John Leguizamo plays Sid, the idiotic, but kind-hearted sloth in "Ice Age".
It's said animators take bits of the actor and put them into the character. Are you happy with the way Sid turned out?
I'm really happy because they made me even funnier than I tried to be. This is the latest in animation. There were about a 100 people on computers, all animating a different part of each creature, like the eyebrow, the lip, the right hand. It's so meticulous to give it that kind of depth and life.
As a physical comedian, do you find it tough not showing the audience what you are doing, only what you are saying?
I learned you've got to free up and you've got to act it out, whatever it is you're doing. If you're running, you run, if you get hit, you've got to bang yourself a little bit. That's how the voice comes to life.
Is it now considered quite prestigious amongst actors to do an animated film?
Now it's an Oscar category it's become a huge thing. I mean, not even comedies have a category yet. It's awesome there's that boom, that there's a renaissance in cartoons and I think it's just going to explode.
Is this something you've wanted to do for a long time?
Yes, I've loved cartoons ever since I was a young kid. Mel Blanc was one of my comedy gods. I learnt so much from his comic timing and the creation of his voices, to me it's always been an art and a science - very different from regular acting, but just as beautiful.
