Summary

Lilo & Stitch crash-lands in theaters on May 23.

In an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Zach Galifianakis discusses the creative limitations he experienced while playing Jumba that are connected to the WGA strike.

Galifianakis also reveals what animated character he’d like to bring to screen in live-action form next.

Disney’s live-action adaptation of their beloved 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch is due to crash-land into theaters this week. Portraying two of the fan-favorite characters from the animated original are Zach Galifianakis as Jumba and Billy Magnussen as Pleakley, both bringing their comedic chops to the film while voicing the CGI versions of the aliens and bringing a new dimension to the characters by portraying them in human disguise. Joining Galifianakis and Magnussen in the cast for the film are Maia Kealoha as Lilo in her on-screen debut, Sydney Agudong as Nani, Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles, and Chris Sanders voicing Stitch.
While Galifianakis has an iconic career in live-action film and television, with roles in projects like The Hangover, Due Date, and Baskets, he is also just as much an icon by lending his voice to animated projects like The Lego Batman Movie, Bob’s Burgers, and Big Mouth, making him an ideal actor for the dual live-action and voice-acting role of Jumba.
Ahead of the film’s release, Collider’s Perri Nemiroff interviewed Galifianakis about his role in Lilo & Stitch, and how it changed from him initially being offered Pleakley to ultimately jumping in as Jumba, and finding the perfect partner in intergalactic crime in Magnussen. Galifianakis also discusses the limitations of translating the animated film into the live-action format, including what the WGA strike prevented the comedic actor from doing that he normally would in a role like this.
Billy Magnussen Wasn’t Afraid To “Look Like an Idiot”

Galifianakis says he was initially offered the role of Pleakley, but the switch was for the best.

Image Via Disney

PERRI NEMIROFF: I feel like with this movie, getting the right combo of actors to play Jumba and Pleakley is of the utmost importance. Can you recall the very first thing you saw Billy do, either in prep or on set, that made you say to yourself, “You are the perfect scene partner for me for this?”
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS: First off, I was like, “Who is Billy Magnussen? I’ve never heard of this guy.” No. Gosh, you know, that’s exactly what happened. I actually was like, “Billy is like a Broadway, legit…” I thought Dean [Fleischer Camp] would probably get a comedic… I mean, Billy is comedic, but as soon as he started doing it, I was asked to be Pleakley, and I saw Billy doing it, and I was like, “Oh, I’m so glad. That’s the way to do it.” He really committed. It takes a commitment to do it. To go there, you have to be like, “Alright, I’m gonna look like an idiot, but this is what I’ve chosen to do,” and he got it right.
I would have had full faith in you one way or the other, but having seen the movie now, the two of you in your respective roles is just spot-on.
GALIFIANAKIS: Oh, good! I’m glad you think so! That’s good.
How the WGA Strike Changed Zach Galifianakis’s Approach to Playing Jumba

“Sometimes, when you’re given limitations creatively, it forces this other thing, and sometimes that’s really wonderful.”

I have to imagine the two of you got the opportunity to play around a bit on set. Can you pinpoint the single scene of this movie that changed the most from script to screen based on what you found in the moment?
GALIFIANAKIS: I’ll tell you something: we did this during the strike. One of the rules is you’re not really allowed to improv, so we had to stick pretty much. So, we were tethered to those rules a little bit. There was a day where I realized, “Oh, shoot. Oh, right.” The union rules are that you cannot add to this. So, I don’t really have an answer for you there.
That’s a fascinating wrinkle to that situation.
GALIFIANAKIS: Well, it’s interesting. People forget that show business has been working in COVID and also this strike. It affects the product. It does. For good or bad. Sometimes, when you’re given limitations creatively, it forces this other thing, and sometimes that’s really wonderful.
Is there anything about the limitations you experienced on this film that turned into a positive?
GALIFIANAKIS: The writing was pretty good on the page, but you hone in on what you have, and you work with that as much as you can. I think that’s what we kind of did. There were certainly some changes here and there, but I remember that was a problem, but it turned out not to be one.
You don’t see it in the finished product.
GALIFIANAKIS: No. I don’t even know if other people think that way, but I, as an improv person, go, “Oh, this is different.”

Related

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The Disney remake will go head-to-head with ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ this weekend.

Zach Galifianakis Reveals the Animated Character He Wants to Tackle Next

“His talent was farting.”

Image via Warner Bros.

If you had the opportunity to play another animated character who was essentially wearing your human skin, what animated character would you choose and why?
GALIFIANAKIS: Oh, wow. Wait a minute. Carry the three … [Laughs] Oh, Pepé Le Pew.
You know he’s based on a human, Pepé Le Pew? Le Pétomane was the biggest star in France in the 1800s. And guess what? His talent was farting. Pepé Le Pew is based on that.
I’ll give you one more even weirder question. This is going to speak to how much I love genre storytelling, but let’s say you, as in real you, had Jumba’s technology and you could scan someone else and wear their skin as your own. What real person would you pick and why?
GALIFIANAKIS: Penélope Cruz. And you know why. [Laughs]
Maybe not entirely, but yes? [Laughs]
GALIFIANAKIS: Can you imagine being that beautiful and walking around the world?
I was thinking someone completely opposite of me, like a football player or something, but you don’t retain any of their skills or knowledge, so I would just break.
GALIFIANAKIS: Oh, so it’s Penélope Cruz, but still my voice and my personality? Oh, god, that poor thing. No, that’s not going to help anyone.
Lilo & Stitch hits theaters May 23.

Lilo & Stitch

Release Date

May 21, 2025

Runtime

108 Minutes

Director

Dean Fleischer Camp

Writers

Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Mike Van Waes, Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Producers

Tom C. Peitzman, Dan Lin, Ryan Halprin

Chris Sanders

Stitch (voice)

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