Tim Allen talks Zoom to Tim Nasson
HOLLYWOOD – Tim Allen describes himself as a geek. Not only is he seriously into tools, gadgets and the latest electronics, he is also fairly knowledgeable about comic books and superheroes. As an actor best known for comedy roles, the former “Home Improvement” star often parlays his passions into work.
He played a space explorer, actually, an actor playing a space commander, in the 1999 sci-fi comedy “Galaxy Quest.” In “Zoom,” a distant cousin to “Galaxy Quest,” he plays the title character, a washed up ex-superhero who is called on to train a group of super-powered youngsters for a secret mission.
Back in his heyday, Captain Zoom used to zip around at lightning speed, but he lost most of his powers in a battle against a dangerous foe that
destroyed his entire team of superheroes.
Allen leads a cast of comedy veterans including Courteney Cox, Rip Torn and Chevy Chase. Facing a full day of interviews to promote his family
sci-fi comedy, Allen is a little hungry. He instructs his publicist to bring him a protein smoothie. “Something healthy,” he calls out as she exits the hotel suite.
With Zoom-like quickness, the publicist soon reappears with a strawberry-banana concoction that appears to satisfy the busy star. Between sips, Allen, 53, discusses his new superhero role, life post-“Home Improvement,” and what he did on his summer vacation.
Which superhero did you relate to when you were growing up?
I wanted to be the Flash. That’s why this character came up. No one examined how fast the Flash could go. The backstory of Zoom is that there really is no end to how fast he can go.
Are the “Galaxy Quest” parallels intentional?
Yes. It was a real tough sell, because “Galaxy Quest” was a delicate balance of parody and reality. Eighty-five percent of the “Galaxy Quest”-ish look at superheroes is in this. They wanted to skew it to kids but they left a lot of the adult references in it. One thing I was surprised they left in was my character saying to Rip Torn’s character: “For a straight guy, you’re awfully dramatic.” (He laughs.) I got to be this smartass, which I really wanted to be.
Had you read “Zoom’s Academy” (the children’s book on which the movie is based)?
No, but I always wanted to play a superhero. I keep pitching my friend (director) Sam Raimi to make me one of the villains in “Spider-Man.” I love
to do over-the-top characters. I seek any opportunity I can to do it. One of my favorite performances was when I played evil Santa in “Santa
Clause 2.” I got to be an absolute nut, a lunatic. With this, I got to be angry and wear a goatee. I wanted to play it real. I like to go outside the comfort zone sometimes.
You had to contend with the legal issues involving “X-Men” on this. How did that affect the moviemaking process?
It was a real struggle for us, because all through it, we had to keep changing the script because (Twentieth Century Fox) was leaning on us because of (alleged similarities to) “X-Men.” They didn’t get the parody aspect. They said you can’t have this and you can’t have that. It was a struggle to keep it a satire and parody and still have a through-line that kids and adults would enjoy. I think, in retrospect, it was (Fox’s) way to get us to move the release date so it didn’t come out before “X-Men: The Last Stand.”
The kids in “Zoom” are outcasts in their schools, yet they are allowed to explore and develop their special powers at the secret military base where you train them.
I liked that. I always felt that if you found the right person, everybody has potential. These kids needed this guy to bring out their potential, because he didn’t want to do it at all. It’s like the more you don’t like cats, the more cats like you. My character’s preference isn’t to be around children. If it were up to him, he’d be around car guys. It doesn’t mean he don’t love children. But because of his (gruff attitude), kids like him.
Are you like your character?
Yes. I don’t particularly like young kids. You’ve got to look out for them and watch your language around them and all this stuff that I’m not particularly interested in doing. What I like in this film is that these kids related to my character. I think that it’s important for kids to have mentors. It’s nice to be around an adult that treats you like an adult. Kids respect that. I had a grandma that let me and my brothers sit on the floor and eat in front of the TV, which our parents would never let us do. She said, just don’t spill your food on the floor, so we put papers down because we were given the responsibility. She was our favorite grandma because of how she treated us.
You’ve got “Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” coming out in November. Do you think it will be the last one in the series?
Probably. I didn’t even think I’d do “2” until we saw how cool the script was. I’m proprietary about what Santa does and thinks and that he doesn’t
do stupid things. This is particularly wonderful because it got prettier. The movie experience is better. We’ve escalated everything to a higher level. (Martin) Short’s in it as my nemesis Jack Frost. So are Ann-Margaret and Alan Arkin as my in-laws.
What’s it about?
I want my wife to be happy with having a baby at the North Pole, so we invite her folks up. But civilians are not allowed there so we have to
tell everybody it’s Canada. The whole North Pole is decorated like Canada and the elves are Canadians.
Do you miss doing a TV series?
Television right now scares me, because I don’t know what it is anymore. It mimics the low end of the spectrum. Other than “Everybody Loves Raymond,” nobody mimicked “Home Improvement,” and we were No. 1 for eight years. Instead of mimicking family shows, (networks) have gone in the opposite direction, mimicking reality-based shows. I don’t know where I’d fit in today.
With Disney and Pixar reunited, will there be a “Toy Story 3?”
They don’t want me to talk about it, so my response is “no comment.” My guess is that they’re going to work it out.
If it were to happen, would you be excited to reprise Buzz Lightyear?
Hell yes. Damn right I would.
