Actors Bobby Moynihan and Donald Faison talk about 'Star Wars Resistance'
Actors Bobby Moynihan and Donald Faison and BB-8 the droid, with Kidsday reporters Constance Greenwood, left, Thomas Nizich, Sean Ronayne, James Mannino and John Whelan, all age 10, from Oakdale, at the ABC offices in Manhattan
Credit: Newsday / Pat Mullooly
We had the best time when we interviewed “Star Wars Resistance” voice actors, Bobby Moynihan and Donald Faison at the ABC Studios in Manhattan recently. Kidsday reporters had the privilege to embrace Moynihan and Faison’s presence and passion for acting.
Moynihan (he does the voices of Orka and Louie Duck on “DuckTales”) and Faison (voice of Hype Fazon ) are both actors, comedians and voice actors. Moynihan is best known for his roles on “Saturday Night Live” and Faison for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/NBC comedy-drama “Scrubs.” These two wonderfully funny actors made us feel very comfortable. They were both unique and funny. They answered all our questions thoroughly while entertaining us. Lots of laughs! They enlightened us about their lives growing up and loving “Star Wars.” We thought we were lucky reporters because we had the opportunity to interview these two comedians, but guess what? We got to meet BB-8, too -- the coolest droid robot we had ever seen! He talked to us and asked us questions in his robot language. It was an experience from out of this world. They both expressed their love of acting. They heard lots of no’s throughout their careers as they tried out for different roles, but they persevered. They are embracing and loving the benefits of all their hard work. Here is part of our interview with them:
Did you accept the offer because you enjoyed "Star Wars" as a kid?
Moynihan said, “One thousand percent, yes!” Jokingly he said, “If they told me I wasn’t going to get paid for this, I would still say yes. It’s fun to be a part of the 'Star Wars' universe!” Faison responded, “Absolutely! When I was 3, my first memory I have in life is a door opening, and seeing a big screen and R2-D2 rolling by…”
Who was your favorite “Star Wars” character?
Moynihan responded, “It changes a lot… Princess Leia, she’s the coolest. She’s a princess, she’s a general, and she’s everything.”
Faison replied, “I love Lando Calrissian for many reasons, he once owned the Millennium Falcon and then he flew the Millennium Falcon in the Battle of Endor.”
Who is the funniest character in “Star Wars Resistance”?
Faison replied, “Bobby Moynihan,” and Moynihan answered kindheartedly, “Donald Faison.” These two funny actors work very well together, laughing, joking…they definitely enjoy each other’s company.
Why did you want to be involved in “Star Wars Resistance”?
Faison answered, “Because it’s everything. I grew up watching “Star Wars.” A lot of lessons I learned in life came from ‘Star Wars.’ ” Moynihan added, “We have been watching ‘Star Wars’ since we were your age. We lived it our entire lives and we loved it!”
What was the biggest challenge about doing this role?
Faison answered, “Not telling my wife, my mom, my kids,” and Moynihan replied, “We had to keep our mouths shut for a really long time.”
We wanted to know if it was fun being an actor, and Moynihan gave us a great example about persevering. He said, “The most successful actor in the world, whoever you think that is, lost more jobs than they have gotten. It’s crazy! Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in the world. Someone broke down how many times he missed. How many times he didn’t make the shot. It’s more than the great stuff that he did. He missed more than half of his shots.” Faison added, “When you become a professional, you are presenting yourself. It’s a job and you can’t let 'no' stop you! You have to keep forward until you hear 'yes'.”
Both prefer theater acting than movie acting because they enjoy performing in front of people. They like getting feedback right away compared to waiting a year or two after a movie has made it to the theater for everyone to watch. Moynihan and Faison both said they had great parents who supported them throughout their careers.
Moynihan said, “Acting is a lot of fun!” They told us that they would both love to work with each other in the future. Throughout the interview, they complimented each other. Moynihan said he loved watching “Thunder Cats” and “G. I. Joe” as a kid, while Faison enjoyed “Bionic Six” and “The Flintstones.” And both actors loved "The Muppets."
When asked what their favorite movie treat was, Faison responded, “Popcorn and soda!” Moynihan likes, “Goobers in caramel covered popcorn…sweet and salty.” Yum! Both actors said while acting they enjoy having a good time and believing in themselves and making others happy. We really enjoyed meeting them. It was the best day of our lives. May the force be with you!
