The Smurfs are back like never before, and they’re bringing a few familiar faces (and voices) along for the ride.

In a film intended to reinvigorate the Smurfs franchise with a new visual style while staying true to Peyo’s original comics, director Chris Miller opened up about the creative challenges that came with trying to maintain that balance.

“There were a couple of goals,” Miller told Blavity’s Shadow and Act during our cast interview. “For me, I wanted something because I hadn’t seen it, and it really spoke to me, the original DNA of those comics, right? Like, style, aesthetic, made into a contemporary way, like, it’s a comic, but it’s got volume.”

“It’s beyond that, and always going back to that, and making sure that kind of looks like and feels like that and has that vibe. I tried to look at the movie like, OK, I want to treat this like the first Smurfs movie that’s ever been made. I know, generationally, there are so many examples, and I respect them all. I love them, particularly that Hanna-Barbera series from the ’80s, because that’s the one I grew up with. But I wanted this to feel like an original story. Let’s add something more to the mythology, and let’s make a movie that could stand on its own.”

What is this ‘Smurfs’ film about?

According to an official synopsis, “When evil wizards Razamel and Gargamel take Papa Smurf, the Smurfs embark on a mission to the real world to save him. With help from some new friends, they must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.”

The film stars heavy hitters like John Goodman as Papa Smurf, James Corden as No Name Smurf, Nick Offerman as Ken, Xolo Maridueña as Brainy, Octavia Spencer as Asmodius, and Rihanna as Smurfette.

What do the cast and director have to say about Rihanna as Smurfette?

Along with voicing Smurfette, Rihanna served as a producer on Smurfs, which director Chris Miller broke down further so that fans may get a peek inside the genius of the musician turned business mogul.

“First of all, as a performer, as an actor, she brought such authenticity to the performance. I mean, it so represents where she’s coming from in any situation she was put in in the movie, and that came from like working through the script, getting what’s on the script, but then also in those sessions, Rihanna, she could put her own voice into it. In other words, she could work off the page and just invent stuff, and I love that because there’s an authenticity to it. And she’s funny naturally, and she’s vulnerable, like, fantastic. So that’s Rih as a performer.”

Miller added, “As a producer, she’s got great taste, and working with her on just even the Smurfette design, which we spent a long time on. I mean, honestly, it was a course of a year just to really scrutinize Smurfette, like, what can we do differently with her, augment the design, anything? We explored so much, I can’t even tell you. Hundreds and hundreds of drawings, and we ended up coming back, doing a full circle. I ended up going back to kind of like…it was both [of] us, [and] we were just like, it’s the original design…why would we mess with that? Slightly tweaked, augmented, I think, in a really great way, actually, the design is kind of spot on. And then showing her artwork and letting her respond, react to like…this is where the art direction is going. And she, like I said, [has] great taste.”

For Nick Offerman, the voice of Ken, it’s always been a dream of his to work with Rihanna in any capacity, and now it’s come true by way of Smurfs.

“I haven’t seen the movie yet, I’m seeing it tomorrow at the premiere,” Offerman said at the time of this interview. “So far, it’s been a blast to make my contribution, but at the moment, in my imagination, it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done, and I think it’ll be a life peak tomorrow. And hopefully that’ll come true when I meet Rihanna and she enters into my marriage with my wife and I, and we’ll live happily ever after.”

The power of letting your imagination run wild

In this version of the beloved Smurfs franchise, as much as it’s a project that is visually ambitious, the film is also emotionally rich, which helped actors like Xolo Maradueña tap into his own childhood memories to voice his character, Brainy Smurf.

“So much of the imagination and the childlike qualities come in there in the recording booth when you’re making a movie like this. And honestly, like, all of movie-making is adults who have found a way to kind of play all day and record, and, you know, hopefully, have a fun time creating,” Maradueña said. “The Smurfs definitely, and the greater Smurfs team, were so indicative of that. Like [we were] laughing our butts off in the recording booth just thinking about all the funny scenarios that these guys were getting themselves into.”

The film’s larger message on finding yourself

This take on the Smurfs is rooted in passion and purpose through the lens of community, which the cast members admitted is one of the many things that resonated with them the most.

“I think that says it all, is finding your purpose and, you know, waiting for it,” Goodman, who voices Papa Smurf, said. “You don’t have to force a purpose onto it; it’ll come to you, and be patient.”

“It’s a great life lesson that, even if you sort of achieve your dream job, you have to stay vigilant and stay on top of it,” Offerman said. “I love the message in the movie that if you’re trying to find your purpose, as John [Goodman] said, don’t look in the mirror for it. Look at those around you in the community, and you’ll see what needs doing, who needs hugging.”

Smurfs is in theaters now. Watch the full interview below:

Xolo Maradueña

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