Mike Myers recently shared a funny story in an interview with Vulture. He said he was first offered the role of Shrek right after watching the world premiere of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. Even then, DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg wasted no time pitching him the idea of voicing the big green ogre. Mike Myers shared a funny yet surreal moment from the Saving Private Ryan premiere.
Right after the movie, Jeffrey Katzenberg approached me in the lobby with his daughters. They started doing the dance from Austin Powers, I had just watched such an emotional film and was in tears because my parents were in World War II. I was still in shock, and they were dancing. I thought, ‘Wow, talk about bad timing!’
Myers said
Katzenberg asked Myers if he would be interested in doing an animated movie, and Myers casually replied, “Sure.” When Katzenberg mentioned the movie was called Shrek, Myers couldn’t help but say, “That’s the worst title I’ve ever heard!”
Advertisement Mike Myers joked about the name Shrek, saying, “It sounds like the noise you make after drinking too much. ‘Ugh! Shrek!’” Katzenberg encouraged him to check it out, so Myers agreed. After watching, he loved how the movie flipped traditional fairy tales upside down.
Fairy tales usually focus on European ideas about class, But Shrek made it more creative and inclusive. Adding Donkey with an African American voice was a brilliant touch.
Myers explained
At first, Mike Myers gave Shrek a Canadian accent, but later he changed his mind and decided to use a Scottish accent instead. He told Vulture that Jeffrey Katzenberg initially pushed back against the idea, saying it would cost a lot of money to redo the animations to match the new accent.
I told Jeffrey, ‘Come on, you haven’t spent that much money.’ Then, I called Steven Spielberg, who was involved in the project, and said, ‘Steven, I really want this to be great. I love the message of ‘You are beautiful to me.’ Look, I’ve never been about my looks—I’m a comedy actor, not someone like Rob Lowe.’
Mike Myers said
Steven Spielberg agreed with Jeffrey Katzenberg, saying, “Changing the accent will cost millions.” Mike Myers replied, “I’m not asking for more money to do this. Let’s make it happen.” Mike Myers shared that after changing Shrek’s accent, he received a heartfelt letter from Steven Spielberg.
Steven thanked me for caring and said I was absolutely right. The letter is framed in my house, Jeffrey eventually liked it too, and now here we are.
Myers said
Myers is also returning as Shrek in the upcoming fifth movie, alongside Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona. He confirmed that he has started recording his lines for Shrek 5, though he won’t team up with his co-stars until later.
See More: Cameron Diaz Returns to Shrek After 12 Years for Fifth Film With Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers
I wish Donkey could live with me, I love that character so much. Even though Eddie Murphy is hilarious, kind, and such a generous person, I enjoy experiencing Donkey as a fan. Hearing and seeing him always makes me happy. Later, I get to meet Eddie during press events, and it’s great. He’s such a cool guy—way cooler than me.
said Mike Myers
Shrek 5 is set to hit theaters on July 1, 2026. You can check out Myers’ full interview on Vulture’s website.
Source: Variety