“That session was a lot of laughs,” Scorsese says. “We had a good time doing a little improvisation, which is pretty much based on the way we talk. It was good to have some fun with bits and pieces of our own routines that we’ve been doing for the past 30 years or so.”
“When you think about it, they’ve made nine films together, but this was the first time they’ve ever acted together,” Katzenberg adds. “When we put them together, they were able to spark things off each other that got both of them crazy and funny and silly…it was just magical.”
Jenson agrees, “We had a lot of fun watching them just react to each other, and a lot of their improv ended up in the movie. You can’t script that stuff, and it would have been a nightmare to try and cut together the timing of the dialogue to feel as natural as it does. The humor that’s there is in the rhythm of the moment because the two of them were in the room together. That’s one of those things you don’t get to experience very often in animation—really being in the moment.”
Filmmakers don’t get to experience it too often because it is rare for actors on an animated film to record together. However, in the case of “Shark Tale,” not one but three acting duos were teamed on the recording stage. In addition to De Niro and Scorsese, Will Smith and Jack Black were paired together. Damaschke notes, “These are two of the most gifted improvisational actors. You get them together and make one of them a fish and one of them a shark and you have endless comic possibilities for how they can interact. Will and Jack are so instinctual, we got amazing stuff from them.”
The final pairing of actors was Doug E. Doug and Ziggy Marley, who play, respectively, Bernie and Ernie, the Rastafarian jellyfish Reefers who serve as Sykes’ henchmen when he needs a little added shock value.
“Ernie and Bernie take care of business for Sykes,” Marley says.
“They speak softly but carry big locks,” Doug quips. “They look a little creepy, but once you get to know them, you ‘feel’ them.”
“Bernie and Ernie give Oscar a lot of grief in the movie, but people just love those characters,” Damaschke asserts. “When we were looking for the actors to play them, we thought it would be great if Ziggy Marley would do it. We didn’t know if he’d be interested, but he loved it and signed on immediately. Then we were lucky to get Doug E. Doug, who is an amazing actor, to play opposite him.”
Marley recalls, “When they asked me to do this character, I wanted to make sure they wanted an authentic Jamaican voice and not that phony thing that people try to do, but it was cool. I couldn’t have done it without Doug, though, because acting is not my area; I’m a musician. We had a good vibe.” Doug counters, “When they told me who I’d be working with, I got very excited because I think Ziggy is a great artist. I’ve seen him perform many times, but I never imagined I’d have a chance to work with him because I’m not in the music world.”
Letterman offers, “Having those guys record together made all the difference in the world. A lot of their jokester, teasing banter happened right in the room, and it would not have had the same feel if they’d worked separately.”
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