LetsVoltron interview with Tyler Labine highlights
I was taking notes as I was listening to it so here’s what I have! I tried to keep it as accurate and true to what was said as possible but a lot of this is paraphrased, be sure to listen to the interview here!
“Canada’s own Tyler Labine” YASS REPRESENT :’))
Josh, Rhys and Tyler jockey for the title of team jokester in the booth
On how Hunk is different from other characters he’s played: Hunk is about finding your earnest, sweet center. We all aspire to be Hunk. He says what he means. Tyler’s played a lot of jerks with sweet centers, for Hunk he got to strip all the other stuff and defense mechanisms off the other characters. What you see is what you get. Sweet, innocent, earnest, sincere, honest, child-like wonder with bouts of bravery.
Hunk has strong intuition, if you stop and listen (re: Rolo ranting)
Tyler’s kids are huuge Voltron fans; they play Voltron together - Tyler is Hunk, his wife is Shiro, his son is Keith (huge fan!), his daughter is Pidge and the baby is Lance ^.^
They gave a shoutout to the college-age demographic!
To get in character - be more immature, make everyone laugh. He keeps Hunk’s energy going in the booth through making Bex and Jeremy laugh
Lance/Pidge/Hunk have a built in history from the Garrison.
Hunk and Pidge have their technobabble rapport, quick and efficient at accomplishing what needs to be done; will see more of this.
Lance and Hunk are buddies, lots of teasing between them, have a good solid base.
His relationship with Shiro is still developing; Hunk really respects him, there’s a bit of reverence there, they don’t really pal around.
With keith it’s just starting to develop, he took Lance’s side (re: Keith being a hot-shot pilot) until he got to know Keith more one on one. S02E09 was a real breakthrough in that respect, Hunk realized “I like you”.
Coran is like a goofy uncle who can really buckle down when needed.
He like everyone is in awe of Allura; there’s reverence, respect.
Fave Hunk scene/moment: at the space mall. He loved Hunk at Vrepit Sal’s; Tyler is as tired of fat jokes as we are, but that moment really drove home that Hunk is a gourmand - he wants the experience of cooking and sharing food with everyone, wants to make people happy with his cooking. Teaching Vrepit Sal that there’s joy in cooking showcases that.
Hunk’s “farm to table” approach to food is a grounded, human, basic thing. He’s interested in the entire process of choosing ingredients, making dishes, sharing food. He likes foods that make you feel human, especially when he’s stuck in space. Food brings everyone together.
Best piece of advice he’s received: “for the artist, there is no satisfaction there is only a queer divine dissatisfaction”
Gotta make peace with being dissatisfied for your whole life, you’ll never reach perfection
Fave line: “I’m a leg!” Would get that tattooed on his leg if he was bolder.
Also: “Don’t forget these are the fundamentals of cooking” as Hunk is running away.
“Hunk has no boundaries” - talking about digging through Pidge’s bag in S01E01
On whether Hunk dances: “If you like to eat you like to dance - he shakes it hard”
His headcanon on how Lance and Hunk met: the Garrison is a very sought-after school, a safe haven for a lot of strange people with shared interest to explore human potential in space. It brings people together from all over.
They didn’t know each other beforehand but Lance and Hunk roomed together and hit it off kinda like a university dorm situation. Lance was wild and Hunk was impressionable; Lance was that guy who could get him to do stuff - frat bros. They probably met Pidge in sim class - Pidge was that person who got assigned to them class poject-style
Pre-Garrison and background: Tyler doesn’t know much, but knows for a fact Hunk is Samoan and is real tight with his mom, who taught him to cook
On Hunk’s lack of character development in season 2: Tyler has same concerns as us re fat jokes and food and has been allowed to express them and Lauren and Joaquim have been receptive. We don’t need to worry about where Hunk is going, “I will never just let him fall flat”
Lauren and Joaquim and Netflix and Dreamworks pay attention to comments from fans online and consider them
On Hunk and Shay - real sweetness there, he was attracted to her for who she is more than what she looks like. Would make nice couple
Hunk is drawn to people’s differences - Shay, Keith
The food goo tastes like uncooked okra mixed with a blue-green algae like Spirulina
We will see more of mechanic Hunk - fixing things on the fly, that kind of thing
On Hunk as Black pilot: “who says he won’t”
He wants to be the head but wants Yellow to be the head cause he’s fallen in love with Yellow - “Yellow is his lady”
Very good at understanding his place: knows his role as a leg is just as important as the head
“Pidge and Hunk can do anything”
On the paladins in a horror movie type situation: very well equipped as a team, would do well (like Scooby-Doo).
One of them would have to die but they’d do well (”gotta lose one”)
On pets: Hunk doesn’t have pets at home but he would absolutely adopt an alien pet, he’s all for companionship
On winter sports: Tyler’s faves are snowboarding and curling (Canadian rep going strong XD). Hunk wold love anything where you work up a lot of speed like luge or bobsled
On Hunk’s headband: doesn’t ever take it off, probably something that reminds him of his roots.
Would Hunk open a restaurant back on Earth: would have to hybrid mechanic shop and food cause loves working with his hands so much
Tyler is a very good cook himself, has taken classes. Some of his knowledge may have made it into show, informed Hunk’s character.
Hunk is very much a part of him. He pushes some stuff of himself onto Hunk like immaturity and scaredness. Then writers and producers also take some of what they see in the booth from Tyler and write it into the character
Confirmed his attendance at Wondercon 2017. Didn’t mention specifically who else would be there but probably safe to assume Joaquim and Lauren and Tim and several of the voice cast will also be there
