andrewsellon.com » Film and TV

A New Animation Voiceover Project!

Andrew Sellon — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:13:58 +0000

After two rounds of audio auditions, I’m happy to say I landed a cool role in an animated short film called Majnun’s Dream Theater Shadow Show which is being created by talented filmmaker Alexandra Huzsvai. I’m very excited about this piece because the script is beautifully written, and it takes a fascinating and fantastical approach to the very serious issue of leaving an abusive relationship. The script doesn’t preach, it just subliminally teaches the lead character Layla by example. I play a mysterious, Cheshire Cat-like creature called the Living Skeleton, who opens Layla’s eyes to the possibility of another life. We record next Monday, and I can’t wait!

Smurfing USA!

Andrew Sellon — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:51:19 +0000

On Sunday, Tim and I went to see the Smurfs movie in 3D with our nephew Nicholas, his mom Patty, Tim’s brother Danny, and his wife Ginny. We went to the brand new Ridge Hill multiplex here in Yonkers–it’s one of the only things open in this massive development (which is so big they may actually end up declaring it a village!). We made sure to get there good and early, prepared to take silly pictures next to the movie posters in the lobby, only to find out there weren’t any at this theater! So instead, before the action started, Danny kindly took this picture of us to mark the occasion of my major motion picture debut.

As it turns out, only about 1/3 of my little scene made it into the final film, so I’m really only onscreen for about 7 seconds. But I still interact very briefly with Hank Azaria (aka the villainous Gargamel) and hey, I’m up there. My thanks again to director Raja Gosnell for casting me and keeping a bit of the scene in the final film. As soon as I walked offscreen, Nicholas leaned over to me and whispered: “You were great!!” which really made my day. I told his mother later that being in a movie is indeed really cool, but being in a family and sharing little moments like this–now, that’s great!

Nicholas noted that we needed to stay and watch the credits at the end so that we could see my name. When the credits rolled, he pointed out: “Look! You’ve got a mushroom next to your name!” Evidently in the Smurf world, that’s a good omen. So if you end up seeing the movie and checking out the credits, look for the little red mushroom. Rumor has it that if this film makes enough money, Hank Azaria has already signed on for two more. So maybe we’ll cross paths again at greater length in a sequel! (And maybe the full version of the scene will show up on the DVD bonus reel…!)

The Smurfs Movie Is Out!

Andrew Sellon — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:26:12 +0000

Well, today’s the day I make my major motion picture debut. I play a silent waiter who runs afoul of the villain during a tasteful dinner at the Russian Tea Room. The scene lasts all of a minute (if they kept the whole thing), but if it’s as funny on film as it was while we were having fun shooting, it should be a hoot.

My thanks again to my agent Renée Glicker of About Artists, to casting director Richard Hicks, and to wonderful director Raja Gosnell for bringing me on board and giving me such a great opportunity. I had a fantastic time on my one day of shooting, and hope there will be many more. Raja, what are you doing next? Thanks also to Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn for being both gracious and very funny during shooting of our scene, and to Benita Allen and everyone behind the scenes on the production who kept things running so smoothly despite the antics of the four identical cats!

To top it all off, our nephew Nicholas announced that he wants to see the movie first with me! He even politely declined an invite from one of his schoolmates so that he could see it with me on Sunday in 3D. I’m honored, and I can’t wait.

Thanks also to all my friends who have been so supportive. I have no idea how I’ll look up there, but it’s great knowing that so many people out there are rooting for me. That means a lot.

Smurfs 3D Movie Premieres July 29th!

Andrew Sellon — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:38:09 +0000

At long last, the premiere of The Smurfs movie is almost here! The date has been moved up from August to July 29th. And today, I received a call from a woman checking the spelling of all the names to appear in the credits, and she confirmed that my little 30-second scene made the final cut! So while I don’t have any lines, I do have a fun scene with Hank Azaria, Tim Gunn, and Sofia Vergara, and it’ll be a hoot to see myself on “the big screen” for the first time. And in 3D, no less! My thanks again to my agent Renée Glicker, casting director Richard Hicks, and director Raja Gosnell for the opportunity to be part of the film. I had such a fantastic time filming, and I can’t wait to see the finished movie!

The Hunting of the Snark Animated Film Voiceover

Andrew Sellon — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:23:43 +0000

Well, I love the works of Lewis Carroll (after all, I’m President Emeritus of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America), and I love animation (with a special place in my heart for the painstaking labors of stop-motion animation), so perhaps this project was inevitable! Nevertheless, I was delighted when director Saranne Bensusan invited me to provide the voice for a small role in her upcoming adaptation of Caroll’s timeless masterpiece, The Hunting of the Snark. I am voicing the character of the Judge in the Barrister’s Dream sequence, and it’s a very trippy dream, indeed! The other roles are being recorded in London, where the film is being created. But happily I was able to record my audio files here in New York, and e-mail them to Saranne. Ah, technology! I gave her multiple takes of each line, so that she has some choices once she has the character created and the scene animated. And the other actors recording that scene will be able to hear my tracks when they add their own.

You can find out more about the film by clicking the logo image on the right side of this post. Saranne has taken Carroll’s poem, and interspersed snippets of it creatively throughout her script. Purists will note that she has made some changes to the characters and events of the original poem, but having read the entertaining script, I can tell you that it remains true to Carroll’s spirit. Look for it in June of 2012!

Mamarosh Shoot Wraps

Andrew Sellon — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:11:54 +0000

I’ve completed my two days of shooting as Dorian, the tense gay TV producer, for the feature film Mamarosh. My second day of shooting also happened to be the last day of shooting for the entire film, so I was there for the final wrap. Over the course of shooting, I met and worked with so many nice and talented people it would make a long blog post to list them all, so instead I’ll link to the film’s IMDB info here. In addition to the film’s stars, my first day of shooting involved a beautiful SOHO loft (supposedly owned by my character), a Persian cat, and a large pot of Army Bean Soup that changes my character’s life. In the middle of the shoot, the skyline showing through all the loft’s many windows darkened ominously, and a massive lightning and thunder storm ensued, so we had to wait that out. I found out later that the storm ended up sending tornadoes through Brooklyn and Queens! My second day of shooting was for a brief non-speaking reappearance of my character on the set of the cooking show my character produces; it’s a cute bit. And this time there was a vat of that Army Bean Soup! After shooting wrapped, director Momcilo Mrdakovic made sure the soup was added to the table for the closing meal. Word has it that they intend to show the film at Cannes next year. My thanks again to Casting Directors Harley Kaplan and Brandon Powers for this opportunity, and to Moma, the cast, crew, and producers for an exciting experience. Thanks also of course to my agent Renée Glicker and her team. I can’t wait to see the finished film. If you haven’t already viewed the trailer, you can click the image at the right to view it on YouTube.

A New Feature Film Role: Mamarosh

Andrew Sellon — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:39:09 +0000

Sometimes great things happen in surprising ways. The independent feature film Mamarosh, which has already completed two-thirds of its filming in Europe, is now shooting the remainder of the film in New York. I auditioned for the role of a pompous cinema manager. Casting directors Brandon Powers and Harley Kaplan were very gracious, and the audition felt like a good rehearsal session. I was called back, and my agent’s office told me that the writer/director, Momcilo Mrdakovic, actually wanted to read me for the role of Dora, a diva television producer–a role originally written for a woman! I was very excited by that outside-the-box thinking. I went in to the callback, and suggested rechristening the character “Dorian.” Again, it was a roomful of friendly, collaborative energy, and we had a lot of fun trying different approaches to the two scenes. I remember leaving the callback in high spirits, and found myself quietly singing “Georgia named her, Georgia claimed her, Sweet Georgia Brown!” as I walked up the street toward the train home. I felt like “Dorian” was the right name for the character, and hoped that I had indeed “claimed” him. A few days later, my agent’s office called to say that I had landed the role! I’m looking forward to my two days of shooting over the next two weeks. Since a lot of the film has already been shot, they already have a very evocative trailer up on YouTube. It makes me even more eager to be a part of the film. Click the image to watch it!

The Smurfs Movie: It’s a Wrap!

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:29:01 +0000

Last Wednesday, I returned from the gym to find a small FedEx envelope. Inside was a small manilla envelope with an address label proclaiming The Smurfs Movie. I opened the envelope to find a lovely invitation announcing “Smurfs – From Belgium to the Bowery – It’s a Wrap!” So on Saturday night, after seeing The Screwtape Letters, Tim and I headed down to the elegantly retro Bowery Hotel and stopped into the wrap party. There was a veritable sea of people there, lots of good food, and lively music. I chatted briefly with Raja Gosnell, the director, and thanked him again. He said he’s very pleased with our Russian Tea Room scene, so I have my fingers crossed that it will make the final cut. I asked him if he was gearing up for a few months of editing now, and after a moment of thought, he said with an anticipatory smile, “A year!” Whew! I told him I hope he has a lot of fun with the process of adding in the animated Smurfs. I also ran into Vincent Schicchi and his lovely wife. Vinnie was key makeup artist for the film. He kept me looking good for the whole 12 1/2 hour shoot day. I was sorry to miss seeing Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn again, not to mention 1st AD Benita Allen and 2nd AD Peter Thorell; I had a great time working with them all and would love to have had a chance to tell them. I would particularly have liked to touch base with Tim Gunn again about chandelier fashion, as he is a delightful conversationalist, but perhaps another time!

Smurfs Movie Scene Completed!

Andrew Sellon — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:32:46 +0000

On Tuesday, June 1st, I was at the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan filming my “day principal” scene as a waiter who runs into the rude villain Gargamel in the upcoming Smurfs 3D movie, due out in August of 2011. Director Raja Gosnell gave me a warm welcome while I was in the makeup trailer. He couldn’t have been nicer, and his easygoing but clear guidance set the tone for the whole set. He knew what he wanted, but was very open to spontaneous creativity as well. My scene was with Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn, all of whom were very nice, and all of whom are very funny in the movie. First AD Benita Allen was on top of every little detail, and kept things running like clockwork. Watching her work with the crew on the specs, and with all the extras on believability and logic for every little background action, was really impressive. Second AD Peter Thorell was very helpful prior to the shoot, reaching out with info about the shoot and making sure I didn’t have any questions. My thanks also to Mike and Mary, who shuttled us back and forth to our trailers all day with unflagging good will, to Cheryl, Denise, Ben, and all the other costume folks, to Vinnie for makeup, and Angel for hair, my stand-in, John, and all the other members of the team and crew (including craft services), who worked cheerfully and tirelessly to keep us all percolating. I also enjoyed chatting with Laurent Mullen and a number of the other actors playing the other waiters and customers. What a lovely bunch of people. I can’t say enough good things about the shoot because everyone, cast and crew, had such a great attitude. A few of the takes reminded me of the old rule about working with children and animals. The cats alternating in the role of Azrael were definitely frisky during the shoot! Hank Azaria was hilarous improvising around their “cattitude.” We had a lot of laughs, and despite the complexity of the scene, it was suprising how quickly the hours flew by. A great day. Thanks again to Casting Director Richard Hicks, and my agent, Reneé Glicker of About Artists, for making this possible. And my extra-special thanks to my partner Tim, who insisted on getting up well before the crack of dawn with me, even though it was a work day for him, too. Not only did he drive me to the train station, he waited with me on the platform to see me off for my first major studio shoot. I felt like a kid going to his first day of school. And he was there to pick me up when I got off the train, exhausted, at the end of it all. I’m a lucky guy all around. Thanks, everybody.

Smurfs 3-D!!

Andrew Sellon — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:01:34 +0000

I’ve just been cast in my first major motion picture! It’s the Smurfs 3D movie, due out in August of 2011. I have one scene as a waiter in an upscale restaurant who has to cope with bad behavior from Hank Azaria and Sofia Vergara. I have no lines, just silent reactions to their villainous antics. My one day of shooting will be this June, and I can’t wait! Many thanks to Casting Director Richard Hicks, who was both gracious and fun at the audition, and also to my agent Renée and her team for landing me the audition.