A shelluva lot of fun
Astin likes his Raphael in ‘Turtles,’ but is closer to a work of Leonardo
SEAN ASTIN may be voicing the aggressive Raphael on the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot, but he has more in common with level-headed Leonardo.
“I would like to think I’m more like Leonardo — self-appointed leader type who likes planning and executing things on a timetable,” says Astin (above).
“But I love playing the tough guy, the brawler, the muscle,” adds the 41-year-old actor. “It’s so fun. And if I had to choose any of the four characters that I want to play, I would choose Raphael.”
The reboot, premiering Saturday at 11 a.m. on Nickelodeon, is the fourth TV series centered on the comic-book characters of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael.
Astin, known for films like “The Goonies,” “Rudy” and “The Lord of the Rings,” was too old to fully appreciate the first “Turtles” animated series, which aired between 1987 and 1996.
“But I had a little brother-in-law who had the sleeping bag, the lunch box, the costumes, the toys,” Astin says. “I always liked the idea of anthropomorphic fighting turtles.
“That was cool, and I kind of defended to some the naming of them after Renaissance painters, because I thought what a cool way to introduce those names. So when the kids are older and they’re in school and start learning about their namesakes, they’ll have some familiarity or comfort just from the names.”
The other three turtles are voiced by Jason Biggs (Leonardo), Rob Paulsen (Donatello) and Greg Cipes (Michelangelo).
Biggs got himself into some trouble recently when he tweeted some lewd comments about the wives of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Nickelodeon had linked its account promoting “Turtles” to Biggs’ page and ended up issuing an apology, insisting “Jason use better judgement” while affiliated with the brand.
“There’s a longstanding tradition of comics who can be associated with family franchises and have more adult material that they do, only it’s very easy to distinguish,” Astin says.
“This was one of those things where social media has to be navigated, and the rights and the intelligence of protecting a brand are all factors that have to be considered.”