Frank Oz interview on Tavis Smiley

[Speed Tracer]

I think he may be talking about the fact that he sometimes makes returns to Sesame Street to perform Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster, et cetera. He hasn't ENTIRELY retired from puppeteering.

 

[Mistersuperstar]

Oh, I thought Eric Jacobson performed Frank's characters on Sesame Street.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Well, David Rudman is Cookie, but the last time frank performed cookie, was almost three seasons ago in a street story, but he still does Bert and Grover, but mostly Bert.. I don't think that it's that he wants to move on to 'Bigger' things or wanting more in life. I think he has always loved the Muppet's. I just think that he he's just doing what he wants to do and had always wanted to do. Maybe the opportunity just didn't came his way before and if finally did for him. Even when Jim was alive, He stated that frank was not with them anymore as much as he used too be, and Steve was saying how one of the last conversations he had with Jim was about getting him more major characters to be a fill in for the Fozzie Bare because of Franks absence. But he always did Sesame street with Jim at that point. I think it was the lost of his best friend that kinda made it not as fun as it used to be anymore. You know, having fun with your best friend despite how much work puttering can be. Just my two cents.

 

[Mistersuperstar]

Muppet Wiki says that Bert has been performed by Eric since 2000, as is Grover. Cookie is performed by David Rudman after taking over from Eric in 2001 so that Eric could concentrate on Bert and Grover and there could be more interaction between Cookie and other "Frank" characters.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

This is all true. I remember Eric performing Bert in 2001 but what ever. Frank was still around in 2000 as well. But I said David he is cookie, but he did take over in for the role in 2001. As a matter of fact, David said the he was actually hand picked by Frank Oz himself to take over for Cookie. But Frank is still doing Bert and Grover as stated before, but mostly Bert.

 

[Mistersuperstar]

Nice to know Frank still has a "hand" in things. Sorry, bad pun.

 

[minor muppetz]

It seems to me like there was a long gap between Frank's previous movie (The Stepford Wives) and this new one, I'm thinking two or three years. I don't think he's directed anything between then (could there be a movie I wasn't aware of, like his newest one, or could he have worked on production of a movie only to quit or be replaced by another director?). He could have had plenty of time to perform the Muppets then (such as on A Green and Red Christmas).

 

[Mistersuperstar]

Perhaps Frank has distanced himself away from the Muppets more than Sesame Street? Could it have something to do with Disney? Henson and Disney had a brief merger at the end of the 80's/beginning of the 90's. Is that when Frank decided to move away a bit?

 

[Ilikemuppets]

It was a time that he did decide
to move
away a bit, but he did not completely
leave at the time, though. But it a job to focus
on directing in itself. I mean it takes a while to get things
in writing and to choose the right script/movie, to get things rolling, to
get a script and screen play at all. To get ever thing like staff, cast and crew
in place, to schedule[
actors, etc. Just to get everything situated in general. It takes time just to complete
production and film a movie and then move on to the next one and start the process all over again. I guess what I'm trying to say it that it takes awhile for things to happen. Besides, the Muppet's haven't
really done all that much and Eric actually had to audition
for the role of miss piggy which
would most likely mean that he probably
is just not preforming with the Muppet's
anymore. It's like he said in the interview, he hasn't preformed any of his characters
in years.

 

[dwayne1115]

here is what i think, i think that with the right script Frank would Direct the next Muppet Movie. Thats about all you would really get him to do i think doing Piggy again would not work.