Actor Clancy Brown here. You might know me from Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers, Flubber, or many other projects. My latest film is When The Game Stands Tall. AMA.

Can you share any experiences while filming Carnivale? It was one of the best shows on TV and I wish there were more seasons.

Yeah! It was a great show to do. You know, you don't see many shows about the Depression on TV, and I thought just the beginning of it, when the beginning narration talks about the death of magic and the birth of technology, or something like that, I can't remember the exact phrase that is used, I thought that pretty much summarizes that period, and that shift in American history and human experience, where we go from believing in magic to believing in science and drawing a stark line between the two. It was fun, it was about the battle of good & evil. We had the best art direction I've ever seen on the show, the costumes were just beautiful, it was really meticulous and fun to watch. The photography was gorgeous, I always looked forward to watching it. I don't usually watch what I do, but I always looked forward to those episodes because they were so fun to look at.

Care to share any memories about working with Robin Williams in Flubber?

I don't know if I can add anything to what's going on, to all of his tributes right now. I find it very upsetting that he died. We exchanged some books. I gave him a book by Greg Bear, and he gave me The Swallow by Mary Cappello, and he was just a real generous actor, a generous person, and a real being of light. Just one of those guys. It's not good that he's dead. There's nothing to celebrate about people dying, it's just a bummer all the way around. And I'll miss him.

Hello Mr. Brown. I know you from one of my favorite cartoons of my childhood, SpongeBob SquarePants, and I have to ask: what is the origin of you saying things like 'spatuler' instead of 'spatula' or 'laver' instead of 'lava'?

As I'm thinking about it since that question, that was something that I did in the very first episode when I sent Spongebob out for a left-handed "spatuler" or something, I sent him on a wild-goose chase and then he found the goose! So "spatuler" kind of happened that first episode, and we stuck with that. The other applications of having an "r" is just as it feels right, and you do whatever you think is funny.

I think it's a speech pattern in seaside, maritime economies and regions, and things like that. Adding an "r" to everything to separate it sometimes. Plus pirates say "r"!

Arrrrr.

What was it like voicing Lex Luthor?

A lot of fun. It's a good group. The Warner Bros group, I've done that for many years, flattered that they always ask me back. There are great writers & artists for that iteration of Superman, and it's been around so long now that people are starting to drop out, we lost Wayne, a writer on that show, he died suddenly and that was sad. So it's a fun universe, the DC Universe, and to participate in it is a privilege. I'm always happy that they ask me back. I'm going to go away here pretty soon & do one of their TV shows for the CW, you know, DC is doing TV shows for the CW, they have the Arrow and Flash now, and they are sort of expanding into live-action. So i'm going to go away & see what that's like. Not as Lex Luthor though.

Starship Troopers is still one of my favorite movies. I read the book after seeing the film and it was absolutely incredible, especially for having been written so long ago.

My question is, as an actor in a film based on a book, do you look to the source material for any insight or inspiration? Or do you stick strictly to the script? And what do you think about the process of converting books to movies?

I wanted to do Starship Troopers because I was already familiar with the Heinlein book. I thought it was a pretty workable adaptation. The thing that Paul added, the spin that he added, I think, really enhanced the message of the book. So both of them worked together very well. But they aren't the same thing, the book is not the movie, and the movie is not the book, but they are certainly about the same thing. Do I look to the source material? When I can - for example, on COWBOYS & ALIENS, I was told "don't look at the source material" as it might confuse me, so I followed that direction. Since I've looked at the source material, I understand why I was told that at the time. It wouldn't have helped very much. It just sort of depends on the adaption. I thought ENDER'S GAME was also a very good adaptation of the book. I don't think it was as good a movie as it was a book, and I don't know why, I was so looking forward to it, but it usually comes down to production or tonal decisions that they make, but I thought it was a pretty good adaptation of the book. But not all books make good movies. Like the Godfather is a better movie than it is a book, right? Same thing with Raging Bull, those are just better movies than they are books, they are good adaptations, but they are just better than the source material. So you never know.

WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL - the movie is a good adaptation of the book, it doesn't say everything that's in the book, but it complements the book very well.

How much fun was it to let loose as the Kurgan? It sure looked like a lot! Any great set tidbits from Highlander?

Don't take my head.....

Hahaha!

There was not a whole lot of fun to be had, it was a strange set. You know, we were all trying to make a good movie, and the producers were trying to, you know, make money any way they could, so there were a lot of things we had to work around, do on the cheap because of those producers. I don't know, there was just a point - I wasn't getting paid anything, Sean was getting paid a lot, so you have to decide if you're going to have fun or not, so the only thing I could have on that set was fun, so that's what I had! It's not one of my favorite experiences making that movie, although I did have fun on it, the circumstances of making it were very hard. And not pleasant, for a lot of people. I think Sean was fine, Sean worked for a couple of weeks and then took his money and did Untouchables, and Christoph was having fun, because he had just won the Cesar in france, so he was living the highlife. Roxanne and I were just trying to get by, you know, do what we could. It wasn't much on the page, to the Kurgan, it was not written well, it was just kind of a big thuggish bad guy, so I had to do something to make it interesting for myself, and Russel (the director) was having fun, so he let me get away with whatever I wanted to do. He was enjoying it enough, and it was a hard shoot for him as well. Some people onsets have a harder pull than other people, like Sean, he made a lot of money for very little work in those days, so he had fun, and others of us had a harder time and had to find more ways to enjoy ourselves.

Hey! Thanks for your work, especially your awesome performance in Shawshank. My question: how aware were you and/or other crew during the production of The Shawshank Redemption that you would ultimately be involved in making one of the best films of all time? Were you in see at some of the acting/direction/scripts? A lot of people live by that film! Cheers :)

No, you know, we all knew it was a good script, I think everybody in Hollywood knew it was a good script, with a great director and writer, but you never know if a movie is going to be good or not. You just never know. Everybody goes into it determined to make it as good as you can, sometimes you do and sometimes you don't, and sometimes there's alchemy to making these things, and I don't know why exactly that it all came together on that movie. I don't think Morgan has ever been better, or Tim Robbins, or James Whitmore, he was cast perfectly, rest his soul. There was just a lot of, what do you call it, magical accidents that happened, Bob was so perfect as the Warden, and Harry and all the guys were amazing as the prisoners. It was just such a great sort of synchronicity that happened. It was kismet.

I was a big fan of Carnivale and was disappointed that it didn't get a proper conclusion. Do you know what would have been in store for Brother Justin in future seasons?

Yes I do! I don't think it's anything you don't know already. Brother Justin and Ben both live, and Brother Justin expands his empire a little bit but he becomes a puppet for Clea Duvall's character.

Are you allowed to say what character you'll be playing in Warcraft?

No!

I'm not, but I wish I could. But I can't.

You have a remarkably deep voice....has it ever helped you with de ladies? (Sorry for going low brow!)

Hahaha! Uh... I don't know? This is the voice I grew up with, my dad's voice and my brother's voice, it doesn't seem that remarkable to me. You'd have to ask my wife, I guess it worked well on her!

You're a lady, what do you think?

How did Mr Krabs have a whale baby and turn a hamburger into a pizza?

OH BOY. I could tell ya but I'd have to kill ya!

Some mysteries are best left mysterious. Especially where it concerns your offspring. And Mr. Krabs' love life. The Krabby Patty stuff is just like, more closely guarded than the Coca-Cola formula.

If, by some miracle, there was ever a sequel to Buckaroo Banzai (and even though you died in the first one), do you think you'd want to be in it?

That movie was the first time I ever saw you onscreen, and you had the best cheesy death scene ever. Buckaroo Banzai is still one of my favorite movies.

Oh, thank you! I would love to be in it, if they ever did a sequel, or whatever, whatever they did. I mean, all of us are pretty long in the tooth now and don't look the same as we did back then, but it would be fun to get together with those guys.

[deleted]

Umm... all of them? hahah!

Behind the scenes, we had a lot of laughs, it's hard for me to pick one. It's always fun when Spongebob is in the news, or is excited by, you know, people with political agendas - whether he's supporting their political agenda or fighting against it, we always find it very amusing that Spongebob is accused of something more than just wanting to be a fry-cook. It's all make-believe. So Tom is quite facile, a great stand-up comic, and he usually goes into hilarious riffs about whatever the news story is at the time. So those are my favorite behind-the-scenes, about whatever we're being accused of or credited with, when all we're trying to do is make a cartoon that kids like and that makes adults laugh. All we want to do is amuse...

Hey Clancy, what is your opinion on Mr. Krabs? Did he became a bad guy lately?
What are your few favorite Spongebob episodes from season 4-onwards?
And, most important question-
Do you remember the classic MOAR KRABS?

No, he's not a bad guy! He's a good guy. He's just a little pre-occupied with money which is not unusual in this day & age. It's been a preoccupation for most of my adult life, society has been preoccupied with that forever, to the detriment of a lot of things.

He's not a bad guy, just like your local banker or businessman. He just loves money what are you going to do? He loves Pearl too!

My favorite line of your's ever is

"An enemy cannot push a button if you disable it's hand. MEDIC"

Have there been any roles you ended up be disappointed you didn't take or ones happy that you didn't?

Oh boy, the ones I didn't take? I can't think of ones I didn't take. I know there's probably one in a movie I wish I'd been in - yeah, there was a time that there was some talk that I would do a Batman movie, Chris Nolan's Batman, and I was trying to work that out, but I couldn't work it out because I was doing something else at the time, strangely in the same town, but it wasn't a bit enough role for them to actually accommodate my schedule. I'm not a big enough actor for people to accommodate my schedule, so I chose one that was more personal to me than Batman. But I would have liked to have worked with Chris Nolan, I think he's really something. I'm glad he's not doing Batman anymore, I'm really looking forward to Interstellar, and I'm glad he's out of the superhero business and back in the mind-bending business. That might be the only one I wish I had done.

How do you think movies like highlander have stood up to the test of time? I watched the first part of that and the special effects were...interesting. Do you think plot is enough to hold the movie together?

Yeah, that's why it's stood the test of time, because it's a great plot. It's a great theme, a great plot. The special effects of the 80s are the special effects of the 80s. In 30 years, you'll look back at the special effects of the teens and think they look cheesy. But the story itself is what makes something worthwhile, I think. When they re-boot it, it'll be terrific to do that, as long as they stick to the plot.

Yeah, that's why it's stood the test of time, because it's a great plot. It's a great theme, a great plot. The special effects of the 80s are the special effects of the 80s. In 30 years, you'll look back at the special effects of the teens and think they look cheesy. But the story itself is what makes something worthwhile, I think. When they re-boot it, it'll be terrific to do that, as long as they stick to the plot.

Hi Clancy! You made my childhood with your voice acting. Are there any shows you'd like to voice act for that you haven't yet?

Star Wars Rebels, I would love to do that. I haven't seen it yet, but I know all of the people involved, and I know they're great. And there are so many good shows on... it'd be tough to single out any of them. I recently did Archer, which was a lot of fun. And there's always new stuff coming up. All of 'em, I just enjoy that part of my career so much. Are there any that you'd like to hear me on? Maybe you think I should do?

Star Wars Rebels, I would love to do that. I haven't seen it yet, but I know all of the people involved, and I know they're great. And there are so many good shows on... it'd be tough to single out any of them. I recently did Archer, which was a lot of fun. And there's always new stuff coming up. All of 'em, I just enjoy that part of my career so much.

Are there any that you'd like to hear me on? Maybe you think I should do?

Star Wars Rebels, I would love to do that. I haven't seen it yet, but I know all of the people involved, and I know they're great. And there are so many good shows on... it'd be tough to single out any of them. I recently did Archer, which was a lot of fun. And there's always new stuff coming up. All of 'em, I just enjoy that part of my career so much.

Are there any that you'd like to hear me on? Maybe you think I should do?

Star Wars Rebels, I would love to do that. I haven't seen it yet, but I know all of the people involved, and I know they're great. And there are so many good shows on... it'd be tough to single out any of them. I recently did Archer, which was a lot of fun. And there's always new stuff coming up. All of 'em, I just enjoy that part of my career so much.

Are there any that you'd like to hear me on? Maybe you think I should do?

When Mr. Krabs has a song, do you enjoy singing as him? Also, have you had a cameo on SB in person like Tom, Bill, Roger, and Paul have?

I haven't had a cameo in-person! That's never worked out for me for some reason, my schedule has never been able to accommodate that. But I do love singing as Mr. Krabs. I don't get to do it often enough, but i love doing when they ask me to!

Wow, it is such an honor to have you here today, Mr. Brown. I can honestly say that when I'm looking for something to watch, whether it be a movie or TV show, if I see you're in it, I automatically say "yep, this'll be worth watching." And it always is.

You've voiced Lex Luthor for over a decade, not to mention numerous other characters from both the Marvel and DC universe. Did you read comics as a kid, and if so, did you/do you have a favorite superhero? Also, having written a comic miniseries, is it alright if I use your likeness for a minor character?

Last question (I promise): What is your favorite book?

Thank you so, so much for all of your wonderful work!

Yeah, I snuck comics as a kid. It wasn't really considered valid reading at my house. But I would sneak into the newsstand, and I would read comics and sometimes I would buy them and hide them and read them, and among them were some of the more remarkable Superman versions, like when Superman died the first time. If I had them, they'd probably be worth some money, I suppose, but I don't have them anymore. They got thrown away, so yeah, I did read them, i guess.

This isn't the way to ask me that, haha!

My favorite book, ooh! I usually have favorite authors. And I like whatever Robert Heinlein's written. I like that. I'm also a fan of John Keegan, for non-fiction. I love the Harry Potter books, they were terrific. What else, goodness? oh, oh, oh, my favorite is Paolo Bacigalupi. He did Wind-Up Girl, and Ship Breaker, he's my new favorite dystopian sci-fi guy.

What is the best/funniest practical joke you have seen happen on the set?

OH... Gosh. I once saw an actor get arrested for something, he was not really a cop, it was someone pretending to be a cop, arresting a guy, and seeing that actor react, that was pretty great and a lot of laughs, but also somewhat cruel. It was for something he was probably guilty of, and had to do with stuff he shouldn't be doing, having consumed or put in his body. Like it could have been a real bust, but it wasn't. And it scared the hell out of the guy. Maybe scared him straight, who knows? It was a long time ago, people did crazy stuff like that.

I've heard of some good ones, but I haven't seen them. Just secondhand.

What was your favorite role?

It's not a fair question, I like them all. What's your favorite role that i did? that's a better question.

What is your favorite episode of Spongebob and why?

Oh, I got a lot of them!

I love Band Geeks, and I don't know why, I just love that episode for some reason.

I love My Pretty Seahorse because it has one of my favorite lines in it, which is "You're a mystery, SpongeBob" because I got to say that one.

There's another one where Mr. Krabs is mistaken for a robot by SpongeBob & Patrick who have to decide whether he's been replaced by a robot, and they tie him up and torture him and realize that he's not a robot, I forget the name of that one - I think it's either "KrabBorg" or something else, I'm not sure.

I love Hooky, I think it's a great anti-anything message, anti-bad-behavior message. Hooky is brilliant. Gosh there are just so many of them that I think are really superior. It's probably easier to ask me which ones I don't like !

Hi there have you ever played any of the games you have done the voices for?

I did, when I was doing videogames before I got married & had children. But I haven't had the chance since I've been responsible to other human beings, hahah.

Hi Clancy Brown! Thank you for setting up this AMA. I really love your work as Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob. How was it like to work on the first SpongeBob movie and how was it different from working on the second movie?

Well, I wasn't in the first SpongeBob movie very much! I had just a couple lines. I worked more in the second one. And the first one - there weren't many expectations, and the second ones, there were all sorts of bosses leaning over everybody's shoulder, saying what should & shouldn't be done, which doesn't bother me as much as it bothers the creators, poor guys, I feel sorry for them. But executives need to justify their big salaries too, I guess. There's something weird about people whose job it is to tell you how to do your job better, like being paid to be a wife to people you're not married to or something. It's a presumptuous career, I think. Interesting. I don't know if I could do it.

Can you offer any fishing tips for CJ Brown Reservoir in Springfield? I've never had much luck there.

Me either! Hahaha! I've had no luck there myself, so if you've been there and caught anything you know more about it than I do. No, I wish I had a fishing tip. Maybe patience? But that hasn't worked for me either, so I don't know!

Hey Clancy Brown! Thank you so much for this opportunity

• What's it like voicing Mr. Crabs?

• What was it like working the the cast and crew on The Shawshank Redemption?

• Nicolas Cage, yay or nay?

Thank you again got taking time out of your day to give us this chance, on behalf of this AMA I'd like to commend you on your amazing talents and wish you luck on your current and future projects

It's one of the most fun things I've ever done in my life! It's a good group. Bill and Roger and Doug and all the folks at Spongebob, we have a great time doing it.

We were sort of out on an island, it was a lot of guys, because it was a prison movie of course, and we were sort of in isolation in Ohio, so it was fun from that perspective. I'm from Ohio, so I probably had a lot more fun, because I knew how to have fun in the middle of nowhere in Ohio, much more so than some of the other guys. I know some folks had a harder time than I did. But I also got married during that show, so I was kind of preoccupied in that part of my life. I spent my honeymoon on that location. But so did Humphrey Bogart and what's her name, Lauren Bacall, they also honeymooned where we did, believe it or not.

I've never acted with Nicci, but I have no problem with Nicci. He can do whatever he wants! I don't really have any opinions about my colleagues, I love 'em all. I think he's really good.