Archer and the little Jew that's behind him. H. Jon Benjamin here. Ask me anything.

H. Jon, how long did you have to pose for the animators to get Archer's chiseled body just right?

the model for archer i believe is an electrician from georgia but archer's penis is actually based on mine from a home-ade mold i made using latex and silly putty

please explain why the only two accounts you're following on twitter are pf chang's and team straightstuntin

i like middle of the road american style chinese food and black ass

Archer tends to have a lot of high-brow humour that gets missed, what is your favourite obscure Archer reference/joke?

well the johnny bench reference definitely confused me...i had no idea johnny bench had huge hands, but i guess i would not consider that high brow. other than that, i had no idea who the founder of eugenics was, but now i can't stop reading about it

Given that this post will soon be entirely overrun by people parroting Archer quotes, which overly repeated phrase annoys you most?

a lot of people yell danger zone at me and it can be confusing if there is a real danger zone they trying to warn me about

hey, thanks everyone for reading my snarky, less than humorous (except for that one killer response) responses. season 5 of archer is truly kick ass. please watch and good luck on that science/physics/history exam!!!

2 parts here.

1. Why and/or how did you get into voice acting?

2. What would you do if you weren't a voice actor?

(BTW, you're awesome)

well, i started in cambridge massachusetts on a show called dr. katz and then it kept going from there and i definitely had aspirations as a kid to become a rabbi, but as i got older, i just felt that choice would have been too jewish

H. Jon! Your voice. is. incredible. & the Archer/Bob's Burgers crossover episode made my brain cry of joy.

braincry is a pretty serious disorder

What do you think of the new season, is it a breath of fresh air or just a gimmick?

totally a breath of fresh air. i was really excited to hear how the show changed and i will say, it's a really great season

Hi Jon! If you could choose any character that you've voiced to live as for one week, who would you pick and why?

i guess it would have to the t-shirt vendor from olsen twins movie i was in. it wasn't animated, but it would be so much fun to be a t shirt vendor in NYC!

What's up with the H, Jon? What do your friends call you? H? Jon?

once a woman called me just 'h.' which was fun

Jon Benjamin, sooooo is Woodhouse Archer's father?

wow...that is a real possibility

Once I saw you riding your bike (at least it looked like you but it's Brooklyn so who knows) with giant headphones on, do you think that was safe?

well i strictly listen to ambient street noise mix tapes

Hi Mr. Jon Benjamin! What relationship and interaction do you have with the other Archer voice actors? Also, do you have any say/provide any ideas for the plot of Archer?

i live in aisha tyler's back room...the only thing i ever provided idea wise was an for an extra on the season 2 dvd where archer got blown up and they reconstructed him to look like me, which was a reaction to constantly being told how much uglier i am in real life compared to archer

During this scene in Home Movies, Coach McGuirk can only think of grapes to use as a comparison to women because he used the word bunch and it reminded him of grapes. Now that you've had some time to think, can you explain how women and grapes are similar or give us a completely different analogy?

In honor of your AMA, I'm turning my lunch break into spaghetti time.

i think woman are more like peas than grapes because the grapes are too easy to get too and peas are much harder to find a way to open them unless your told about how

Hey H. Jon Benjamin, first off I'd like to commend you on your amazing voice acting skills in some of my favourite animated tv shows,Archer and Bob's Burgers.Hopefully you get time to look at my message, here in Australia it's 6 am and I woke up just for this AMA. I have a few questions..

• How does hearing your voice on a large variety of animated characters feel ?

• What can we see you doing in the near and distant future ?

• Could you ever see yourself voicing a superhero ?

Thank you for taking time out of your day to do this AMA, on behalf of this AMA I wish you luck with your current and future projects.

thanks for waking up. don't people sleep for almost half the year in australia? or is that greenland? i am not as huge a fan of my voice as others, but i am very happy to be on the shows. i find myself very nasally and hard to listen to. someday i would like to be a superhero with no voice

Who's your inspiration for voice acting?

God

How often do you forget that Eugene mirman isn't your son?

well, when i see him, i do take him into my arms and cradle him and feed him from my mouth.

My boyfriend and I are obsessed with Archer, and we love Bob's Burgers. Threeway? PM for details.

Fourway?

Fiveway?

the way way back?

Thanks for doing the AMA H. Jon. You've played some very hilarious characters over the years, and you've always been one of my favorite voice actors.

My question is who would win in a fight: Bob Belcher or Coach McGuirk?

coach mcguirk would win if it was a short fight, but i feel like bob might fight dirty. He would certainly need to be more clever considering his physical deficits. coach mcguirk would get winded fast too

Thanks for doing an AMA! Lucy, Daughter of the Devil is just amazing and deserved more love from folks.

May I ask: what do you enjoy to read? May I ask: how do you take your eggs?

unfortuntely i read way less than i should. but, i continue to buy books at an alarming rate, so much so that it's like hoarding and then i just look at their binders on my shelf. i recently tried to read ulysses and got to page 7

oh, i like my eggs like i like my woman's coffee, with scrambled with lox and onions

Have you ever used your voice to pick up women? If so, what's the best strategy you have?

i'll come up behind them and the whisper softly into their ass

Do you have a long and elaborate voicemail just like Archer does?

i actually have done many similar voicemail recordings in my time. i once gave the white houses # as a forwarding # on my voicemail and that had my grandmother confused for hours

Why are you so hairy?

because it's cold

When did you discover you have a great character voice?

i do?

Hello! Any idea when the UK will get the new season or does it suck to be us?

Also do you do the Archer voice in bed? I reckon it would definitely work. Even if it's just the tip.

you had your time i believe it was the 20's, but now the royal navy is pretty much the world's biggest joke

Hey Jon! First started to follow you after Home Movies, McGuirk was a great character.

I wish that Lucy Daughter of the Devil had more than 1 season, so:

How would you smoosh the words telephone and elephant?

telephelephone

How were you approached to be the voice actor for Archer? Were there try outs where someone else almost landed the part, or were you specifically chosen?

If it was the former, do you know who else might have gotten the part?

it was, as i understand it, between me, sir anthony hopkins and dame edna.

Whats your favorite memory from the Archer Live theater tour last fall ?

matt thompson drinking what looked like a full pint glass of bourban. it's fun too someone throw their life away in just an instant

Does Adam Reed make Sealab 2021 references?

not in general conversation, but i believe he did give a nod to the show with the character captain murphy played by jon hamm

Jon- your work with the Accomodator in your Chicago show at the weird circus tent thing a couple of years ago was a real inspiration. Did you have any idea that you would be revolutionizing the way your audience members conceptualized oral sex that night?

wow, that was such a bizarre event. i remember most of the audience walking out of that show. i definitely recall performing to about 14 people by the end of the set

so, I'm not the only little Jew?

there are millions of us

Huge fan! Thanks for doing this AMA.

What's your favorite movie/TV show?

i really like fantasy island, but jesus that was like 30 years ago

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i know nathan is filming his second season now and i really enjoyed his show. i think i wrote a letter too so you can imagine how disinterested they were

Which character have you enjoyed being the voice actor for most?

well, i am pretty soft on ben from dr. katz. it was my first real role as an actor with the exception of some industrial video for a copier company where i had to impersonate rob schneider's copy guy

if you could live archers life for a day what would you do

i would walk in my mom masturbating

First of all, I just wanna say that I am a HUGE fan of yours. My husband and I watch Archer and Bob's Burgers religiously and we're anxiously awaiting the new season this month.

I've always wanted to ask you if you are good friends with the cast of Parks and Rec, because there has been a lot of overlap between Bob's Burgers and P&R.

i never thought about it. i assume maybe some of the writers are friendly and then things spread from there, or loren bouchard is a fan of parks and Rec

Did enjoy Frisky Dingo when it came out, and that's how you decided to work with Adam Reed?

adam reed decided to work with me and if you know adam reed that means saying no was not an option. he is like a cross between bernie goetz and the foghorn leghorn

Just wanted to say you are awesome and I love your work. From mcgurk to bob. My son is named Brendan, what are the best ways to teach him soccer or mcgurk life lessons? Thanks and rock on

get drunk and yell the first things that come to you, like if you see a car go by, tell him soccer is like driving a car...it's fast and exciting but dangerous and you need to follow the rules of the road

Are you a fan of Melville?

i did really get into moby dick as a college student and recently tried to re-read and it's so dense. i did dress my son as Queequeg for halloween some years back and boy, did he get beat up

Hey guy!

Are you doing any more work on Jon Benjamin Has a Van? I thought the episode with the Poor Farm where your sound guy gets kidnapped was genius. I'm sad there are so few episodes.

we tried for a second season, but they didn't go for it but i am doing a show in LA this sunday, the 12th where we are going to read a script from the second season that never got made at Riot fest La. come if you live near downtown LA

In The Comediens of Comedy, did you or David Cross realize the person you were double teaming on stage during your musical number was female? Also, when are you going to transfer your success from voice work into a career as an A list actor on the big screen?

in 2 years time, i will be the next channing tatum

Are you friends with Stephin Merritt?

i am not, but a fan and i met him briefly at a bob's burger comedy show

Where in Cambridge was Dr Katz made? I live around there and am slightly curious.

well, technically watertown somewhere near Eastern clothing

The show you had where you drove a van or something, that was fantastic. Stardoor! Did you write that show as well as play yourself?

i did, with a comedian named leo allen