Loretta Garcia, your favorite west coast entertainment reporter for Chip and Co here to share my chat with Ryan Potter from Big Hero 6. Ryan who plays Hiro in the movie is a wonderful young man who is funny and full of spunk. I spoke with Ryan about his part in Big Hero 6.
First I asked about how he was chosen for the role, to which Ryan said, it was a long process as Disney was searching church groups, schools and a number of other areas to find the perfect real live Hiro Hamada. A director that had previously worked with Ryan knew Disney folks and told them about a Japanese / American actor. Ryan met with Don Hall and it was an instant vibe due to the mutual love of Japanese pop culture. The character was already designed and Don looked at the character and at Ryan and both thought hmmm. They “spent about an hour talking and creating what Hiro might be” and a few weeks later, Ryan was offered the part.
In talking about Ryan’s background and experience. he shared how Hiro is raised in Sanfransokyo and Ryan grew up in San Francisco and Tokyo. Ryan talked about the diversity of the characters in the movie and how he understood both locations and how the character grew up. Having an older brother helped Ryan as well. “It’s almost scary how similar, Hiro and I are” Ryan said “he (Hiro) was much smarter than I” Hiro is a great representation of who Ryan was at 13, 14..not a robotics prodigy but other than that, the character and Hiro’s personality is very similar.
In talking about being Hiro, Ryan gave a great example about how when Hiro first flies, Ryan took his memory and experience from when he first rode a bike and used it. Just like when Hiro, loses Tadashi, Ryan relied on his personal feelings losing a family member. I shared that for me, personally, this confirmed what I saw where Ryan did not just play a character but instead the story appeared to be his life. Ryan said he “really wasn’t acting, but just playing a younger version of myself.”
My final question was, of course. are we going to be seeing a Big Hero 6 part 2? Ryan laughed and said he was kept in the dark like the rest of us about that and mentioned it was “hard to say because the film stands on its own and doesn’t necessarily need more, but on the other hand, the world of Big Hero 6 is so massive.” Ryan said “being able to voice Hiro again, would be more wish fulfillment” on his part.
My final question was what message did Ryan want to send out about Big Hero 6 to his fans? Ryan said it was the message about “being honest and not having to change your personality because it’s not cool or socially acceptable. Hiro is a 13 year old in college and maybe not socially up to par…” Ryan continued saying the movie screamed it and he wanted kids all over the world to just be yourself. Not everyone looks the same and the movie gives an honest representation of how the US looks and the modern world is the same as the cast. Ryan concluded by saying he would like to tell everyone that although it “sounds corny, but to be brutally honest and be yourself.”
Loretta Garcia, entertainment writer for chipandco.com reminding you that Big Hero 6 comes out in Blu-ray on February 24, 2015. Have you ordered your copy yet?
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