Hearty laughter in Old Dogs

MANILA, Philippines - Best known as the put-upon son of Austin Powers, Seth Green joins John Travolta and Robin Williams in Disney’s uproarious, family comedy Old Dogs.

Green plays Craig, the ambitious young maverick longing to succeed in the sports marketing business owned by the characters of Travolta and Williams. “I was thinking about who was going to play this guy, and just the visual of Seth Green standing next to Robin and John made me laugh,” says director Walter Becker. “He could be one of the funniest guys on the planet. His delivery is just so dry. In every scene, I could cut to him, and with just one look, huge laughter follows. He was really a treat.”

Green tips his hat to his co-stars. “All of my scenes are with Robin and John and that to me was very exciting. I’ve been a fan of both of them for so long,” he says. “I’ve been in films with John, but we haven’t really gotten to do a lot of interacting. And Robin is really a hero of mine, I’ve loved him for as long as I’ve wanted to be an actor. So getting to act with him was thrilling.”

Green found his ultimate performance test in Old Dogs while shooting an elaborate Japanese karaoke scene. His go-getter character immerses himself in the Japanese culture in preparation to run the business out of Japan. “On my second day of shooting, I did this glitzy karaoke scene in front of 150 extras. I got to sing and entertain them, which is not something I typically do. I owned that stage,” he laughs. “It’s very silly seeing me in this kimono with eyeliner and these sparkly shoes, screaming and jumping around to songs like Mr. Roboto and House of Pain.”

Green was named the Best TV Actor by Entertainment Weekly magazine while E! Entertainment Television’s poll proclaimed him the hottest young actor in Hollywood. He recently wrapped the lead role in Disney’s upcoming Mars Needs Moms. Green and Matthew Senreich created/executive produced/wrote/directed (and Green provides multiple voices each week for) the Emmy-winning Robot Chicken, their stop-motion animation, pop-culture parody show on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. The Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II special earned Green an Outstanding Voiceover Emmy nomination and the 2009 Annie Awards for writing and Best Animated TV Show. Green won the 2008 Annie Award for directing the first Robot Chicken: Star Wars special and both specials were Emmy-nominated.

Old Dogs opens Jan. 20 in theaters.