BY: DM
Published 4 days ago
Voice actor JP Karliak is going from Tune Town to Mushroom Village. Karliak, best known for playing roles like Morphle in “My Magic Pet Morphle” and Wile E. Coyote in “Looney Tunes” cartoons, has joined the cast of the animated “Smurfs” movie.
This animated musical fantasy, directed by Chris Miller, hit theaters July 18. Karliak is still pinching himself after landing the gig. “Every part of it is a pinch me, jaw-dropping moment,” Karliak told Out. “Because it doesn’t happen to us workforce voice actors. It just doesn’t. So it’s been really cool.”
Long before they conjured up evil laughs for the “Smurfs,” Karliak built their resume voicing some of pop culture’s most recognizable characters. Karliak voiced Wolfgang in the “Skylanders” series and the Boss Baby on Netflix’s “The Boss Baby: Back in Business.” Now, Karliak is taking on a role that could catapult their career to new heights.
JP Karliak is voicing two characters in “Smurfs.”
Karliak’s journey to villain-royalty didn’t follow the typical track. They auditioned for a table read and scratch track session — industry slang for rough dialogue to guide storyboards — landed Razamel on a whim. Then they casually improvised Gargamel when the recording booth needed a quick fill.
“We were recording a scene where Razamel and Gargamel talk to each other. And they didn’t have the scratch of Gargamel,” Karliak told Out. “And they were like, ‘Oh, we would have to go and get it. That’ll take an hour.’ I was like, ‘Do you want me to just do it?’ And so I just did the back-and-forth conversation. And they were a little mind-blown. A month later, they were like, ‘Yea, you’re both of them.’”
Karliak’s double turn as Gargamel and Razamel cements their status as a villain whisperer. “I’ve always gravitated towards villains. I’ve always found them to be my favorite characters,” they said. “My number-one villain is Skeletor [from Masters of the Universe]. I definitely lean into those villains that are queer-coded and have that sort of mincing villainy, which I love.”
“Smurfs” has a star-studded cast.
“Smurfs” newcomers might not know the deep roots of these tiny blue folk. In October 1958, Belgian artist Pierre “Peyo” Culliford introduced the first Smurf and his bearded leader, Grand Schtroumpf, in a one-off story titled “La Flûte à six trous.” According to Blue Buddies, the stories were ultimately featured in Peyo’s “Johan et Pirlouit” series in Spirou magazine. The characters instantly became popular, earning a standalone comic series in 1959. Merchandise, video games, and films followed—including the 2011 live-action hybrid “The Smurfs” and its 2013 sequel.
In “Smurfs,” Karliak joins a star-studded cast that includes Rihanna, John Goodman, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, and Sandra Oh. This take on Peyo’s classic world kicks into gear when the beloved Papa Smurf vanishes after a run-in with Karliak’s Gargamel and Razamel. With their leader missing, it’s up to Smurfette to rally the crew and launch a globe-trotting rescue mission that takes them from Paris to Munich.
Do you think the “Smurfs” reboot will live up to the originals, or are you cautious about the new adaptation? Comment below!
