EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: J.K. Simmons Discusses AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA & Playing J. Jonah Jameson

The actor known for his role as the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, took the time to answer a few questions via email regarding his roles in the upcoming Legend of Korra and Ultimate Spider-Man.

By MissOracle - Jan 20, 2012 07:01 PM EST

Filed Under: Animated Features

Many CBM fans know Simmons for his fantastic performance as the head honcho of the Daily Bugle in the Raimi Spider-Man films. Also many may know him for his role as Assistant Chief Will Pope in TNT series The Closer which will be entering its eighth and final season this year.

I was lucky and thrilled to get the opportunity to ask him some questions via email regarding his character, Tenzin, in the Legend of Korra and playing J. Jonah Jameson in animated and live-action form.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

You bet. I hope this works, despite my complete incompetence with all technology.

Fans know that in the upcoming Avatar: The Legend of Korra your character, Tenzin, is the son of Aang and Korra's Airbending instructor; what else can you tell us about him?

Not unlike the actor who provides his voice, he's bald. And very virile. And wise. And attractive...

Does the fact that Tenzin's father was the Avatar before Korra cause any strain between them when they first meet?

That's one of many things that contributes to difficulty in their relationship.

How did you get involved in the new Avatar series?

The old fashioned way. As I recall, (which I often do incorrectly) I auditioned for this one.

If you could bend any element which would you want and why?

Air. That way you can basically fly, which is my favorite G-rated fantasy.

You are voicing JJJ in the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man, does this version differ in any way from the on screen version you played?

He's the same old penny-pinching, self centered, egotistical blowhard, basically.

Were you approached to voice JJJ?

Yep. No audition for that one. Kind of a slam dunk.

I read that in the Spider-Man films your role involved a lot of improv. With the animated series do you have that same freedom?

Not nearly as much. Animated work in general is more tightly scripted.

Is there a superhero you would love to see developed to be the next break-out hero franchise?

Can't think of one. The ones I really know are already on the big screen.

What are your thoughts on the re-booted Spider-Man and the choice of Lizard as the villain?

I think Lizard was going to be the bad guy either way. I don't know much about the re-boot, other than JJJ doesn't appear in it, I hear.

If you had gotten to play JJJ one more time, what would you have liked to do with the character? Does he have a specific storyline or scene that you would like to have done?

I think JJJ was always a nice little dose of comic relief and a bit of a pain in the ass for Peter Parker, and that's how I liked it. Anything that puts JJJ in an uncomfortable situation would be fun.

Do you think comic book movies are here to stay or do you think they have a shelf life?

I think the audience will continue to be there if the movies are good.

What do you feel are the pros and cons of voice-acting over live-action acting?

It's nice not to have to shave and put on make-up and spend 90% of your day waiting around, but it's also nice to be lucky enough to be doing both. Variety is a beautiful thing.

Are there any other projects on the way that you would like our readers to know about?

We just finished the 8th (and final) season of The Closer, which will air in the summer, and I have a small part in a really wonderful movie called "The Words" starring Bradley Cooper that's getting a lot of attention at Sundance right now and I hope will get a good release. Another one in the can is a wacky mockumentary comedy called "Geezers" which is in post and will be looking for distribution. Also a couple of animated projects and a few indie films in development. And I'm selling a little insurance on the side...

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31 Comments

headlopper - 1/20/2012, 7:22 PM

Ahhh, the mayor of New York City speaks!

GUNSMITH - 1/20/2012, 7:30 PM

AWESOME JONAH J

MarkJulian - 1/20/2012, 7:39 PM

"My favorite G-rated fantasy" ha!

Supes17 - 1/20/2012, 7:52 PM

He was perfect as JJJ. Friggin' hilarious

LucasMend - 1/20/2012, 8:08 PM

Nice stuff, Simmons is awesome

Supes17 - 1/20/2012, 8:30 PM

They dont HAVE to replace him in the reboot. They should bring him back

DCnerd46 - 1/20/2012, 9:04 PM

JK Simmons is a great actor. I loved him as J Jonah Jameson, he brought some great comic relief to the Spidey films.

poop23 - 1/20/2012, 9:44 PM

Im going to find it really hard to watch any scene with jjj in the new film, Simmons just did perfect job at the role. One of the few characters that was done right in each film of that franchise

TrollHunter - 1/20/2012, 9:48 PM

Thank you Sony for giving me just one more reason to hate The Amazing Spider-Man. No JJJ? Seriously? Shoulda stuck with Raimi. Sony is really doing a piss poor job of handling the Spider-Man franchise now. Un-[frick]ing believable...

MaddMonkk - 1/20/2012, 11:42 PM

the man is a class act!

marvel72 - 1/21/2012, 1:54 AM

bring him back for the sequel to the amazing spider-man,which i think should be called the spectacular spider-man.

Hawksblueyes - 1/21/2012, 5:50 AM

Great interview IG. I've always thought him as JJJ was at the top of the CBM casting list.

Deadshot - 1/21/2012, 8:36 AM

He will always be the most perfect JJJ.

HAQ - 1/21/2012, 11:03 AM

Actually i like him as Vern Schillinger in OZ the most. Jameson was a caricature.

TheSoulEater - 1/21/2012, 11:24 AM

I frigging love this guy

webheaded - 1/21/2012, 11:26 AM

He doesn't just act funny, he IS funny!

Skateanddestroy88 - 1/21/2012, 3:08 PM

This guy is cool, to bad we didn't get to see him reprise in Spiderman 4 but have high hopes for the new Spiderman film.
Dudes I was just looking at he calender slate of CBM for 2012 and 2013.... Are you serious this is truly the golden age for CBM's

grynningguy - 1/21/2012, 5:04 PM

A new Avatar series?!?! Hell Yes!! How dare I not know of this!!!

JJJ won't be in The Amazing Spider-Man cause they are focusing on Peter/Spidey in high school, before he was employed at the Daily Bugle (which is why it has been rebooted, Raimi & Maguire didn't wanna do that). I'm 99.99% sure there will be a sequel, so maybe JJJ will be in that one if the storyline progresses passed Spidey's high school days. But seriously, no matter who it is, NO ONE will EVER compare to Simmons when it comes to JJJ. He looked, sounded, & acted just Like the comic/cartoon versions. I believe no one would have a problem if he was in the reboot(s).

RolandD - 1/22/2012, 5:25 PM

Loved him as JJJ. Used to see him as the psychologist on Law and Order SVU and did not realize that it was the same actor until I saw a story on CBM. I agree. Bring him back on the sequel to the new movie. Who cares if he has played the part before the reboot.

er101 - 2/12/2012, 2:36 PM

He is Jameson, nuff said!

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