting department. "John has all of the qualities we were looking for, and he has a great feel and vibe for Baloo."
"I relate to Baloo too much," says Goodman with a wink. "We’re both overweight, we both love music, and we both don’t sing so hot. And I think I’ve got fleas."
His own toughest critic, Goodman was committed to crafting the character our of sincere reverence for the original film, and as a tribute to Harris. Goodman gave 110 percent as all times, often physically exhausting himself in the recording booth.
"I keep forgetting how hard these (recording sessions) are — it’s nor like pushing a wheelbarrow up a ramp all day, but it can be rough," says Goodman. "You have to put so much physical energy into reading the script and trying to get the line just right. I work up a pretty good sweat, but ultimately it’s really energizing and a lot of fun."
"John Goodman brought the absolute right spirit and life for Baloo," says Thorne. "He really embraced the character and made it his own.
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