Jeremy Howard Turtle powers Lilac City Comicon
Saturday, June 3, 2017, at Lilac City Comicon, Jeremy Howard, who plays Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Donatello in the newest movies, talked about his film experiences and his life as an actor. At 6 months of age, he was a hand model and later he did a Denny’s commercial with his father. His acting career in commercials paid for his private high school in Los Angeles. Howard got the part in Galaxy Quest just before graduating high school, went to the Grinch and did Men in Black II and the Haunted Mansion because make-up artist Rick Baker wanted him in those shows. Howard never ended up going to college.
As Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Donatello, Howard spent a month training with the weapons. It was enough to know how to hold it right and feel comfortable with it. He didn’t get to do many of the action scenes.
“You want to be physical. You want to be part of the role,” says Howard.
The most taxing scene for Howard was the scenes filmed in tight quarters in the van. Moving and reacting in the confine space while also wearing a turtle shell was physically exhausting.
“The second film is a lot more fun,” says Howard. “There’s nothing like running around New York and having someone else pay for it.” The second film was the movie they wanted to make the first time.
The shells doubled as sleeping units. While motion capture is easier to prepare for and more comfortable, it doesn’t have the cool factor that make-up has. The hard drive for the motion capture sits on the chest, Howard says. It keeps track of the data from the dots on his head, and it gets hot.
“I was a huge fan of the original films,” says Howard. He had a broomstick that he tied with twine; he later found out that it was ninja tape on the staff.
Howard does have advice for those looking for the best pizza: Order the cheese pizza. If they don’t get that right, they won’t get anything else right. His go to pizza was Joe’s on Bleecker Street.
Other Notes:
Acting is cyclical. The typical actor will work a lot at once and then have nothing for a while. Actors need to save money from their work to cover the times when there are no jobs.
“You have to be smart with your money,” says Howard.
On Megan Fox: “There is a person there that does care what people think,” says Howard. “She’s a really nice person; she’s really sweet,” and she can act.
On YouTube: Jeremy Howard talks about the cast of Galaxy Quest
As Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Donatello, Howard spent a month training with the weapons. It was enough to know how to hold it right and feel comfortable with it. He didn’t get to do many of the action scenes.
“You want to be physical. You want to be part of the role,” says Howard.
The most taxing scene for Howard was the scenes filmed in tight quarters in the van. Moving and reacting in the confine space while also wearing a turtle shell was physically exhausting.
“The second film is a lot more fun,” says Howard. “There’s nothing like running around New York and having someone else pay for it.” The second film was the movie they wanted to make the first time.
The shells doubled as sleeping units. While motion capture is easier to prepare for and more comfortable, it doesn’t have the cool factor that make-up has. The hard drive for the motion capture sits on the chest, Howard says. It keeps track of the data from the dots on his head, and it gets hot.
“I was a huge fan of the original films,” says Howard. He had a broomstick that he tied with twine; he later found out that it was ninja tape on the staff.
Howard does have advice for those looking for the best pizza: Order the cheese pizza. If they don’t get that right, they won’t get anything else right. His go to pizza was Joe’s on Bleecker Street.
Other Notes:
Acting is cyclical. The typical actor will work a lot at once and then have nothing for a while. Actors need to save money from their work to cover the times when there are no jobs.
“You have to be smart with your money,” says Howard.
On Megan Fox: “There is a person there that does care what people think,” says Howard. “She’s a really nice person; she’s really sweet,” and she can act.
On YouTube: Jeremy Howard talks about the cast of Galaxy Quest