Top 10 Things Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, And The Muppets Said At The “Muppets Most Wanted” Press Day

5. Actors Don’t Care What Critics Think About Their Movies.

Gervais talked about if they cared about reviews, Gervais responded.

Gervais: You, well yeah. I mean, you like, you like it when they get it. But, I mean, if—if you only believe the good ones and don’t believe the bad ones then I think that’s a slippery slope. The best thing to do is, you know, celebrate the people that like the film and—and, you know, know that it was made for them. I—I don’t do anything for—for reviews or audience or awards or anything, you know. You do it for—you do it for yourself really if I’m being totally honest. And of course, you know, and like minded people. But it’s—it’s crazy. If you’re worried about pleasing everyone you’re not gonna please anyone. And it’ll send you mad, you know. It’ll drive you mad and now everyone’s a journalist. Everyone’s a reviewer, you know, with Twitter and Facebook it’s—it’s—it’s like glorified graffiti. If you care about that you might as well go around toilet wall in the world and get offended when they mention you, you know. It’s—it’s, so you musn’t. But yeah, you know, I’d—I’d love it to do, get good reviews and I’d be lying if I, if I said otherwise but you—you really musn’t worry about it. You really musn’t.

4. Fooling the Muppets with such great in-character acting.
There are times when acting in a role in a Muppet film where you have to embellish your character. Sometimes that means going in 110% by crazy gestures, makeup, and accents. For Ty Burrell, he had to play a French Interpol agent, to which Sam Eagle was completely fooled into thinking Burrell was actually French.

Eagle: At for about half of the film this—this man is such a great actor. He had me going. I literally thought he was a Frenchman. Yes, he was so convincing I think his portrayal of a Frenchman will go down in history as the most convincing portrayal of a Frenchman in film.

Burrell: Wow. I think we finally, you and I finally really bonded when we realized we had the exact same eyebrows.

Eagle: Yes. It—it’s true. It’s true. You know, and yes one day when I, I showed up to sets without mine he was kind enough to let me borrow his.

Burrell: I was constantly inspired by the Muppets. I’ve never realized just how over rated I was until you go out and do a scene with somebody, who’s doing the, doing eight things at once, while all I have to do is try to remember my words which I fail at miserably.

3. Infidelity and Scandals with Kermit the Frog.
Those rumors of scandalous offset behavior can be true, especially for a film like Muppets Most Wanted. Some of the stars can’t keep their hands (or tongues) to themselves when in the presence of Kermit the Frog

Kermit: Well, you—you may be surprised to hear this but there—there—there, I’m actually stretching myself quite a lot as a—as a dramatic actor in this thing. I did many many scenes with Tina. One particular scene stands out to me. It was a closed set. It was the scene where she licks me. I just wanna clear it up right here with the press that Tina is happily married. Jeff was there during the shooting.

Apparently there was a lot of toad licking going on, which resulted in Fey hallucinating.

2. What’s It Like For Their Kids To See Their Parents Star Alongside The Muppets.
Like most of the cameos, big name celebrities want to star alongside the Muppets, and in Muppets Most Wanted, there isn’t a short supply of them. But for those other actors who got more screen time, this is what they had to say when they were asked if their kids were impressed by their parents appearing in a Muppet movie.

Burrell: My kids are still so unimpressed by me. I’m banking this one. I’m gonna, I’ve learned this already from other, any other kids project that it’s if I wanna save
my ego I’m gonna bank this. I’m gonna put it out in five years or something. But so far, it’s one minute of—of why is daddy on screen and—and 90 minutes of I’m hungry.

Gervais: I haven’t got children but when I found out I was doing this film I just went and hung around schools telling ‘em. Just at play time. I said hey kids, you don’t know who I am yet but do you know the Muppets? Oh, yeah you wait, you’re going to be impressed.

Fey: They’re very excited to see the movie, but as far as me being in it it’s mostly like, you know, oh, you’re in the poster now you be Queen Elsa [LAUGHTER]. They just want me to be either Queen Elsa or Mistress Me.

1. Powerful singers staying in Miss Piggy’s Shadow.
One journalist asked Miss Piggy what it was like to work with someone like Celine Dion, who has a collection of acolytes and awards. But Miss Piggy being Miss Piggy isn’t one to let someone like Dion outshine her, especially in her own movie. Naturally she gave a humble response:

Miss Piggy: Well, working with Celine Dion it was a pleasure. It was a joy for her naturally. Yes, I’m—I’m only too happy to let her ride my coat tails up to the Oscar stage. Yes, it was a joy. We only spent a little time together but—but it was very meaningful to her.

Muppets Most Wanted opens in theaters on March 28.