Despite his excitement about the role, Nelson faced an unexpectedly daunting task. “The role of Bob was probably one of the more difficult things I’ve ever done,” he says. “I quickly discovered that Brad and his team had an extremely specific idea of what they wanted because they’d lived with this story so closely for such a long time. They perfected the script and knew this family inside and out, and every other which way. So it was up to the actors to bring to life exactly what they had in their mind’s eye.”
He continues: “This isn’t as easy as it might seem. The delivery has to be correct tonally and the energy has to be at precisely the right place at the right time. You end up doing a lot of experimenting and concentrating on your vocal energy, but at the same time you’re also trying to imagine the situation as if you were involved in it. It was a real challenge as an actor, but it was definitely a fascinating ride.”
Coming to her husband’s rescue when the chips are down is the family’s lithe matriarch, Helen, who was formerly the ultraflexible Elastigirl. This character was created in part as a celebration of the typical modern-day mom who, says Bird, “has to stretch in hundreds of different ways each day.” To get to the core of Helen’s mix of maternalism and stoic strength, Brad Bird trusted the finely honed instincts of Academy Award® winner Holly Hunter.
“Holly struck me as a consummate actress who could portray someone sensitive, yet with a very sturdy center,” observes Bird. “You feel like there’s a part of Holly that would never crack. She has such great resiliency in her and that was something that I needed for Helen because she’s such a very strong woman.”
Hunter was intrigued by the film because she liked that it was an unconventional story about family and human dynamics— and this was unlike any other she’d ever seen in that department. “What I really liked is that beneath all the superhero adventures, THE INCREDIBLES is basically a story celebrating family— real families with all their differences and quirks—and what a family’s individuals can do when they come together,” she says.
For Hunter, who has never done any animated voice work before, it was also an exciting way to step out of her usual terrain. “It was a really different and exciting experience for me, learning to be expressive through your voice alone,” she says. “From the start, I was pulled into it by Brad, because his imagination is so very alive and he really knows this character.”
She continues: “Brad thinks musically. For him it’s about finding a rhythm and an intonation that can be really more related to music more than anything else. The back-and-forth exchange is very staccato and very dynamic—and this was very interesting to me as an actress and a lot of fun.”
Rounding out the family of Bob and Helen Parr are their three children: the reclusive teenage Violet, the speedy ten year- old Dash and little baby Jack-Jack. In developing their individual superpowers, personalities and human foibles, Brad Bird looked at typical American families all around him for inspiration.
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