[quote="The April 12, 1996 edition of the San Antonio Express"]LOS ANGELES - It's considered the norm in Hollywood when TV actors want to extend their talents to the big screen.
British actress Jane Leeves, who plays flirtatious domestic Daphne Moon on NBC's hit sitcom, "Frasier," really spreads her wings for the transition. Leeves brings vocal life to the matronly Ladybug character in Disney's animated adventure "James and the Giant Peach."
After joking that she's very much a method actress who "lived with a ladybug for a month to get into character," Leeves said that the key was finding a voice within herself to match the kindly demeanor of a character she could only create vocally. "I gave the sketches to friends of mine and I sat them down and I said 'OK, just tell me when it sounds right,' " Leeves said
She also has a personal connection to the literature. "It happened to be my youngest sister's favorite, favorite book. That was another attraction to doing this. I used to read it to her," Leeves said. "She was more thrilled than anyone when I got this because she has children now. That's the whole thing about being a Disney character - my nieces and nephews think I'm somebody."
Her relatives may just be discovering what American TV audiences have known ever since "Frasier" hit the air. After leaving her fledgling British acting and dancing career behind in 1984, Leeves has found stardom in the states. And she's done it by steadfastly holding onto her English accent. She landed a small part in the 1985 big-screen crime drama "To Live and Die in LA". But Leeves found her real niche on the small screen.
Leeves brings voice to a flirtatious bird named Binti in the upcoming sequel to "The Lion King." She obviously loves creating someone completely different.
She got a bonus in "James and the Giant Peach" when she got to sing. "Going to the recording session and Randy Newman being there was kind of daunting. I thought, `Here he is, this brilliant songwriter. He's written these beautiful songs, which I'm about to kill,' " Leeves said. Newman turned out to be "sweet" and "so much fun." He even offered Leeves a bit of singing advice when she boldly asked the good- natured, Oscar-nominated, Grammy-award winner. "I said, `So any pointers here for me at this point, Randy?' And he said, `Uh, just one. Get the s--- out of your singing.' "[/quote]
I love that story about Randy Newman at the bottom.
