By Drew McWeeny. Talk about trying a little bit of everything. Someone’s having a very big summer. Pharrell’s music was a big part of the charm of the first “Despicable Me,” and it gave the film a sound that wasn’t just a knock-off of every other animated movie out there. That’s hard to do sometimes, and there was something so lovely and sunny about his “Despicable Me” songs that perfectly complimented the film. I’m sure it was an easy decision to have him back for the second film, but honestly, timing must have been a nightmare.
In addition to this movie, he also contributed to the Hans Zimmer score for “Man Of Steel,” and of course, he’s all over the latest record by Daft Punk, including the vocal track for the ridiculously catchy “Get Lucky.” What i’ve always found interesting about Pharrell, from the N*E*R*D days to now, is how hard he is to pin down to one sound or one style or one approach. He is a bit of a musical chameleon, and that serves him well. When we sat down to talk about the summer he’s having, it was right in the middle of a fairly hectic press day. He seemed perfectly affable, but nothing sends me into panic mode faster during an interview than someone who answers in short single word sentences.
When that happens, I kick into “over-compensate” mode, and it felt like that started to happen during this interview. I think it went well enough overall, but there were certainly a few moments when it felt to me like the entire thing was just about to go south. We’ll have more conversations with the cast of “Despicable Me 2” this week, as well as plenty of “The Lone Ranger” interviews, so stay signed in for HitFix and check those out. I’ve got lots of good stuff coming before the long holiday weekend. “Despicable Me 2” is in theaters Wednesday.