Jason Lee stars as Dave Seville in Alvin and the Chipmunks, a funny and warmhearted film based upon the well-loved musical trio which has been a part of American culture for 50 years. Retaining the personalities of the popular animals and of their ‘dad’ and manager Dave, Alvin and the Chipmunks is an entirely contemporary movie combining the latest computer generated effects with live action and a strong, highly relevant story.   

Excerpts from an interview with Jason Lee:

What was your reaction when they approached you to see if you wanted to play ‘Dave Seville’?
Of course, I was honoured when they asked me. I love Alvin and the Chipmunks.  I did not spend too much time looking at the show and researching because it can be a bit distracting if you think you have to follow something that already existed; it can be a little confusing. So I just try to do my own interpretation of the character.

What kind of guy is he, how do you see him?
He is a lovely, sweet guy who is not having the best of luck. But he’s really trying and he wants to be a songwriter; that is his goal. I try to imagine him as a good guy with talent even though he’s being told that he has none by people in the music business. And he keeps messing up at work, in his marketing job that he is doing when we meet him, because he does not enjoy it.  He wasn’t really cut out for it.  But he’s trying his hardest to get by and do what people expect of him. Ultimately, he knows that he's a decent songwriter and that he will succeed.

How much realism is there in the story?
There is a great deal of realism that we have to maintain. I think it just so happens to be chipmunks that ‘Dave’ is relating to. But we play it as if they were people. The relationships are still real. The communication is real. And you know, I do not ever want to be over the top or melodramatic, I want to keep it grounded, because it is a story at the end of the day and there is a character arc. I’m approaching the Chipmunks the way that I would approach any other live characters. I have my objectives, my motivations. And I’m trying to follow those scene by scene.

What is it like working with Tim Hill, the director?
The great thing about Tim is that he’s taken quite a lot of acting classes over the years and he’s very smart with choices in terms of a movie like this. You might expect that the director would be distracted perhaps with the special effects, the post-production or with the chipmunks. But he does a lot of rehearsals and in the midst of the chaos of this huge production, this big effect heavy movie.  He takes time to make sure that the moments between the people and even the people and the Chipmunks are as real as possible. I think it just so happens that these characters are chipmunks but the emotions and comedy and communication are all very real. That makes it work.

Did you have a lot of confidence going into acting without formal training or experience?
I think I was still naive, and I didn’t have that confidence that comes with experience. But I had a kind of innocence and that’s why I was able to get into acting as easily as I did, because I wasn’t jaded. I didn’t have a cynical bone in my body concerning acting. I didn’t know better one way or the other. I wasn’t a kid who moved out from Iowa with aspirations of becoming a famous star. I was intrigued by the idea of filmmaking and by the idea of what it would be like to play a character in a movie. So my initial purpose was a very clean one. It wasn’t: ‘I want to be famous. I want to make a lot of money’. But ‘Ok, let’s try acting!’.

How do you think people will find The Chipmunks internationally?
It is unusual. But little fury chipmunks in sweaters singing songs and dancing and acting like funny kids are great - I am sure people all over the globe will fall in love with the film.

What does the future hold for you?
I’d like to continue doing more films during my  breaks from the TV show. I didn’t do anything the first break because I was a little overworked after the first season, getting used to being on a TV show with a rigorous schedule. But I want to continue to do more movies. And if there’s a sequel to this film I would love it… we’ll see how that goes.
DHNS