Cast Members Sing The Praises Of 'Puss In Boots'

By Michael Lopez

Well, it's official. Puss In Boots is a bona fide smash. The Shrek spinoff scored big bucks at the box office this weekend. And the film's voice cast seemed to see its potential from the moment they stepped in the recording studio, as they explained to us at a recent press conference.

"Working on this film was so much fun," Salma Hayek explained. "Chris Miller is an amazing director. I really cherished the experience I had with him and he really pushed me to explore improvisation and comedy."

And having seen the film, we can definitely vouch for Hayek's comedy chops. Here, she plays the elusive Kitty Softpaws, a new addition to the Shrek universe and a fitting rival for the overconfident Puss (who happens to be voiced by her longtime collaborator Antonio Banderas).

Antonio told us he was thrilled to be playing Puss for the fourth time. He first voiced the character in 2004's Shrek 2 and has been closely associated with swashbuckling kitty ever since.

"Doing this movie was just so easy and fun," he said. "You never feel rushed here like you do in a non-animated feature film."

We're sure part of the "fun" came from Banderas' new animated costar, Humpty Dumpty. Voiced by The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis, the egg-shaped sidekick has some hilarious lines and a bit of a crafty side too.

"I think Humpty Dumpty is a bit all over the place," Zach said. 'He's a little bit dangerous, but I think he's really trying to have a friendship with Puss. I think deep down in his yolk, he's a good guy."

Other colorful cast members include Amy Sedaris and Billy Bob Thornton as the demented couple Jack & Jill. The Puss In Boots versions of these nursery rhyme favorites are not quite like you would imagine. Here, they're gun-toting outlaws eager for a piece of Puss' hide!

"Fairy tales and nursery rhymes are pretty dark in general," Billy Bob said when describing Jack 2.0. "It was great recreating these edgy and weird characters."

So even though Shrek and Donkey may be gone, it looks like the orange tabby is in some very good company with Puss In Boots!

Who's your favorite Shrek character? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Amy Sedaris, Antonio Banderas, Billy Bob Thornton, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Movies & CineMás, Puss In Boots, Salma Hayek, Shrek, Tr3s Exclusives, Zach Galifianakis