n Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, the Mystery Inc. gang returns for a new adventure in their hometown of Coolsville. Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and the title canine find themselves fighting new, more powerful incarnations of their old enemies, including such familiar villains as the Pterodactyl Ghost, the Black Knight Ghost, Captain Cutler's Ghost and Miner Forty-Niner.
Joining them in the sequel to 2002's hit Scooby-Doo are Seth Green as a museum curator and new love interest for Velma, Alicia Silverstone as a nosy reporter and Peter Boyle as Old Man Wickles. And director Raja Gosnell amps up the action with more chases, bigger sequences and more visual effects.
The cast and crew took a moment to speak with Science Fiction Weekly about Scooby 2, which opened March 26. Gellar spoke in an interview last July, on the film's Vancouver, B.C., set; the others spoke in interviews while promoting the film earlier this month.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, in the first movie, Daphne was a lot stronger than she was in the original animated series. Has that continued in this sequel?
Gellar: I think the first story sort of revolved around Daphne finding her place. It's that same in-between [place] that I think a lot of teenagers and young adults find, which is "Where do I fit in? What's my place? What's my purpose? What am I good at?" Because everything to her was, she was the pretty one. She never really fit in. And this one is more about public image.
In the beginning you find Daphne, and she is confident. She's confident because she's deriving her strength from what other people think, the press and the fans, and it's all about public image. And what she soon realizes is that the public image can change, it's fickle, and that you have to find your strength from within before you worry about how everyone else perceives you.
Is it easier to play the character now?
Gellar: The first one was difficult, because I was commuting between Australia [where the first movie was shot] and Los Angeles [where she was still shooting TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer]. So, from the get-go, the sequel is easier. Everything about a sequel is easier. I remember I was in Scream 2, and our whole topic at the beginning of the movie was how sequels suck and how sequels are never better than the first one. And I think what we're seeing is, the trend is moving away from that. And what's happening, especially with movies based on previous material, you spend the first 45 minutes to an hour of the first movie setting everything up. Whether it's Scooby or X-Men or any of these movies. ... And I think what's happening with sequels ... now it's like when you jump right in [and] you know where your story is. It's less complicated.
I think also, we weren't exactly sure what our niche was the first time. Were we a movie for kids? Were we going to be a little more esoteric and go for a little bit of an older, more satirical audience? And we shot everything both ways, and it was really put together in the edit, and really made for a family film. Now, coming in, you know we're coming in to make a family film.
Is it weird to be working with Seth Green again [with whom Gellar co-starred in Buffy]?
Gellar: It's great. If I had my druthers I'd work with Seth on every project. And I think the world is just starting to catch on to something that I've known since I was, like, 7 years old—so like six years ago [coughs]—is how talented he is. ... He's an incredibly gifted comedian, but he's also a really giving comedian. A lot of times when you get people that are so incredibly innately funny, it's about them. They're funny. And what Seth does is tries to make everything funny. It's not just him. He'll be the first one to come to you and say, "I have this great idea for this line. And you should do this in this part." So I'd like one day to do a movie where we could really work off each other. Obviously he's a little more intended for Velma in this movie than for myself, but that's on my list of things I'd really like to do one day, is to really get to work with Seth.
You're also working with your husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. Do you take this home with you?
Gellar: We often play cartoon at home, yes [laughs]. No, it's pretty easy. I wouldn't recommend it [otherwise]. I think working with your partner is incredibly difficult no matter what industry you're in, whether you're both writers for a similar magazine or whatever job you are. It's difficult to live with someone and come to work. And I wouldn't recommend it as actors, except in a situation like this. You're doing a big action, fun, cartoon movie. It's not serious. ... I'm not at home at night going, "How ever will I say my one line tomorrow?" It's a little bit easier and freer, so it's a very positive experience. But I don't think you'll ever be seeing the big drama story between us.
Do you have more fight sequences in the sequel?
Gellar: I wish. That was the one thing. They always ask you, "What's the thing you really want to do in the fight scene?" Like, I want to do another big wire routine. And I had never done wire work before the first movie. And the original cut of the fight sequence was something like 10 minutes. And as we all know, children, you can't keep them for 10 minutes. So it got chopped down. And I was so ready for this fight, and I don't have a big wire fight in this one. And I think the idea being, we did it in the first one, why do it in the second? So this one is a sword fight. But it's more Daphne on the defensive. She doesn't win the fight. It's a defensive fight, which is fun and really different for me. Instead of sort of being the aggressor, I have to be the defender. And I've never worked with two sticks at once. And you're also fighting this Black Knight Ghost, who's probably, I don't know if you guys saw him, he's 10 feet tall and can barely walk, and there he is wielding this eight-foot sword. It's daunting.
How do you like working with all these crazy monsters from the old series?
Gellar: The monsters never show up. They're never here. They never come out of their trailer. It's very difficult. Very temperamental [laughs]. The monsters are great. It has a real feel for the cartoon. When you bring visitors here and you just see their faces. "I remember in this episode [with] the Cotton Candy glob" or whatever it is. So it reminds you, it gives you more to work off with.
What was it like working with Alicia Silverstone?
Gellar: Alicia was great. We hit it off right away. She's terrified about going into series television [Silverstone was about to begin NBC's Miss Match at this point]. And she keeps asking me about it. She's a really easygoing person.
What did you tell Alicia about series television?
Gellar: Get the sleep while you can.
Linda Cardellini, Velma gets to put on a red leather catsuit this time around.
Cardellini: It was fun. It was very different for Velma, because, you know, she typically has the orange turtleneck uniform on. But it's great, because ... even though ... she's trying to appear mysterious, glamorous and a little bit sexy, she doesn't feel any of those things. So as an actress it's really to play with how awkward you feel in something that looks like you shouldn't feel awkward at all.
Was it easy to slide back into this role from the first film?
Cardellini: Oh, yeah, I definitely did some rehearsals. And I have a little ... language tapes ... certain Velma-isms from the cartoon that I've recorded onto DVD, and I'll practice with that and have sort of a lag time where you repeat the phrase that she's just said. And so I used that again, and I got back into it, and I watched a lot of the cartoons. For me that's fun. So that doesn't seem like homework, you know?
What are the Velma-isms?
Cardellini: Just different things that she says in the cartoons. There's a lot of them on the Internet that you can download, and my boyfriend burned them on a ... CD for me, and I sort of listen to them.
Besides "jinkies"?
Cardellini: To learn her voice, I originally had that CD to help me, because not only does she say certain odd things like "jinkies!" but there's a certain cadence that I remembered listening to and identifying Velma with when I was a kid that I really wanted to have in the character when I played her. ... My favorite line—and what I always do before [each take], and everybody in the cast will tell you the line because I say it every time I start—is [in Velma voice] "Oh, Shaggy, we're not trying to make time, we're trying to make contact. The Creeper." And it's this line from this episode with the Creeper that she says that is really the line that gets me back into character, and I've used it for years now.
Can you talk about working with Seth Green and how much of that stuff was improvised and how much of it scripted?
Cardellini: Seth and I had a great time. He's a great guy, and he's a great actor, and he's so easy to work with. He's so open as a person and as an actor that you feel, especially when you're playing characters like this, it's fun. And if you can't have fun doing it, then there's something wrong with you. You're taking it too seriously. But he and I just had a great time, because our characters are so innocent in some ways, and so smart, and so involved with each other, but a little bit awkward. So it was really fun to play around with that.
And when we did the scene in the van where I'm in the red leather outfit, which obviously Velma's very uncomfortable with but trying to make a good impression, we sat there and they would let the camera roll, and we would just go back and forth and joke around and improv. And that's actually where the line came out of where I sit and I move and I squeak, and there's, you know, an unkind sound that comes out. And ... we were joking around with each other, and I said, "That's my suit, I swear." That's sort of where that line came from, which is funny because now it's in the trailer.
You had a Scrabble tournament going on in your trailer?
Cardellini: We did, we did, we did.
Did you start that?
Cardellini: Well, Seth is a big Scrabble player, and he brought this travel Scrabble board, and in between setups we'd just go and play. And there'd be eight or so people in there, playing teams. We had a great time.
Who won?
Cardellini: It went back and forth. Seth's a pretty good player. Sometimes I think he makes up his own rules.
That dance sequence was pretty awesome at the end. Was that all choreographed for every one of you or did you just all get out there and go wild?
Cardellini: The first part, where we all danced [together] ... that was choreographed. But then, after that, we were able to do whatever we wanted, which for me was incredibly fun, because it's at the end of the movie, so Velma is able to really let loose, and she sort of feels the music and is filled with joy. And I had the best time. But the next day I woke up, and my muscles were so sore.
Was it easier to work with the special effects this time?
Cardellini: Yes. And I think, you know it's always hard, because it's very technical. But the thing that made it easier in the sequel is that we actually knew what Scooby would look like, because that's the majority of the special effects that we have to work with. And the first time through we weren't sure what he would come out to look like, because it was a year later before he was actually finished or even close to being finished. And so there were different variations, but we had no idea how he would behave and how he would look in the space with us and how we would look with him. And so I think after seeing the first movie ... we had a better idea how it would be and what we needed to do to make things work.
Are you already signed for a third one?
Cardellini: Uh, yeah, I am. If it happens. I'd be excited to play it, especially now, because I have such a different role, and it's completely a whole different role from what I do now on ER [where Cardellini plays nurse Sam Taggart]. ... It's really fun to be able to do both things. And people have no idea that it's me, and I think that's great.
Matthew Lillard, do you feel better about all of the prancing around and stuff when you see it with the final effects and you're not just standing there alone?
Lillard: Well, it's such a weird experience to see the movie for the first time and see your star there. You know, you're doing all these things, and your imagination creates a lot, but the things that the guys in visual effects come up with are 10 times more extraordinary and more elaborate. So it's a mind-blowing experience like nothing else. I mean, it's one thing to run from a Tyrannosaurus rex in Lost World: Jurassic Park, it's another thing where your lead is not there. It's just a bizarre thing.
Do you get self-conscious when you have to do these things by yourself?
Lillard: There's an element of that, but that goes away quickly. It kind of goes along with the territory.
Was it easier doing this film than the first one?
Lillard: Yes. ... The first time the leap of faith was pretty extreme, ... because you had no idea. We didn't know what Scooby looked like at all. So the kind of commitment it takes to kind of jump into that world was a lot greater than what it is the second time around. And the advancement in technology from Scooby 1 to Scooby 2 is so incredible that you knew it was going to be much better than the first. So it makes that leap of faith much easier.
In the scene in which you and Scooby are dragged by the Pterodactyl Ghost, you're dragged over a table with fire. Was that real fire or is that CG?
Lillard: No, that's real fire. ... It's not that fun. The fire, there's nothing [fun about it]. It's so funny. When you first get in the business, like wow. I'll never forget the first time I flew in a movie, I was like, "Oh, this is going to be so cool." It was Love's Labour's Lost. We spent three days on wires. There's nothing more painful than wire work. It's miserable.
I have to say, I admire your level of commitment to some of this physical stuff you were doing in the film. How did you keep the energy up? How much of that is improvised, how much choreographed?
Lillard: There's not a lot of it that's choreographed. I do a lot of work before every movie. I work for two weeks with a couple of coaches I've worked with for the last 10 movies, in which we get a studio space, and we just start banging it out, beat by beat. So that work is really helpful, incredibly helpful on a movie like Scooby. Because when you get there, I'm already three steps ahead of where maybe even Raja is. I have ideas. And the more ideas you go in with, the better it is. ... I kind of bring in the starting point in terms of what I was thinking, and then Raja tweaks it and makes it better. So it's really great. It's really great collaborative effort in terms of that.
It must be exhausting, though, when you have a day when you're doing these manic physical things. How much can you do?
Lillard: It's hard. I mean, that's the thing about Scooby is that the amount of energy and endurance it takes to maintain that level of running for your life the entire movie, or just the fear. Everything's up on a scale of 10. There's nothing that's small. There's no intimate moment. ... Even when he's emotional, it's, "Oh!" It's up high. So that's hard. And we shot most of it at night, which is kind of a weird thing to your body. But you know, at the end of the day, I feel like, you know, we all went out to make a better movie. We thought the [first] movie ... did great in the box office and we thought it was OK, but we all went out to make a better movie, and I think collectively we're all really satisfied with the final product.
Linda said before she started any scene she said something to get herself in the part. Do you do anything like that?
Lillard: Yeah, I can tell you what she says, because she says it every time. I have buzzwords. ... I have a loop, a Scooby loop .. a 20-minute loop of just Shaggy's voice. But I can't listen to it anymore. So now I've got to the point where ... I find it pretty quickly. I mean I do definitely go through ... a litany of [in Shaggy voice] "Oh, he's all .... Wait, Scoob. ... Scooby Doo, where are you? What ya doin', Scoob?" Like, I'll just run through the list, and it kind of pops back. But when you're doing it every day for six months, five and a half months, whatever it was, you find it real quick.
Did you know Seth before this?
Lillard: Seth and I have known each other forever, but we never worked together. He's one of those guys in Hollywood that you pass and you've met a hundred times.
You've signed for a third Scooby-Doo?
Lillard: I have signed for a third. Not everyone signed for a third, but I signed for a third. So it all comes down to how it does opening weekend.
And you would do this even if they recast Fred and Daphne? [At press time, neither Gellar nor Prinze had signed on for the proposed third Scooby movie.]
Lillard: I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen, to tell you the truth. I don't know. I would rather not do it without Fred and Daphne, but I have no idea. It's kind of like a really interesting subject right now around Scooby land.
Seth Green, I don't think you actually had that many scenes with Sarah in this, but it's the first time you worked with her since Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Green: Oh, I guess so, yeah.
Was she noticeably different this time around?
Green: You know what? I'll say this about Sarah. In the last few years, and not so much since the show ended, but just, I think, her getting married and I think her gaining a real sense of comfort with who she is as a person, she is much happier. Do you know what I mean? And you can see her just really seeming to radiate a sense of comfort in her own skin. And that's great. I've known her since we were, like, 9 years old, and I have the utmost respect and admiration for her. I think she's a real talented actress. I think she's handled herself very gracefully through everything she's had to experience in the last, what, six or seven years? ... Freddie's such a phenomenal influence and such a f--king wonderful guy. I just love that guy so much. So, yeah, that was the big difference that I noticed, but that's not due to the end of Buffy as much as I think it's just due to her kind of getting comfortable as a person.
You knew her when you were 9?
Green: Yeah, we did commercials together in New York.
Because you knew these people, was it easy to come in to this franchise?
Green: It makes a huge difference, you know, because there's a lot of guesswork taken out. Freddie and I, I was in his first movie with him, and Sarah and I have known each other forever. Linda I was a fan of, but we'd never met before. And Matthew and I have know each other for, you know, in passing more than anything else, but I've always wanted to work with him. And I was really excited, because the first scenes I got to do in the movie, I got to do with him, which set the tone right off.
Was it tough because you couldn't watch a cartoon and see who your character should be?
Green: No, I love that. I was so excited not to have to impersonate anybody, because it gave me a lot of freedom to just be whatever I wanted to be. I got to say to all my friends, "I'm like the Harlem Globetrotters. I'm like Batman. I'm the guest star in this episode of Scooby Doo." It's awesome. I'm like Don Knotts this week. And this week it's Harvey Korman. You know what I mean?
What about the improv Linda said she did when she had her suit on?
Green: Yeah, well you know it just made noise, on the vinyl. She did that. I just tried not to laugh. It was funny.
Linda said you cheated at Scrabble.
Green: I trade. I'll trade letters. Here's the thing. ... I'm not sneaky, it's not underhanded. I'm like, "Does anybody have an E? I've got a D. D for E, two points for one, anybody? I need an E." You know, some people trade, some people don't. I'll play both ways. I just feel like the trading. It's less about who can make the best score than, like, "You've got a good word on your thing, but you're an E away? Take my E. Make that word, come on." It's so much more about having a great board than being competitive and, like, "I win! I'm smarter!" Who cares? You're playing a game, you know what I mean? You're playing a game in your downtime. Yeah, I trade letters, so what?
Raja Gosnell, did you find shooting the scenes with Scooby easier this time than the last time?
Gosnell: Much. Much. Because we knew what we were doing. We knew who Scooby was.
We knew who Shaggy was. And ... the times we made mistakes on the previous movie, they didn't work, we didn't go back to those particular techniques. The techniques that worked best are just Matt, empty room, reacting to Scooby. And then we can later animate Scooby into what he's doing. ... Matt did some great things in this movie. That chest bump that he does with Scooby at the end of the dance, there was nothing there. He's an incredibly gifted physical actor. ... I mean, some of the things: There's a moment when he and Velma and Scooby are like tiptoeing backwards in the movie. That's Matt's staging. Yeah, that's his call.
Right out of the cartoon.
Gosnell: Exactly. And there's other instances, too.
With Sarah's big fight scene with the Black Knight, how much of that was stuff she could already do and what was new stuff?
Gosnell: You know, she's done all that. ... The problem [was that the] Knight, in his suit, couldn't see anything. So he was basically flailing with a 30-pound sword. So it was pretty dangerous. So we were pretty careful where we put Sarah. ... Let's say, it's stuff she'd all done before. I mean, she did a lot more wire work and stuff in the first movie than she did in this movie. This is more of a straight-ahead brawl sort of a sword fight, as opposed to the whole weightless wire-work thing. But she worked hard.
The first time, you had scenes that were cut because they were less family-oriented. But you probably had less of that this time.
Gosnell: Yeah, much less. Every scene we cut was pretty much for a story reason or another.
Are you ready to do a third Scooby movie?
Gosnell: Well, if we had a script, and this movie's a hit, I know that they'll want to go right away. I can't honestly say how I'd respond to that, sitting here in the room. I'll just decide when it happens.
The first one being on an island and this one obviously being back to Coolsville, do you have a location that would be interesting?
Gosnell: For the third one? I think, yeah, we do. Some European location, which I can't divulge.
Oh, so you continue globetrotting?
Gosnell: Continuing globetrotting, yes. Absolutely. We're following in Bond's wake. Scooby Bond.
How will you feel about doing part three if only some of the actors return?
Gosnell: I can't answer that question now, because I don't have a strong feeling. I would say that would depend on the script, it would depend on how much time has passed. And it would depend on just how it felt on my gut level. Could I make the movie? Yeah, I'd have a good time, I'd be fine with it on a personal level. As a business decision? That's a totally different question and I think we'd have to address it. If they didn't come back, I think we'd have to address it in the script somehow.
Are there certain gags, say, the fart jokes, where you say, "We have to have fart jokes in this, they test well"? How do they always end up in movies?
Gosnell: You answered your own question. Yes, well, the fart scene from the first movie was our biggest scene, our biggest laugh in the movie. The fart scene in the second movie is our biggest laugh in the second movie. I don't know how we'll up it the next time, but I'm sure there will be gas. Obviously, we don't overdo it. You hate to go back to the well too many times. But in this case it seemed like, based on what we'd seen, it seems like, again, it was the biggest laugh in the movie. It was sort of a thank you to all those kids that laughed at the first one.
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Robert Jordan
