Exclusive Interview: Mary Mack of FOX ADHD’s GOLAN THE INSATIABLE
JOHN BLABBER: Hi Mary, your unique and adorable voice certainly makes for great voice over, have you always been a fan of cartoons and wanting to be a part of them?
MARY MACK: Ah shucks, that’s nice of you to say. I’m not sure everybody likes my voice, but I’m stuck with it. It’s definitely gotten lower since I started comedy 10-11 years ago…I think bronchitis or overuse or maybe I’ve finally gone through puberty.
People have always suggested I do cartoons, but I never saw myself doing it until they asked me to come in and audition for Golan.
What are some of your favorite animated shows both growing up and presently?
I loved the Simpsons growing up and I still do! Once in a while when I was really little, Chilly Willy and Droopy Dog would come on the TV as reruns, and I fell in love with those characters. They’re great characters. Yogi bear and the Jetsons were awesome, too. One of the first movies I saw in the theater was Roger Rabbit with my dad. He loved cartoons, especially the old Looney Tunes.
In the upcoming series Golan the Insatiable, you voice Dylan. How does your character fit into the setting/series?
Well, I’m basically the volunteer “slave” of a monster (Golan) whom I somehow also get to do my bidding. It’s an intriguing relationship. It part of what I love about the show. Dylan really enjoys being an underling and flaunts it.
How did you come to learn about the series and how did you become a part of the show?
I performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival about five years ago, and after all this time, Nick Weidenfeld (the producer at ADHD) remembered my name and voice and had the guys call me in to audition. I am really grateful to him for making a pact with himself that he’d someday want me to be a part of something. Thanks Nick!
When you were Dylan’s age, were you big into creating fantasy worlds and using your imagination to play?
Yes, I was big into fantasy and kerosene. I was similar to Dylan in many ways, but I think I actually set MORE things on fire than she does.
How much input were you able to give for your character, Dylan? Is there a lot of room to ad lib on the script or are the lines pretty regimented?
Ad libbing is really encouraged in the recording sessions. The writers are really open minded and encouraging. It’s easy to work with them, but I think the scripts are so good, there’s not much need to ad lib. It’s just fun coming up with ridiculous things my nine-year-old character would say.
How did you get into standup comedy?
Well that was an accident too. Are you sensing a lack of goals on my part? Real short, I had a really bad polka band. Our gigs were four hours long and I had to stall for time by talking in between songs. Pretty soon people said, “We like the talking better than the songs,” and about a year after that I was doing stand up. Stand up suited me because I didn’t have to help carry any drum sets or tubas, etc. I’m sick of carrying things. I don’t know why.
What are your plans for end of year and into next year in terms of acting? Standup tours? etc??
Well, I think I’m one of the few people who is on the Fox network who doesn’t have a manager or a theatrical agent. I really would like a theatrical agent because I’d like to try for some character parts in sit coms. I used to be a horrible actress, but I’ve improved with all the acting/improv classes and rejection notices, so I think I’m ready now. I got a couple acting parts I’ve done in short films that have won some film festival awards this year. Anyone? Any takers?
Also, there’s always some sort of stand up strange tour going on with me. I post them on www.marymackcomedy.com. If other parts of the site don’t look like they’ve been updated in a while, that’s because I’m not sure if my web lady is still alive. You can still join my mailing list, though. (Hint. Hint.)
Anything you would like to plug??
Well I’m not sure where people live who read this, but I run a monthly live L.A. show called The North Star Comedy Hour & Meat Raffle. I do it in other cities occasionally as well. We feature good variety acts and bad meat–that you can win. It’s on my website, and 176 people have liked us on Facebook. You could be the 177th, for which there will be no physical prize, but an emotional prize both of us will experience.
I ALSO JUST WANT TO PLUG GOLAN THE INSATIABLE!! It’s such a clever, relationship-driven script that the animators and writers try to mask in violence and inappropriateness. It’s really artistic, but don’t tell anyone!
Golan the Insatiable gets a sneak peek episode on November 23rd on FOX’s ADHD with a full series premier this January. Check out MaryMackComedy.com for stand up tour dates.
"There are also other characters that come and go (also owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate media company)."
Huh. Is that just referring to other characters from the show itself, or is this implying that the new season is going to have cameos from other WBD IPs