Jay Baruchel talks about How To Train Your Dragon 2, being old-fashioned and inheriting the funny bone from his parents
Where do we find Hiccup at the start of the filmIJ
In the first film, Hiccup was sort of a square peg, born into a world that he really didn’t understand. But Toothless and Hiccup have had a very positive impact on their world. In this film there’s more adventure and more challenges. Hiccup is dealing with the obligations of manhood, which are starting to pile up. There are expectations from his father that he doesn’t know if he can or even wants to live up to. I think what he is going through is a universal theme, what anyone at the age of 19 or 20 is going through.
He is an unlikely hero. Isn’t heIJ
He’s not a typical hero at all, although I don’t know that there is such a thing as typical anymore. There are a million reasons why Hiccup shouldn’t succeed in life, given who he is. But he is incredibly smart. He may be awkward and he’s not brawny, but he is strong. He’s a guy who won’t ever give up. He won’t ever abandon his friends. He won’t ever leave a fight. He’s stubborn, and that’s the best quality he has inherited from his dad.
Can you discuss his relationship with Toothless, his trusted dragonIJ
Toothless really is Hiccup’s other half. It’s amazing that these two creatures from two different species have more in common with each other than they do with their respective species. I think they’re both kind of outsiders, and it’s through Toothless that Hiccup has found who he was meant to be. Each on his own is good, but you put the two of them together and they become a superhero.
What is the film like visually as the pair of Hiccup and Toothless soar through the skies on their adventuresIJ
There’s nothing like it. I thought our first movie was absolutely gorgeous and broke tremendous new ground; there was no other movie that looked like it. I didn’t know how the filmmakers could possibly outdo themselves, but they’ve managed to do just that. When the lights come up, you don’t want to leave the theater.
What can you reveal about the plot and Hiccup’s journeyIJ
Hiccup finds out that there is someone else who has the ability to control dragons, it turns out it is his mother, Valka, who he has not seen since he was a baby. He meets her and his dad Stoick is reconnected with his long-lost love, the woman he thought was gone forever. All of this is going on against a backdrop of a terrible war that is taking place. We find out that there are dragon trappers who have no interest in living peace fully with the dragons. So there is this great story of the family reconnecting alongside an epic battle.
Was your own mother a great inspiration to youIJ
Yes, big time. She is still what I call my ‘consigliere’ like Robert Duvall was to the Corleone family in The Godfather. I don’t make any business decisions without talking to her. If I am even remotely well adjusted or healthy, it’s all because of her.
Can you discuss your experience of working with Dean De Blois, your directorIJ
He is the best. He’s the man. He’s a good Canadian boy in his heart and mind. He’s a true artist and a wonderful collaborator. He’s a dear friend as well. I love his ideas.
Dean says Hiccup actually is you in many ways. Is that trueIJ
Yes, we do have a lot in common. Hiccup has a bigger mouth than he should have. Mine works faster than it should. He thinks he knows better, and I do. I also think that he’s quite old-fashioned in terms of what is important to him: his family, his friends, his people. He has aspirations that go beyond the neighbourhood he was born into, like me. I suppose I have all those things that he possesses. I’m pretty old-fashioned.
Dragons continue to be extremely popular, especially the ones in this franchise. What is it about these mythical creatures that we all love so muchIJ
I think there is a reason why a version of them exists in most ancient cultures throughout the world. For better or for worse, they represent what we don’t know. So they are our imaginations embodied, but they are also our greatest fears embodied. The combination of Vikings and dragons works brilliantly.
Your career has been so varied with some excellent comedic roles; who has inspired you over the yearsIJ
Cameron Crowe was a big one. He ‘discovered’ me when I was 17. Also my parents were inspiring. I guess I was lucky to be born to two really smart parents in a very talky household. I was taught at a very early age what comedy is. Everyone in my family was funny, and I was lucky enough to meet a bunch of kids in my school who made me laugh.
Has acting always been your ambitionIJ
I have wanted to act and write for as long as I can remember. In fact my mother told me a story about when I was born. She said, ‘you actually had a golden aura around you. And I knew from that moment you were going to do something special.’ It is weird, throughout my whole life, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t think I was going to do something cool. It is like I was meant to do this. I started acting when I was 12.
You seem very down to earth; do you credit your family for your grounded approachIJ
Oh boy, I haven’t taken anything, not one dollar for granted, because of the way I was raised. I have done better than anyone in my family has for generations. I know that all of this — what I call a career-could disappear in an instant. I am aware of how incredibly fortunate I am to make a living acting.
Finally, returning to How To Train Your Dragon 2, what do audiences have to look forward toIJ
If people go to see our flick, they will be in for a rollercoaster ride. It’s got battle sequences that can go toe to toe with any action movie, it’s got comedy that can go toe to toe with any comedy, and it’s as moving a picture that anyone will ever see. It’s about finding your own way. It’s about not settling for other people’s definitions of who you are. It is about believing that there’s always a resolution and a way that we can all be tolerant to celebrate our differences. It is great.