Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation: A Roundtable Interview With Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez

It’s always important to spend family time together.

In Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, the monster family spends their next wondrous adventure on a cruise ship with their most challenging adversary—a family vacation.

The returning voice cast of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez return for this franchise in a third go-around. They’ll be joined by the new voice cast member, Kathryn Hahn, as Ericka Van Helsing.

Here’s the synopsis:

Join our favorite monster family as they embark on a vacation on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can take a summer vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel. It’s smooth sailing for Drac’s Pack as the monsters indulge in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer, from monster volleyball to exotic excursions, and catching up on their moon tans. But the dream vacation turns into a nightmare when Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could destroy all of monster kind.

LRM Online was at a special Sony Animation presentation of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation in Los Angeles to show a special preview of certain scenes for the press and a select audience. Two of the cast members, Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez, who voiced Johnny and Mavis respectively, were on hand to answer questions for us at a roundtable interview.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation will be in theaters on July 13.

Read our roundtable interview below.

Question: We were talking about how you just record in a booth or in a place by yourself. You actually hadn’t seen [each other ] in a while. You couldn’t interact with each other while you’re acting. How does that feel? Do you imagine him in the room where you do a scene? Or how does that work?

Selena Gomez: I think so. It’s usually you’re playing off something. I’ve only gone in once where I’m just reading the lines just to get them for the animation part. But then, after you go in and you fix a few things. I’m listening to everybody else’s voice or I’m just reading with Genndy [Tartakovsky] and it just works.

Andy Samberg: Yeah. It’s not that different for me than acting in a scene with other actors. I generally don’t really think or look at them very much anyway. [Laughs]

Selena Gomez: Yeah. [Laughs]

Andy Samberg: I’m just kidding You do get better at doing voice over by yourself. In the beginning, when we would record on the first Hotel Transylvania, I did a lot of sessions where [Adam] Sandler and I were in the room together. We’d like find the rhythm of it. Once you establish all the characters and what their voices are–you can do it pretty much solo. Then through the power of nonlinear audio editing, they can make magic happen. [Chuckles]

Question: This one looks very big and feels like that you need to go to the movies to experience it on the big screen. Have you noticed the evolution throughout the film that the world has expanded and it has been more rich visually like in the details?

Andy Samberg: Yes. I mean Genndy is brilliant director. That was part of what was so exciting about doing these [movies]. I was really a huge fan of his work prior to the movies. The first two worked and made money. We were able to do more of them. It probably just expanded his palette. As with most sequels, they get bigger and bigger until they pop. Or it pops and everyone hates them. [Laughs]

Selena was just saying, I feel like we’re almost done with these. People are gonna start just hating them. [Laughs]

Question: On what we saw earlier, some of the scenes were really, really funny, because I was cracking up.

Andy Samberg: Good!

Question: When you started the first one, did you think you’d be here with number three?

Andy Samberg: You certainly hope. I mean generally with animation with the exception of a few specific ideas, if it works you do more. I love doing things that are episodic like getting into the rhythm of a character and expanding on their world.

Selena Gomez: And I miss that.

Andy Samberg: Yeah. And especially when we were asked earlier too about getting to see actual growth happen in an animated world. It is not actually that common. So it’s been a nice part of doing now three [movies].

Question: You actually said in the screening that you your character does all these things you’re not even ready to…..

Selena Gomez: Yeah. It was funny he was saying earlier too. His character is kind of emulated a little bit of his life. He’s got a kid and he’s well on that path. I feel like I’m 17 still, so….[Laughs] Yeah. What were you doing at 25? [Turns to Andy Samberg]

Andy Samberg: I had not done as well as you. [Laughs]

Question: So what were you doing at twenty-five? [Laughs]

Andy Samberg: At twenty-five, I was living in LA with my buddies, Akiva and Norma. I was doing standup and we were making stuff. We were trying to like make shows and stuff. Two years after that, I got hired on SNL.

Selena Gomez: Awesome. That’s so nice.

Andy Samberg: Now if you said twenty-seven. It still wouldn’t been different. [Laughs]

Question: How does it feel to make something that’s for the whole family? It’s something that you can bring the kids, cousins, nieces and nephews. How do that feel?

Andy Samberg: It’s wonderful. Especially now, I have so much family. Both of my sisters have kids. I know you have a similar situation in your family. [Turns to Selena Gomez] It’s nice to be able to be like, “Hey, Uncle Andy! Here is something we can watch right. Not to accidentally watch something on YouTube and then ask your parents what it means. This’ll get Uncle Andy in trouble. [Laughs]

Selena Gomez: You’ve got me in trouble sometimes.

Andy Samberg: Is that true? Tell me which?

Selena Gomez: It was a lot of the music you did.

Andy Samberg: Yeah?

Selena Gomez: My father be like, “Damn it! What is she listening to?” I was like that was literally four years ago. [Laughs] I was like, what is this?

Andy Samberg: I’m just like it to know that you were bumping it in the car.

Selena Gomez: I don’t know what was the question about? [Laughs]

Andy Samberg: It feels good to mix it up.

Selena Gomez: Yeah, it’s the best! I love it. It still keeps me connected to that. You know, I was super proud of my show. I did it like a million years ago, but it’s so nice to still have that connection with kids. It means a lot to me.

Question: During the presentation and we see this scene in the Gremlin Airlines. Do you have a horror story about traveling on a plane or with a sickness there?

Selena Gomez: For sure I have. I had a not so good sick situation on a flight. It wasn’t fun, but I had perfume. I thought that would help it, but it didn’t do a good job. [Laughs]

Andy Samberg: I feel like there should be a new kind of first class ticket you buy. Where it’s a normal seat, but you get your own bathroom. People would pay way more for that.

Question: In the seat?

Andy Samberg: No, not in the seat. In the section! [Laughs] But, that’s another idea. [Laughs] Now you got me thinking, there could only be one seat on the plane if that was the case. We’ll brainstorm that.

Question: Is there something that your characters haven’t done yet that you wish you had a chance to do maybe in the future?

Andy Samberg: I don’t really have anything offhand.

Selena Gomez: We’ve done a lot.

Andy Samberg: With these sorts of things, I’m always more just excited to see what they come up with. It’s a nice one for me where I’m not actually writing.

Question: Why is your favorite vacation? What are your favorite vacation spots?

Selena Gomez: I love warm weather. I like being on the beach with my friends.

Question: This idea comes out of a cruise with a family. Have you taken a cruise with your family? How have you been trapped in a boat with your family?

Andy Samberg: My family. Never.

Selena Gomez: I would never survive on a cruise.

Andy Samberg: I’ve definitely been on a boat. But, not with my family. [Laughs]

Selena Gomez: Great story. [Laughs]

Andy Samberg: Thanks!

Question: After this movie, would you take your family on a vacation? A cruise?

Selena Gomez: No, definitely not.

Andy Samberg: I would have to make enough money to like do that. The private yacht thing like [Warren] Buffet style. Jay z and Beyonce style. Who else goes on boats by themselves?

Selena Gomez: Diddy.

Andy Samberg: Diddy style. If Diddy would invite me on his boat, then I might take the fam. [Laughs] Sure. My baby daughter would love that. [Laughs]

Question: How old is she?

Andy Samberg: She’s coming up on a year.

Question: Now you haven’t seen the movie. What do you speculate? You read the script. You’ve gone into that booth. You did your thing and then that’s it. You don’t know what’s coming out of it.

Andy Samberg: Correct.

Question: This is the first time you seen these scenes too?

Andy Samberg: Yes, and in fact we only saw the tail end.

Selena Gomez: I’ve saw a few recordings. I would ask to watch a scene so I could figure out what was going on. But I’m excited.

Andy Samberg: It felt like a whole new fantastic adventure and I might be proven wrong. But, it seems like it. [Laughs]

Question: What are some studio essentials for you guys? When you’re in the booth, what do you absolutely need? Do you like candles? Do you have a humidifier? Do you drink water? Do you drink granola bars?

Andy Samberg: I go tea. Well first, I do a bunch of coffee. I get my zazz on. [Laughs and claps] Then I got tea and water. Maybe some almonds. Maybe a little bit of mango if it’s in season. Do you like that little sustenance? That usually lasts me for the first five minutes. [Laughs]

Selena Gomez: No. Every time I’ve gone in, I don’t take breaks. I power through. I do it. I’ll have water every now and then.

Andy Samberg: But, when you sing you do candles?

Selena Gomez: Yeah, for sure. Actually, literally yesterday I did that. That’s how I catch the vibe.

Andy Samberg: You got to catch a vibe. It’s very common. When we recorded with Rihanna on SNL, it was in our crappy office at 30 Rock. Her people came in ahead of time to lit candles and put scarves over the lamps. We walked in and we were like, “This is nice.” [Laughs] She ripped it.

Selena Gomez: Yeah. That’s awesome.

Question: Selena, since your character is actually grown–how do you feel about her now? From the beginning to this end?

Selena Gomez: It’s kind of nostalgic. For me it is. It feels so good to do it. I was saying earlier in the other room that my voice actually changed when I started recording the first one. So I can’t even go as high as I did in the first movie. It helps. It’s in my benefit that she gets older and has a whole life. I think it’s nice. I feel nostalgic. I like it.

Question: A little off topic, would you ever love to be on Brooklyn Nine-nine? I would love to see you on that show.

Selena Gomez: Don’t get him that idea. [Laughs] I’m just kidding. To be honest, I would love to. I’m not just saying that.

Andy Samberg: I will hold you to it. I will you ask that.

Selena Gomez: [Laughs] We’ll talk about the pay after. No, it’s so much fun, honestly. It’s so fun being with them today. I don’t hang out with people. [Laughs] I have my group and I’d stay pretty isolated. It’s so nice to be able to be with them. I haven’t laughed this hard in so long. It’s so nice. It would be so fun for me. I don’t know if I’d be good.

Andy Samberg: Thank you. [Laughs] We’ll talk later.

Question: Out of that, going back to the booth experience. What’s the difference between, for example, doing that show where you have all these people and you laugh and wit doing this kid’s movie with a lot of comedy by yourself. Maybe you laugh with the director. How does that work?

Andy Samberg: You’ll laugh with the director. There’s other people in the room as well like the producers and the people running the sound. I feel like we’ve both done music. Mine is in quotations, but we’ve both done it. You spend a lot of time, by yourself, manufacturing expressions and different feelings. I did stand up for a long time. I was by myself for that. It’s just a skill. It’s a muscle that you exercise. If you’re with somebody, you can use that to perform. And if you’re not, you try figure out a way into that and just make it work. I don’t really see it as an obstacle anymore.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation will be in theaters on July 13.

Source: LRM Online

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