Later this week, the Borderlands movie will bring the long-time popular video game franchise to the big screen. Jack Black will co-star in the film, voicing fan-favorite robot Claptrap. It’s a role that Borderlands creator Randy Pitchford had wanted Black to play since 2012. And because it’s a voice-only role, Black was able to record all of the film’s dialogue before a single frame of footage was shot.
“I have to admit, I’ve never been on a set before,” Black said during a recent appearance on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. “I did my whole thing in the recording studio before we started shooting, and I had a lot of fun doing it.”
But Black’s absence from the set didn’t go unnoticed by his co-stars, and one of Black’s cast mates criticized him.
“I got a DM from Jamie Lee Curtis,” Black recalled. And she was like, “Where the fuck are you? We’re all knee-deep in some fucking shit, and I figured out where you are… wherever you’re recording.’ I was like, ‘I love you, and I’m going to be there in spirit, and I’ll see you on the red carpet. ‘”
Black noted that he played the Borderlands video game 20 years ago, although he doesn’t remember many details about the film. Still, he has a more solid understanding of Claptrap’s character.
“He’s a helper robot, kind of like the comic relief R2D2 in the movies, but he also has a bitter undertone,” Black explains. “He hates this mission, he hates this world, and he secretly wants everyone on this team dead. But he’s programmed to help, so he helps, even though he’s been protesting.”
Borderlands opens in theaters Friday, August 9th.