It’s not every day you walk into a fancy downtown hotel and see a frog promoting his movie to a crowd of press. We’re not just talking any frog – we’re talking THE frog, the ‘it’ frog. This is Kermit the Frog, who was in Toronto this week with co-star, executive producer, and co-writer Jason Segel to promote the upcoming Disney flick THE MUPPETS. The press loved him, and Kermit was definitely not hiding his love for Toronto, having been in town before working on projects such as THE FROG PRINCE.
Kermit the Frog.
In their first return to the big screen since 1999, Kermit and his Muppet friends set out on a mission to save their theatre from being destroyed. Helping them along are three superfans – Gary (Jason Segel), Mary (Amy Adams), and Walter (Walter – a devoted Muppets fan). They also gain celebrity support from stars such as Jack Black, Selena Gomez, Whoopi Goldberg, and Neil Patrick Harris.
Here is what our favourite frog, Kermit, had to tell THE MAGAZINE about:
One reason why THE MAGAZINE readers need to see THE MUPPETS:
One really good reason is popcorn. Another good reason is I want to make more movies. If they don’t go see it that’ll probably never happen. Also, it’s a pretty good movie. We worked really hard at it. What we like to do, besides do a movie, is bring lots of people together because that’s what we do. Most of our Muppet movies are about our family feeling and all of us crazy guys getting together and doing fun things. In this case we save our theatre. It’s about coming together which I think is important in the world.
His favourite moment from the movie:
Every day at lunch. Those were my favourite moments. I love lunch. It’s free. I eat typical, stereotypical frog stuff like mosquitoes, worms are nice. [Sometimes], I have a hankering for fried chicken but no pork products.
Richard Crouse hosts the press conference with Kermit the Frog.
Kermit also spoke about:
Differences between Kermit the character and Kermit the Frog:
In real life, I don’t really think of myself as a big star. I am probably a little quieter and less outgoing than the Kermit you see on the screen.
The success of the Muppets:
An awful lot of the [Muppets] aren’t that good at what they do, which is kind of strange. I like to sing but let’s face it, I’m no Frank Sinatra. Miss Piggy is an actress who’s not a great actress. Fozzie is not a very funny comedian. Gonzo is a horrible stunt guy who always gets hurt. I guess we are excellent failures.
Working with Miss Piggy:
Miss Piggy and I are kind of ‘significant others’. When your significant other is a pig there are challenges. For instance you have to give up eating bacon. That’s very important. It’s always tough to work with somebody you are close with but yet it can be wonderful. You can bring all of that magic to the screen.
Recreating ‘The Rainbow Connection’ song from THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979):
It brings back memories for a lot of the adults. It’s a nice song. I think the meaning of that song still holds true today which is about following your dreams, finding your way, and putting trust in yourself. It’s the message of pretty much everything we do.
The writer Angela with Kermit the Frog.
Thank you Kermit! Catch THE MUPPETS in theatres on November 23rd.