Will Forte is absolutely hilarious in his latest animated outing. The SNL alum voices Otis the donkey, a Rusty Buckets bandmate and best friend to the title character of Thelma the Unicorn (played by Brittany Howard). The Alabama Shakes lead singer stars as a rocking farm pony who covers herself in pink paint, glitter, and a glued-to-the-cranium carrot on a quest for musical stardom. The film brilliantly skewers social media’s fake personalities and the absurdity of viral culture. It teaches children the valuable lesson of always being true to yourself, all with a toe-tapping soundtrack.

Forte came to work on the film after being approached by co-director Jared Hess and his wife Jerusha (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), who he’d known for “years and years” and considers “amazing writers.” He says he has a “mediocre voice,” but we’d disagree. You can watch our above interview with the fantastic Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth, Nebraska), or read on for more.

Acting with Brittany Howard AKA Thelma the Unicorn
Thelma the Unicorn (2024) Thelma is a small-time pony who dreams of becoming a glamorous music star. In a pink and glitter-filled moment of fate, Thelma is transformed into a unicorn and instantly rises to global stardom. However, this new life of fame comes at a cost.Release Date May 17, 2024 Runtime 1h 33m Studio(s) Netflix Animation , Mikros Animation Distributor(s) Netflix

MovieWeb: Otis is such a sweet and beautiful character. You’ve done so much great voiceover work. Why did you want to play him specifically?

Will Forte: Oh wow, well, I have been friends with Jared and Jerusha Hess for years and years. So they had approached me for this movie. They told me they had me in mind for this character, and they asked me if I would read the script. Of course, I already knew that I was going to love it because they are amazing writers and amazing thinkers. So I read it, loved it, and it was pretty simple and straightforward, like, ‘Alright, let’s do it.’ Of course, it turned out even better than I thought it would. And I thought it would turn out great.

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MW: You’re also a singer and musician. Is there any chance we’ll see a Brittany Howard and Will Forte, Rusty Buckets live concert?

Will Forte: That would be a dream for me (laughs). I didn’t actually even get to record with Brittany because a lot of times we were recording solo. I still haven’t even gotten to meet her. I feel like I know her now because she’s so amazing in this movie. It was just a real honor to be a part of this. So yes, if I could go on a tour with her, it would be a dream come true. I love singing so much. I have a pretty mediocre voice, but man, would it be fun to watch her do her thing every night.

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MW: One of the great things Thelma the Unicorn does is to mock social media and viral culture. It’s teaching kids this important lesson of being honest to yourself. What do you think is the most important theme of the film?

Will Forte: I think exactly what you just said, being true to yourself. It’s so relevant these days with everything that’s going on in social media, and just how people are trying to portray themselves as something other than their true nature. So this movie is just really important to show that message, be yourself, and it’ll all work out.

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Will Forte Keeps Finding Wonderful New Nuggets in the Movie

MW: When I talk to actors, there’s always this surprise gap when they see the finished product. I was blown away by the film’s animated style. It was very interesting to see. How aware were you during the process? Or were you surprised to see it?

Will Forte: I don’t even remember if I saw any rough animation. They sent me a screening copy like a month and a half ago, something like that. I got to see it for the first time. I was so blown away. It looked so beautiful. There are so many fun and interesting characters in there. Obviously, the main cast is amazing and looks fantastic. Vic Diamond, Jemaine Clement’s character, is such an interesting character.

Will Forte: But so many of the background characters have these really unique looks that’s such a mainstay of Jared’s stuff. It’s such a fun movie to watch. All of these main characters are doing such a great job, but then there are all these little nuggets throughout that my eyes keep picking out. It’s a film that you can watch several times and keep finding these fun new treats. It’s so quirky and wonderful.

Thelma the Unicorn premieres May 17th exclusively on Netflix. You can stream it through the link below:

Watch Thelma the Unicorn