Speaking with The Times, tenory Britpop icon Jarvis Cocker has spoken about his role in Wes Anderson’s upcoming stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”
Cocker revealed that Anderson created the role of “Petey” just for him after the two developed a friendship through their residency in Paris. Cocker currently bides his time between London and Paris while Anderson goes back and forth between the French capital and New York.
The role of “Petey” is described as “a mandolin-strumming puppet who looks and sounds like his real-life counterpart.” Cocker, who is writing music for film as well, added he and Anderson co-wrote a song together which he describes as “a little hoedown number.” He had previously described music he had written for the film as “slightly hillbilly-sounding” and “old-fashioned.”
Cocker may also have had a larger part in the overall film had it not been for negative test audience responses. “I did a narration bit at the start of ‘Mr. Fox’, too,” Cocker noted. “But they showed that to test audiences in the U.S. and they were very bamboozled. So I’ve ended up on the cutting-room floor. I tried to enunciate clearly!”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is due out November 13th, though reports suggest that because the film is now at Fox Searchlight and not Fox proper, the film’s release date is not firm.
