The Only and Only Ivan
Vocal fable Chaka Khan has of late commence ramify out into outspoken playing , now star in Disney’sThe One And Only Ivanas a chicken named Henrietta . She is one of the many friends of the titular Ivan , a Silverback Gorilla gorilla trapped at a makeshift circus in Big Top Mall .
Khan speak with Screen Rant about her experience transcription for the film , how she found herself in Henrietta , and how gentle Danny DeVito made the process for her .
Can you verbalize to me a little mo about Henrietta the Gallus gallus ?
Chaka Khan : What can I say ? She ’s a wimp , and she develops into a enceinte baseball game participant . And she ’s the life coach .
How did you research this role ? Did you dive into the book side of it , and what was the sound that you want to create for Henrietta ?
Chaka Khan : Interesting . Okay , you ’re getting right to the good detail . All right . No , I did not read the playscript . I did not do any of that . They came to me with the playscript and said , " You ’re Henrietta . " I went towards the back , and I found myself . And I find out what I was saying , and I liked it . It was as well-to-do as that ; it ’s that simpleton .
And then I went in with Danny DeVito , and we looked for my voice . We did think about using chicken [ sounds ] and thing like that , but that did n’t make much sense . After about an hour of playing around with it , Danny say , " Just talk like yourself , " and then that worked .
Can you babble to me about the collaboration process between yourself and Danny , but also your director Thea ?
Chaka Khan : Well , Danny is the one that I interacted with the most , and he ’s a wonderful guy . What a nifty human being . We clicked right away , and he ’s very funny and a very sweet man . He really committed to this process , and I like that -all these beautiful trait in one professorship . We got along ; we off it off and just did it . It was n’t a foresighted stretch for me ; it ’s me in front of the mic , tattle like myself and reacting like I would .
I was told that you kind of broke out into Sung dynasty in the middle of immortalise sessions .
Chaka Khan : I did all sort of wild stuff . It was a madhouse in there , believe me . Trust and believe , yeah .
I would have loved to have been on a fly on the wall .
Chaka Khan : You would have . We had fun .
Besides Henrietta , who was your best-loved animate being of Mack ’s menagerie ?
Chaka Khan : I think the elephant .
What does Henrietta find about living in the wild ? What ’s her posture on it ?
Chaka Khan : She ’s cool , you know ? Yeah , she ’s nerveless anything ; take it . She ’s like , " Bring it , and we ’ll make it work . " That ’s what resonated with me . How she views life is very similar to the way I did .
This film touches on so many different messages . What are you hoping audience take off from this film ?
Chaka Khan : Well , see , that is the hang-up . That is where they have to decide what they want to take from it . I ca n’t say what I ’d like for them to take , because everything is good . It ’s all good stuff . So , whatever resonates with you , that ’s what I want you to take from the movie . And that ’s what I need you to hold on to . You ca n’t make a picture show or make a song and say , " I want you to care this part . I want you to hear [ this ] . " It ’s up to the listener and to the viewer .
I ’m just happy that I feel , because of the state of affairs we ’re in right on now , that a lot of mother and fathers and children and grannie and grandfather will see it all together in one way ; together and perhaps discuss it . Which you would have never done otherwise .
In the past few years , you ’ve been doing a lot more acting . Are you go to be pursuing more opportunity ? Because I would fuck to see you on screen all the time .
Chaka Khan : Yeah . When something comes along that I can live with , I ’ll do it .
You have a legendary voice . How did being in a voice booth perform euphony differ from doing a character ?
Chaka Khan : I said earlier on that was n’t a stretching for me . I was in a studio with a microphone , blab out as opposed to singing . But it was like , it ’s the same matter . It ’s communication . I was communicating on a mic in the studio . So it was n’t a big stretch for me . It feel at home .
I loved you on the Masked Singer . It seemed like was hard performing in that costume . Would you do something like that again ?
Chaka Khan : No . Never .
More : Thea Sharrock Interview for The One and Only Ivan
