Unveiling the Exciting Journey of Big Nate: SDCC 2023 Exclusive Chat with Ben Giroux, Mitch Watson & Lincoln Peirce

Summary

Big Nate's creator, Lincoln Peirce, is thrilled to see the character brought to life in animation after resisting offers for a live-action adaptation.

Mitch Watson, creator of the animated series, was attracted to Big Nate's character and his relatable longing for acceptance through playful pranks and mischief.

Ben Giroux, who voiced Nate, strived to portray a down-to-earth and endearing quality in the character, while also capturing his mischievous and inquisitive personality.

Big Nate revolves around the misadventures of Nate Wright, a sixth-grader, and his group of close friends - Teddy, Chad, Francis, and Dee Dee. Filled with humor, the series showcases Nate's rebellious nature as he constantly finds himself in comedic situations, often at odds with the school faculty. Notable characters include Mrs. Godfrey, Nate's nemesis and social studies teacher, Principal Nichols, and Mr. Galvin, the science teacher.

Created by Lincoln Peirce, the original Big Nate comic strip and book series served as the foundation for the animated adaptation. Developed by Mitch Watson, the animated series first premiered on Nickelodeon in 2022 and later began airing on Paramount+. The talented cast includes Ben Giroux, Dove Cameron, Rob Delaney, Charlie Schlatter, Kevin Michael Richardson, Carolyn Hennesy, Arnie Pantoja, Daniel MK Cohen, and Bryce Charles.

Ben Giroux, Mitch Watson & Lincoln Peirce On Big Nate

Screen Rant: Let's discuss Big Nate for a moment. Lincoln, what are your thoughts on seeing your story come to life after a lengthy development process that has changed significantly from its original option?

Lincoln Peirce: It's amazing. We received numerous offers over the years to adapt Big Nate into live action, but I always resisted. I never had any interest in that. He's a cartoon character, and I wanted him to remain as such. However, when we teamed up with Nickelodeon and I saw the early 3D images of Nate, I had some concerns about how he would look. But he looks incredible, and the writers have been exceptional. Overall, it's been a fantastic experience.

Mitch Watson was intrigued by Big Nate because Ramsey Nito, head of Nickelodeon animation, reached out to him and expressed that she saw similarities between the lead character and Mitch himself. That was the main reason he decided to work on it.

Big Nate's character strongly appealed to me primarily because he was a kid with a noticeable sense of insecurity. When I analyzed his personality, it became evident that he constantly sought validation from others, craving acceptance and popularity. Engaging in pranks and mischief became his chosen method to stand out and be recognized. Surprisingly enough, I could relate to this aspect of Nate's persona, as it mirrored my own experiences during my school days.

Incredible! Ben, could you delve into the process of capturing Nate's distinctive voice and express what unique qualities you aimed to bring to the role, making it your own?

Ben Giroux stated that his early discussions with Mitch revolved around creating a grounded and relatable character, Nate, amidst the show's abundance of animated and exaggerated voices. He believes that his vocal performance is the most realistic on the show, with a multitude of eccentric voices surrounding him.

The main challenge, according to Ben, was designing a character who is mischievous and a troublemaker while still being likable. He wanted Nate's voice to reflect the nuances of his personality, capturing moments of self-doubt amidst the chaotic and comedic situations he finds himself in.

Now, you talk about being one of the more grounded voices. Can you talk to me about the casting process for Big Nate?

Mitch Watson shared that it was an intriguing and distinct experience for him and everyone involved. They were only able to have one in-person casting round before COVID-19 caused them to transition to remote work for the next two and a half years. Mitch only had the opportunity to meet Ben Giroux and the four main leads, Arnie, Dan Lim, Kenny Cohen, and Bryce Charles, once in person. He did not have the chance to meet anyone else in the cast.

Ben Giroux mentioned that they began working on the project during the first week of March 2020, just as the pandemic was unfolding.

Mitch Watson: Yeah. We underestimated the time it would take, and eventually we were all sent home. To ensure a smooth collaboration, we started pairing different voices of the four leads, determining who complemented each other the best and wouldn't hinder anyone else. I felt incredibly lucky because, with Lincoln's involvement, I was able to choose my top picks for casting the leads.

These were the guys I had in mind right from the beginning. Thankfully, Lincoln and everyone else, including the executives, were all in agreement. I couldn't be happier. In fact, whenever we work on it now, I can't even imagine hearing anyone else's voice for the character.

Well, let me ask you this. What does Ben bring to the role of Big Nate that isn't necessarily on the page?

Mitch Watson: Well, Ben's actually a good actor.

Ben Giroux: Thanks, Mitch.

Mitch Watson: So I mean, that always helps, I think.

Lincoln Peirce: You'll finally get the approval you desire.

Mitch Watson: Ben is not only a talented actor, but also a naturally hilarious individual. Interestingly, during the casting process, we were unaware that Ben and Arnie Pantoja, who portrays Teddy, share a close friendship just like their characters in the Big Nate books. In fact, they are best friends and writing collaborators outside of the show.

During the first audition, I inquired about everyone's proficiency in improvisation and similar skills. It was evident that Ben and Arnie in particular excelled in their ability to spontaneously create and deliver new lines. Ben also demonstrated exceptional talent in seamlessly altering his emotions and even modifying his voice when necessary.

In certain episodes, there were instances where he had to rapidly shift between different characters that he was voicing. We offered to separate the recording sessions for each character, but he confidently insisted on seamlessly transitioning between voices.

Do you guys record alone or how do you capture that chemistry?

Ben Giroux acknowledged that it was an excellent question and credited the entire Nickelodeon team for finding a solution to record remotely during the pandemic. He believed that they were one of the first shows to do so and speculated that they may have been the only show who managed to record as an ensemble remotely.

Ben Giroux explained that during the early days of the pandemic, they had to overcome technical challenges and adapt to improvising during Zoom meetings with 12 actors. This required finding ways to work around buffering, gaps, and glitches. Despite these obstacles, they were able to discover a method that worked.

Mitch Watson shared that he has always preferred ensemble records, where the entire cast can be present and play off each other, similar to a stage play. He was surprised to learn that this wasn't common practice at Nickelodeon. Despite the lack of support, he insisted on implementing it for their comedy show. Eventually, they had a maximum of 14 actors participating in these early Zoom recordings.

Later, I found out that it was the largest ensemble record they had ever done, and it was indeed the first one attempted over Zoom. Furthermore, I was informed that nobody else was doing this. Everyone else was participating individually and completing their parts.

Lincoln, what aspect of seeing Big Nate come to life through animation has been the most unexpected for you?

Lincoln Peirce: Animation allows for endless possibilities that cannot be achieved on a page. Big Nate originally started as a comic strip, but I later ventured into writing Big Nate novels. Although I have a deep love for comics, there are limitations when it comes to telling a complete story within four panels. Narratively and visually, there are restrictions to what can be conveyed and appreciated in the small space of a comic strip in a newspaper.

However, the most thrilling aspect of transitioning to animation is the absence of such limitations. On the screen, there are virtually no boundaries. Our characters can embark on adventures at sea or in space, which would be impossible for me to depict on the page. This revelation has been incredibly exciting for me, and I must commend our talented team of writers and actors who constantly strive to push the boundaries and explore the extent of the fun we can have.

Could you discuss the animation style and how you determined that it was the perfect fit for Big Nate?

Lincoln Peirce: In an early Zoom meeting, I was introduced to our art director for season one, David Skelly. I truly believe David is a genius. During this meeting, he presented a look-book that consisted of various visual references and inspirations for the cartoon's appearance. The look-book contained a wide range of influences, such as Rankin/Bass Christmas specials and anime. He even included backgrounds from lesser-known comics that were completely new to me.

"That's remarkable. Beginning in the midst of COVID presented its own set of challenges, but how did you build upon the lessons learned from the first season to further enhance the second season?"

Mitch Watson explained that there were different approaches to answering the question. He mentioned that in the first season, they had specific stylistic goals. Together with Dave Skelly, they wanted the show to resemble stop motion animation, similar to Rankin/Bass. To achieve this, they deliberately shot the entire show on twos rather than ones, creating a herky jerky movement that mimicked stop motion. Initially uncertain if this approach would succeed, they discovered throughout the first season that it indeed worked well.

In the second season, we decided to push the boundaries even further. With the rapid advancement of technology, we were able to enhance the characters' rigging, mouth movements, and eye animations, which was not possible before. Unlike the first season, we had a very short development period. I started in October 2019, met Lincoln, and we immediately began discussing the show. By December 2019, we had the show approved for production. During this time, we wrote the Bible and Pilot, and started production in February of the following year.

Dave and I, along with everyone else, jumped right into the project without the typical year-long development period. Most of our development work took place during the first season. By the time the second season came around, we had everything figured out, allowing us to be more creative and adventurous with the show. That's why the second season showcases more craziness and experimentation. We were able to incorporate a lot more cut and paste elements and introduced our second art director, Sam Koji Hale, who brought a whole new level of animation to the show with their stop motion background. This was something we didn't have enough time for in the first season. So in the second season, we have the freedom to explore and expand the world in any way we desire.

That's awesome. Now, you guys have had some amazing guest stars like Jack Black. Who's your guys' dream person to bring into the show? Start with you, Lincoln.

Lincoln Peirce: Holy cow.

Ben Giroux: That's a good question.

Lincoln Peirce: I really hope we can give School Picture Guy a more prominent role on the show. I haven't figured out the ideal actor for the character yet, but in my mind, someone like Jon Lovitz would be a great fit. Maybe we can consider casting him.

Ben Giroux: That's a tough question. Our casting team is phenomenal at bringing in talented guest stars. However, I'd like to highlight and appreciate the current cast we have. I've been friends with our main cast members even before the show started, which was a happy coincidence. Bryce Charles, who portrays Didi, Arnie Pantoja as Teddy, and Daniel MK Cohen as Francis - I'm a big fan of this core group and all the other amazing actors in our show's universe.

I am currently working with my dream cast, making it difficult for me to decide who I would want to add to it. We have been incredibly fortunate with the people we already have. In the second season, we are thrilled to have Lorraine Newman joining the cast. She is absolutely fantastic and has been an idol of mine since her early days on SNL. Our casting process is done on a case-by-case basis, and so far, our casting team has never let us down in terms of who we want. Therefore, I cannot think of anyone else I would like to add to our cast at the moment. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to discuss future plans, but I genuinely believe that everyone we currently have is fantastic, and I am always satisfied with their performances.

Lincoln Peirce: I usually find out about the casting after it's already been decided. I saw an early version of an episode and noticed a character called Uncle Pedro. I immediately recognized him as Bubbles from The Wire, which was really cool.

Mitch Watson: We were lucky to have Andre Royo join our show because I met him at a party. Michael Rivkin, who plays Mr. Galvin on the show and someone I've known for a long time, and I were waiting in line when I noticed Andre Royo behind me. I couldn't help but admire his work on The Wire and started fanboying over him. We ended up striking up a conversation.

And then he said, "What is your profession?" And I replied, "I am involved in the field of animation. I specialize in voice acting." He responded, "Hey, if there's ever an opportunity to lend my voice, I would love to do it. Blah, blah, blah." At that moment, I immediately exclaimed, "Actually, I am currently developing a project." The characters Uncle Pedro, Chad, and I had discussed came to mind. These were two characters from a comic book that I wanted to explore further. One of them happened to be Uncle Pedro. Without hesitation, I realized that he would be a perfect fit for the role. Eventually, we brought him in and he portrayed Uncle Pedro brilliantly.

About Big Nate

The story unfolds with the eventful escapades and not-so-successful exploits of Nate Wright, a spirited and rambunctious sixth-grader who lacks a certain level of competence. Accompanied by his two closest companions, Francis and Teddy, Nate often finds himself embroiled in troublesome situations. Alongside them, a diverse array of teachers and students, all of whom belong to Nate's school, Public School 38, add further depth to the narrative.

All episodes of Big Nate are available to stream on Paramount+.