The Magician’s Elephant is just one of the many great book-to-film adaptations from Netflix. Some other acclaimed examples include Oscar-favorite Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. And now, The Undoing star Noah Jupe has joined in on the fun, voicing young Peter in a new animated film based on Newbery Award-winning author Kate DiCamillo’s classic novel. In The Magician's Elephant, Peter searches for his long-lost sister and crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, who tells Peter he must follow a mysterious elephant. This sets Peter off on a remarkable journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that magically change the face of his town forever.
We recently caught up with Jupe who dished on the challenges of doing animation versus live-action. He also shared about a new Benjamin Franklin project in the works, and what it's been like co-starring in the acclaimed A Quiet Place films.
Tackling Animation vs. Live-Action
MW: What was it like voicing a character for an animated film, versus doing live-action?
Noah Jupe: I'd say I underestimated how difficult it would be in terms of the difference between acting kin on-screen and acting as a voiceover. It's completely different. I guess it's still the same fundamentals of, like, the emotions a bit. But in terms of the approach, it's focusing on one of your senses, just your voice, and being able to put all of your energy through your voice, which takes up a lot of your energy. And it was like a workout every session, but I loved it. It taught me a lot about acting in my voice, you know? Really, it was a great experience.
MW: What was it about The Magician's Elephant that attracted you to the project?
Jupe: I read [the script] mid-[COVID] lockdown. We were all not feeling too good. And I just remember, you know, the incredible overwhelming sense of hope that the movie has, and I just remember reading it and loving it in that, just as reading it as a kind of audience member, it being such a feel-good movie that I was, "I really need this right now." And I really needed it at that time... So I was like, "I'd like to bring this to life." And I'm really glad that I got the opportunity to do so.
MW: When you were voicing your character, did you ever have a chance to work in the same room as Brian Tyree Henry or any of your other co-stars?
Jupe: Very sadly, I didn't. I mean, we started I think during COVID, and also I think a lot of us were all across the world. So yeah, I never got to meet anyone, never got to see anyone. But I heard about everyone through [director] Wendy [Rogers]. And she kind of had that overview, and she was able to see all of the different characters coming together and give all of us notes, so that we would all kind of match and kind of be able to interact with each other.
MW: Were there any scenes in particular that you enjoyed performing in the most?
Jupe: All the physical stuff is great. I would have loved to see someone take a video of me, like with the flying scene, screaming as I fell off. And running away from the king's guard, and just me standing on the spot... during all the grunting and stuff, I mean, I loved it. It was a proper workout.
A Quiet Place and Honey Boy
MW: Looking ahead, are there any other projects you're currently working on that you'd like to share about?
Jupe: I just finished this project about Benjamin Franklin, which I shot in Paris for eight months, which was pretty incredible — the job and Paris. But yeah, I'm very excited to see how that turns out.
MW: What's it been like shooting the A Quiet Place movies?
Jupe: Those movies feel like a long time ago that we shot them, and I really miss it actually. It was such a family vibe. And yeah, I have nothing but positive things to say about John [Krasinski], Emily [Blunt], and Millie [Simmonds]. And yeah, I miss that gang. I hope to get back together soon.
MW: I really enjoyed your performance in Honey Boy. What was it like working with Shia LaBeouf on that project?
Jupe: Honey Boy is one of my favorite experiences that I've had. And I always say this, I really love it because it captured a point in my life where I had a really big transition from being a child to being a sort of teenager. And I love it because, you know, in 20 years' time, I can watch that movie and see that on a screen, like, it's kind of the highest form of like a video when you were younger, because you get to see like an hour-and-a-half experience of you turning into a teenager, which is pretty cool.
The Magician's Elephant will release on Netflix on March 17.