Zazie Beetz and Lilly Singh Say Animated Films Like 'The Bad Guys' Are For Adults Too

DreamWorks Animation is known for creating beloved animated masterpieces like Shrek, Shark Tale, and The Bee Movie, and they are aiming to deliver that and more with their latest offering, The Bad Guys. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, and Awkwafina, who voice a group of criminal animals: Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula. The crew of notorious thieves finally gets caught in the act after a lifetime of legendary heists, and they have to pretend to reform themselves as good, model citizens to avoid a prison sentence. But Mr. Wolf, who is the team’s leader, unexpectedly finds himself having a change of heart and is genuinely invested in changing his ways. 

Atlanta’s Zazie Beetz and Lilly Singh also appear in supporting roles. Singh plays a local news reporter named Tiffany Fluffit, who is just as lively and energetic as the former YouTube star. Beetz is bringing Diane Foxington to life. Diane is a red fox governor, later revealed to have a past as a thief known as “The Crimson Paw,” and she is also Mr. Wolf’s love interest. Pierre Perifel is making his feature directorial debut with this film, whose screenplay is loosely based on the children’s book series of the same name written by Aaron Blabey. The story is an animated take on popular heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Eight, where you find yourself rooting for the “bad” guys to make it. 

Even though it is geared toward a younger audience, the message that there’s good and bad in everyone is universal. There’s humor, excitement, and character development in The Bad Guys that is lacking in many other films. Animated flicks have been having a moment in recent years, with successes like Coco, Encanto, Trolls, and Sing—and it’s clear that these films are no longer just for kids. Animator Alberto Mielgo took home the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for The Windshield Wiper this year and shared an important message about the movie genre in his acceptance speech. “Animation is an art that includes every single art that you can imagine,” Mielgo said. “Animation for adults is a fact. It’s happening, so let’s call it cinema.” 

Complex caught up with Zazie Beetz and Lilly Singh ahead of their movie’s release and they agree, saying that not only is The Bad Guys groundbreaking visually but that the story also has a lot of depth. “I’m so happy to see that animation movies are finally starting to get the roses they deserve,” Singh says. Read the rest of our interview below and catch The Bad Guys in theaters on Friday, April 22.

Lilly, I know you had your talk show A Little Late With Lilly Singh and your character in The Bad Guys is a news reporter. Did that help you in preparation for this role?

LS: Not so much the talk show stuff, I think, more so the YouTube stuff I did prior. That really helped me. On YouTube, you get people to click your video because you’re sensational, and you have a lot of energy, and you’re captivating, and you’re trying to lure people in. I think Tiffany uses those same types of tactics, and so she’s pretty similar to who I was on YouTube, but I’d like to think that my version on YouTube wasn’t as questionable with what she said.

What do you guys hope that adults, in particular, get out of The Bad Guys?

LS: They’ll find it genuine, I laughed out loud several times. I thought it was hysterical. They’re also going to appreciate that, from when we were younger, from the types of animation movies we saw, I think, this one is really groundbreaking visually. This is the type of movie that I don’t think anyone has seen, in terms of just the cinematics of it, you know what I mean? It’s such a thriller, it is so action-packed, and we’ve never seen that in animation before. Even though it’s a children’s movie, the relationships, and dynamics, and lessons are still very true to adults and things that we’ve all experienced.

ZB: Yeah, and the characters are dynamic and charismatic, I think, easy to relate to, and are just fun as an adult to watch, as well. I was surprised that, I wasn’t surprised, but I genuinely laughed out loud many times.

Zazie, Atlanta premiered last week. How are you feeling about the reactions to the show so far, and how do you balance the difference between your projects like Atlanta and Bad Guys?

ZB: I am so happy and excited that people are enjoying the show. I think, though, because the show has come to an end for us, in terms of shooting, I feel rather like, “Whatever people think is what people are going to think.” I’m kind of holding that very loosely, and just enjoying the process, honestly, of being able to see my castmates, and the crew, and the people as we’re doing this press stuff, so that’s really been the enjoyable part for me. 

Then, in terms of Bad Guys, we’ve all shot these things and done these things, so right now, we’re kind of just talking about it. I don’t feel like I’m jumping between Diane and Van, right now. But, that’s the fun, though. That’s what’s fun about acting, you can do all these different versions of yourself, and play different extremes. I hope to keep doing that.