Keith David Talks His Upcoming ‘Rick and Morty’ Spin-off ‘President Curtis’
It’s time to get schwifty in the Oval Office! At the San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, attendees heard a surprise announcement during the Rick and Morty panel: The insult-spewing, turkey-transforming commander-in-chief from the show is getting his own spin-off on Adult Swim. Called Presidential Curtis, the series will follow the commander-in-chief and his staff as they “tackle the kind of crises that Rick Sanchez could never be bothered with — from interdimensional diplomacy to paranormal investigations and unexplained phenomena.” The show will also be executive produced by Dan Harmon and James Siciliano and will feature Stephanie Beatriz and Jim Rash in yet-to-be-named supporting roles.The series lead, of course, will be golden-voiced actor Keith David, who has played President Curtis since his first appearance in Season Two of Rick and Morty. He joined me earlier today for an exclusive interview to talk about the new show and whether or not President Curtis will finally declare war on those awful horse people who dwell underground.When did the spin-off first come on your radar?Three years ago. Animation is never overnight, so it’s been a while, baking, and now it’s ready to present. Or, just about ready.What sold you on the idea?I worked with Dan Harmon initially on Community doing the pillow fight episode, narrating it, and then he brought me into the Rick and Morty space, where I first played Reverse Giraffe and then suddenly I was playing the president. Then came the concept of bringing the president into his own show, and I was like, “Wow, wow. That would be hip.” And as it turns out, it really is. It’s just been great fun, and I think you’ll enjoy it a lot.Why do you think the president is the right Rick and Morty character to spin off?I’ve always enjoyed the adventures that we go on, with the president bringing in Rick and Morty to help solve a problem that arises from the Oval Office. Now we get to see what kind of problems arise in the Oval Office that he has to handle outside of Rick and Morty.From a storytelling perspective, how will this show differ from Rick and Morty?It doesn’t get into so much of the outer space stuff that Rick and Morty explore. We get to explore more spaces that are within our purview — I mean, from the Oval Office. Like, we’re dealing with former presidents and going back to some of their stuff. So it’s more grounded in that sense.Rick and Morty fans are really into the show’s canon. How much will this show affect that, or is it more separate from Rick and Morty?There’s some linkage, but it’s really an entity in itself. Do we get to see Rick and Morty in the show?That I can’t reveal. You’ve played the character since Season Two of Rick and Morty. Is there a particular episode that felt like the character really clicked for you?The turkey episode. I loved it because it was really out there, but it’s really smart. The thing I love about Rick and Morty is that it’s smart. Even when it stretches the imagination, it’s never ridiculous ridiculous. It’s always outrageous within the realm of possibility. You kind of go with it. I mean, if you look at politics today, there is some ridiculous stuff going on that you might think is like a cartoon; we have an art-imitating-life sort of reality. And I think part of what people like about Rick and Morty is that it’s not totally without merit. Cartoons tend to be silly, fun, escapist, mindless humor, but you also have the opportunity to be more than just silly. That’s what I love about Rick and Morty. It’s fun, adventurous and outrageous, but it’s not stupid. It’s not mindless. You’ve got to pay attention. Given what you just said, does the president show lean into the politics of today at all?Not really, no. He has his own adventures. They’ve made a point never to reveal the political party of President Curtis. I’m guessing that will remain the same in his own show?Absolutely.Do you have thoughts yourself about what party he might be in?He might be from an independent party. He’s not one way or another. You like him because his policies are the best for everybody. He’s very pro-American.How good of a president do you think he is?At the end of the day, he’s a damn good president. Even the best of our presidents have their questionable days when you wonder why you voted for this guy. But then something happens and they redeem themselves, and you go, “You see now, that’s why I voted for this guy.” He has those moments.In addition to the voicework you’ve done, you also do a lot of on-camera work and acting on the stage. Do you approach the different mediums any differently?Not really. If I were to embody these characters in a live-action piece, I’d play them just the same way. In either scenario, you have to find the relationship between these characters. What does Rick really mean to Morty? They’re not just two entities hanging out. They have a relationship that ties them and binds them. Everybody has a relationship with each other.Stories are the human operating system. That’s how we learn about ourselves and learn about each other. Every story we tell — whoever it’s about or whatever the metaphor is referencing — we have a relationship with it. We’re holding that mirror up to life, and that relationship reflects something about your life. So, we learn something. We go on a journey.Speaking of that, what is the relationship between Rick and the president? Because sometimes they’re rivals, and sometimes they’re friends.In the politics of relationships, there are friends who you love, but you know how to distance them. They’re not guys you want to hang out with every day, but you know when to call them over and to spend some time with them. With Rick, there are times you need his expertise. The president sometimes needs Rick to do his thing, and there’s nobody else you can call on who really does that. Now, in his own space, he’s got a couple of guys he calls upon, so we’ll get to meet a few other guys.How far along are you in this show? Have you recorded any episodes?I can tell you that we’re into it. We’ve started.Finally, in this show, will the president finally declare war on the godforsaken horse people who live underground?I can’t tell you that yet.
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