Former Atlantan Peter Linz didn't have to make too tremendous a stretch to portray Walter, the newest felt charmer in "The Muppets."
The ever-smiling Walter, who helps save the original Muppet Theater from an evil oil baron's dire plan, is the world's biggest Muppet fan. That pretty much describes Linz, who knew from an early age that he wanted to be a puppeteer, became infatuated with "The Muppet Show" when it launched in 1976 and started working at the Center for Puppetry Arts after graduating from the University of Georgia in 1989. He called playing Walter "a dream come true."
We posed a trio of queries to Linz, a 44-year-old veteran of kids shows including "Sesame Street" and "Between the Lions" and the original Broadway cast of "Avenue Q," who lives with his wife and three children in Katonah, N.Y.
Q: How did the Center for Puppetry Arts influence you to pursue a puppetry career?
A: I've known I wanted to be a film and television puppeteer since I was about 10 years old. I used to do puppet shows for the kids in my [DeKalb County] neighborhood, Leafmore-Creek Park Hills. I did shows at St. Bartholomew's Olde English Festival and street performing at the Piedmont Arts Festival.
It was serendipity that I grew up in the same city in which Vince Anthony created the Center for Puppetry Arts. During my tenure there, I was an intern, an usher, assistant to the museum director, a docent, a touring puppeteer and was given the opportunity to perform with the resident puppeteers. I also had access to the center's library where I studied different forms of puppetry as well as watched videos of Jim Henson's work. In the center's museum, I learned about dozens of puppetry forms from around the world.
Working at the center cemented my dedication to following my dream and put me in the right place at the right time. My first audition for the Muppets was there in 1990. That led to a five-day intensive Muppet workshop in Orlando. I left the center a year later when I was hired for my first season on "Sesame Street."
Q: What do you think the sustaining magic is of the Muppets?
A: People who are longtime fans of the Muppets are really fans of Jim Henson, Frank Oz [and other founding artists]. Newer [followers] are really fans of those guys plus a new generation of Muppet performers, and that's incredibly flattering. Although it's our job to be invisible, it's what [we] bring to these characters that makes them so amazing. Otherwise, they're just dolls.
The Muppets ... remind us of the best parts of ourselves. Their humor is never mean-spirited. And they are really funny! They can exist in our world: You can imagine being friends or hanging out with Kermit. You can't do that with a computer-animated character like Shrek.
Q: Do you think "The Muppets" is the beginning of a comeback, and can the characters speak to today's 10-year-olds the way they did to you?
A: While it's true the Muppets haven't been on the big screen for 12 years, they've been busy with several television movies, viral Internet videos and commercials. That being said, I certainly hope this movie brings the characters more into the forefront of popular culture whether that means more movies, TV shows or whatever.
Yes, I think this movie will resonate with the 10-year-olds of today as the original "Muppet Movie" did for me. Their humor is timeless, the characters are just as strong as ever and I think the timing's right. So much of today's humor is cynical and in-your-face. "The Muppets" is a reminder that it's OK to be silly and irreverent without being hurtful.
About the Author
