MANILA, Philippines - John Malkovich, considered as one of the world’s lead actors of his generation and who has made an important mark in cinema, lends voice to Dreamworks’ Penguins of Madagascar’s tentacled nemesis who goes by the name Dave a.k.a. Dr. Octavius Brine.
A renowned geneticist, cheese-enthusiast (at least he has that in common with the Penguins) and donor to public radio pledge drives, the good doctor’s limbs are skewed at impossible angles, which isn’t that surprising because he’s actually an octopus named Dave. Raiding Fort Knox for a tasty treat is nothing compared to the challenges the Penguins face when they come up against Dr. Octavius Brine. And Dave bears a ginormous grudge against the Penguins. Dave was once a star attraction at various zoos around the world, until the adorable, cuter-than-cute Penguins stole the spotlight away from him, relegating him forever as an exhibit also-ran. “You took everything from me!” he bellows at the Penguins, and he’s about to take extreme measures to once again become a star attraction.
The filmmakers wanted Dave to be an adversary whom audiences wouldn’t soon forget. “Dave is a villain like those in the classic tradition of the James Bond films,” says producer Mark Swift. “He has a big agenda; this is a guy who wants to change the world.”
To give Dave a bigger-than-life comic presence, they really thought outside the box in casting the role. They turned to Academy Award nominee Malkovich, who has distinguished himself in films, on stage and on television. Making his animated feature debut, Malkovich quickly latched on to the character.
Penguins of Madagascar opens Nov. 26 in cinemas nationwide.