Interview: JJVillard on King Star King & Adult Animation
creator J.J. Villard about the cult series’ new special, which premieres on Adult Swim at midnight on Monday, February 13, and the next day on HBO Max.
The thing is, I’ve changed a lot since my late 20s, early 30s, you know? And I’ve learned a lot, being a creator since then, as well. So first thing you do with artwork, at least for me, is I make it more personal. So… I mean, I’ve gained a lot of weight since then. I’ve lost hair. I’ve gained a family. I have a dog. So I was like, “Let’s start throwing all those things into the new.” And that’s what it is. So that’s kind of what the new special is representing.
Oh, yeah, totally. I mean look, Adult Swim and I had many discussions, and one of them was like, “Hey, think about recreating this whole thing — a new look, a new idea for these characters,” which is like a weird request to have, you know? You just go back home, you’re like, “What the fuck are they talking about?” When you’re on the freeways in L.A., so many ideas spawn when you’re driving, you know? So that’s when this whole idea started coming to me.
You did such a great job with the voice cast here. I love Robert Englund as Jeff Bezos. I thought that was such a fun casting. How was it working with him again?