Zachary Levi spills on returning as Flynn Rider in Tangled live-action

The cast of Harold and the Purple Crayon sat down with Yahoo Lifestyle to chat about the film.

Video transcript

I can imagine a role like Harold would be quite a lot of fun to play.

But what would you say is the main challenge of a role like that?

You know, I would say that the biggest challenge was a fun challenge, which was using my imagination on yet another deeper level to envision all of these things that I was drawing um where sometimes we would have wire frames for me to kind of see where, you know, like the plane, for example, like we had a big wire frame body and propeller of the plane where I could rehearse and practice the lines of the plane, but then they would take the whole thing away and then I'd have to just freehand and remember all of that and that was fun.

You know, it's, it's, it's a challenge, but I want my roles to have challenges in them.

Like it's, it's a challenge in and of itself to just step into a different role and not be you.

Uh But there's things inside of me that I can always tap into to bring a, a character to life.

And then you have these little technical challenges and that was a really fun technical challenge.

I was wondering how you did that.

I was like, I wonder if he's a good drawer in real life.

I'm not really a great drawer in real life when it comes to like, doing intricate, you know, fine motor skill drawings.

But I feel like I did a pretty good job doing that, these big movements and stuff.

Absolutely.

Now, you've been very open about your mental health struggles in the past.

Is it good to play a character like Harold or Shazam where they're very positive?

Does that help in like your mindset sometimes?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think that, um, I think that Harold particularly, you know, Billy Batson Shazam uh was positive but also like he's from the real world, like he's a moody teenager but like, you know, trying to show off for his siblings and stuff and whatever, you know.

Um But, but definitely had some optimism and positivity about him, right?

Um Harold is just pure light, like on tap, like he, there is nothing possibly wrong, you know.

Um And that was really fun.

It was really fun to just like go full tilt boogie and, and like there's nothing wrong.

Everything's good.

These people are honking at me but they're just saying hi, you know, uh there's, there's this ignorance is bliss kind of thing.

Um But, but, and not that I think that we should model our lives after that because I think there's something a little, you know, potentially delusional uh about that.

He's from another world.

So I'll give him a break.

Um, but I do think that, you know, while we have to experience, I do think it's important to experience some lower energy negative things.

We need to experience sadness to understand what real joy is.

We need to experience anger in order to, to know what real peace is, you know.

Um, but we, we ought not stay in those negative ar areas and I think we should strive to not denying those things, but strive to still find the optimism, find the joy, find the peace, find the love, find the light, be uh instruments of those things and the more of us that can do that, that can get to that place, the better and quicker we get to a better world together.

Absolutely.

There's also been a lot of talk online about another of your uh very um fan favorite films, Tangled.

Do you think that there would ever be an option to bring Flynn Ryder back for a sequel?

I don't know.

I mean, honestly, I love Tangled so much and it is a really beloved Disney movie.

Uh but they never, we never made a sequel, an animated sequel to it.

We made an animated series that was on Disney channel for a few seasons and that was fun to do.

And Mandy and I got to come back together for that.

Um Now there's talk of a live action.

Uh, but I'm far too old to play Flynn Rider in a live action.

As much as that would be fun.

And I would love to play that role.

Rapunzel is 17 turning 18 in that movie, Flynn can't be older than like 2234 times.

I don't know, like, you know, like they share that kiss on the boat on her birthday, so she's 18.

I'm a 44 year old man.

I just, there's no, there's not enough just for men hair coloring to make that feel right.

I think.

But I do think somebody had floated the idea of me and Mandy being like Rapunzel's parents like the king and queen.

I thought that would be a fun thing.

That could be a fun thing.

Absolutely.

Well, thank you so much for your time and also, yes, for life.

I love it.

I'm hoping to make a chuck movie someday.

Ok. Well, thank you.

Thank you so much for your time and uh, we'll chat to you next time.

Thank you so much.

Have a great rest of your day.