Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2: Lively Press Conference with Hader, Faris, More

It’s an early Sunday morning and when the forecast called for a shower of one-liners and self-deprecating humor at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills it could only mean one thing. You’re stepping into a rather lively press conference with Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg and Terry Crews, the stars of the upcoming animated family adventure, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.”

Chances are those of you with kids have seen “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” quite a few times. (Admit it, it’s on a loop in the family car alone.) Based on the popular children’s book, the 2009 original was a global smash that was destined for heaping second helping. And this time fans of the animated culinary dream will sit down and devour a movable feast of imagination and color. Yet, with “Cloudy 2, “ family audiences will also be treated to a timely message for a gluten-free generation.

“It’s like an ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Food,’” said a sly Samberg. Followed by a grinning Hader, “Okay, you guys can write all that down.”

Here’s a few more morsels with the “Cloudy 2” stars as they reveal the secrets of the recording booth and why their kids just may have the most discerning tastes of all in this interview for Desde Hollywood.

How does a role like this allow you all to flex your acting chops?

BILL HADER: I got to scream a lot. That’s how you do it. Just yell all your lines. I’m screaming even when it’s like a very nice intimate moment between me and Sam Sparks (portrayed by Anna Faris).

ANNA FARIS: We’re really enthusiastic. The first one was my first animated experience. You have to learn how to work by yourself. You don’t have the feedback, but one of the things that I loved were the effort noises. Like coming up with “How do you fall down like you’re in a cave made of peanut brittle?”

BILL HADER: Yeah, or they’ll say, “You’re in a pancake bog” and I go, “Okay!” Then it’s like you’re walking through a pancake bog. Then the directors (Cody Cameron & Kris Pearn) will say, “No. We said pancake bog. That’s clearly Jell-O.”

TERRY CREWS: For me, it was hard because I was taking over for the iconic Mr. T, so I was looking at Cody and Kris like, “Oh, man! How do you do that?” They really just settled me down and said, “We want the best you. We want Terry Crews.” I thought that was really cool and it allowed me to really get loose and just have fun and scream just like the rest of these guys. It was a very unique experience for me. I was honored that they felt I had enough juice to take that part over. I feel much better now.

Was it impossible not to think of food while recording?

FARIS: I’m always craving food! The sessions were really exhausting. I think the whole creating a food world is so much fun. Everyone here knows I’m a crazy fan for nachos. I’m always eating nachos, right guys?

SAMBERG: Yeah, that’s why we call your Nacho Faris. Hey, we’ve got to take these pictures, where’s Nacho?

HADER: Yeah, get Nacho in here.

FARIS: Hey guys, I’m right here! [LAUGHS] The theme of food is so much fun to work with and obviously the kids love it. We love it.

Given the interesting array of food-animal hybrids on display in the film, would you label “Cloudy 2” a pro or anti GMO movie?

SAMBERG: Way deep down underneath like the funny side of the story, one of the ideas that we wanted to kind of play with was who owns food. The first movie was about consumption issues. This time it’s about this corporation and who owns creativity. The idea that’s food’s food has sort of become its own thing. We look at that as being kind of a natural thing even though it doesn’t make any sense. The idea is that it’s life creating life.

HADER: They’re going to be quoting that for years now. The Samberg Theorem of Nature. There’s a big statue of you at this press conference when you first said it. When you first said it at the press conference for a movie called “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.” Only been able to find one because it’s a billion years in the future.

What else made the film different for the returning cast members this time?

BILL HADER: Oh, how long do you have? I’m joking. [Turns to Cody and Kris] Could you guys leave for a second? [LAUGHS} No, they were great. They were great. They were awesome and it was interesting because Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed the first movie, were comedy writers and animators. Cody and Kris were in the story department for the first movie and really amazing animators. The difference was that you had the funniness, but also they had so clear in their mind what it was going to look. You would do a line they would go, “No, the camera is coming around you like this and as it goes away, you’ve got to get a little louder.” It was incredibly detailed and I thought that was cool. We didn’t really have that on the first one.

SAMBERG: You guys laugh more. That was really great. You said words. [LAUGHS] [Turns to co-stars] Did you guys all read with Cody? They would have a temp track for us when we’d come in sometimes if you had to fill in a space they had added or something. I don’t know about you guys, but the temp of mine was so good, I was like, “You could just use that.”

HADER: It’s bigger. When I saw it, the scope of it was so big!

Given today’s media glare on box office, are you all more nervous about the reviews from your kids or from critics?

HADER: I have two kids. My four year-old loves the first movie, but won’t accept that that’s me as Flint. I’ll be like, “That’s Daddy!” She kind of looks at me like, “No, it’s not. You’re crazy.” I just hope maybe when she sees this one that she realizes that it’s actually her dad.

CREWS: I’ve got to say I’m very, very nervous. I have five kids and a grandbaby. I took everyone to the premiere of the first movie. The kids loved it. I get this part, now the kids are looking at me like, “You? Really? You’re in this?” We watch this on DVD all the time, right? My son looked at me and he was like, “Don’t mess it up.” Eight years old, “Don’t mess it up.” Now I’m extremely nervous, but I think they’re going to be happy.

All of you are quite adept at, shall we say, adult humor? It is tough to be restrained for a family film?

HADER: Have you not been paying attention to this press conference? Did you not see what we’ve been doing? [LAUGHS] Yeah, we’ve got to take some time. I have to hang out with my friends and Daniel Day-Lewis it a little bit and get in that world of dummies. [LAUGHS] It’s like fantasy. It’s no joke. It’s growing up loving animated stuff like I did. I would sit there in seventh grade and think, “Wouldn’t it be cool to be a part of those things? Now I get to make a living that way. Are you kidding? It’s insane.

SAMBERG: It’s tough for me to get there. Yeah, it’s a dream. You know you can’t curse. That’s the only thing you can’t do. Second that. Fourth that.

FARIS: My parents are really happy that I’m doing a movie they can see!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 picks up where Sony Pictures Animation’s mouth-watering comedy left off. Inventor Flint Lockwood thought he saved the world when he destroyed his most infamous invention — a machine that turned water into food causing cheeseburger rain and spaghetti tornadoes. But Flint soon learns that his invention survived and is now creating food-animals – “foodimals!” Flint and his friends embark on a dangerously delicious mission to battle hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, hippotatomuses, cheespiders and other foodimals to save the world – again!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 is in theaters everywhere September 27.