Jeff Bergman talks about being the voice of Yogi Bear and Bugs Bunny, and the time he met Mel Blanc

Voice actor Jeff Bergman talks about voicing some of the iconic Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes characters from his childhood, including Yogi Bear and Bugs Bunny. He also shares the story of the time he met legendary voice actor Mel Blanc, and the advice Blanc gave him.

Video Transcript

- Everyone, stand back. We're doctors, and we're about to do doctor type things. Aha, mm.

ETHAN ALTER: For Jelly Stone, I got a chance to preview a few episodes. It's fun to see all the Hanna-Barbera characters in the same place. This is one of the first times where that happens. Was that an appeal to you, sort of getting to do the Hanna-Barbera universe show?

JEFF BERGMAN: That was really great, because I grew up in the late 60s, early 70s. So when I saw the cartoons, Flintstones, Yogi, Huck, I mean, they were all still in their first run, and so that was the diet that I had.

ETHAN ALTER: You grew up in such a great time for cartoon universes, I think. Hanna-Barbera, obviously, Looney Tunes was still going strong, Disney, did you find yourself favoring one or the other? Did you love everything animated?

JEFF BERGMAN: As a six and seven-year-old I think probably the folksier cartoons hit me, like Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. They were tender, and I think that just appealed to me as a little kid. And then, oh, that's a rooster, that Foghorn Leghorn, and then of course, Bugs Bunny captured me. But I do think as a kid I was charmed by the Hanna-Barbera universe first.

ETHAN ALTER: And what was it about Yogi Bear in those early years especially, you mentioned that he stood out to you. What was it about him that you like so much?

JEFF BERGMAN: There wasn't anything like that character in the Looney Tunes universe. And so I think the fact that he was always kind of optimistic and he was always so hopeful. Of course now looking back to those cartoons, you realize that Yogi was not the crispiest chip in the bag, and neither was Boo Boo. I mean, it took the entire episode for Boo Boo to figure out that it was Ranger Smith disguised as a bear.

ETHAN ALTER: Things you don't think about when you're a kid so much.

JEFF BERGMAN: No, no, but you know that's the charm of it, you know. It really is.

ETHAN ALTER: For Jelly Stone, it's certainly interesting to see, that it takes the classic characters but definitely gives them, I think it's fair to say, a contemporary spin. The pace of it feels very modern, feels very Adult Swim oriented. So what does that do for you as a performer? How do you sort of honor the classics while also bringing it into the present day?

JEFF BERGMAN: You know, when I prepped for this session I always reference back to the original cartoons that I grew up with, because that's what touched me as a child. But the pace is a lot faster, and the storylines-- I mean Yogi is a doctor with Boo Boo and Cindy Bear in the hospital in Jelly Stone. I mean Yogi Bear is a surgeon and he's still trying to get food while he's operating. It's so silly.

ETHAN ALTER: People can feel very possessive sometimes of the characters they grew up with as kids. How does that factor in sometimes? Are you always in the back of your head afraid an old school Yogi fan is going to be like, oh, this new voice is terrible. How much does that get in your head sometimes?

JEFF BERGMAN: That is really maybe the most important thing that you just brought out, is how do you honor someone's memory of the character that they grew up. With because guess what? It's our childhood. It's different than being an adult, it's what formed you as a child. It's a big job because when someone says on YouTube, that doesn't sound like it, that doesn't sound like, you know. I'm always like, darn it, I'm going to get I'm going to do it better because I'm that same person. I'm that person that would have said that had I had YouTube as a kid or I had social media. I would have said, ah well that's not right.

ETHAN ALTER: Right, right. Well you did get a chance-- and you've told it before, but you did get a chance to meet Mel Blanc, who did all the original Looney Tunes characters, and that was a formative experience for you. What was it like to meet him and just to have that moment with him?

JEFF BERGMAN: Ethan, it was like meeting a Jedi master. Knocking on his door late at night after he did a lecture at the University of Pittsburgh, I just was lucky enough to find out what room he was in. When I knocked on the door, his hotel room door, I heard a voice that sounded very much like Barney Rubble. Oh, well, just a jiffy.

And when he opened up the door I just-- Mr Blanc, I saw your lecture performance. You were amazing, I'm a big fan. If I could just have about three minutes of your time, I promise I won't hurt you, I won't do anything else. I think I was a mile a minute, and he was so nice. Oh my God, he was just so sweet. And he said, come on in, and invited me to come in.

And we sat down and we spoke. I mean, he was the most famous person to me in the whole world when I met him, so I take that with me all the time. I keep that moment with me.

ETHAN ALTER: What's the piece of advice that he gave you that you still draw on today?

JEFF BERGMAN: Stay in school. Because I did not want to stay in school. He said, keep working on the voices. If you ever get out to LA, look me up. And so eight years later, he passed away. And it was on my birthday. And three weeks later, they were auditioning for Steven Spielberg's Tiny Toon Adventures, and that's when I first cast as Bugs Bunny.

- Meh, what's up, doc?

- Bugs! Bring it here, man.

ETHAN ALTER: You're Bugs Bunny in Space Jam 2 obviously, right now. So it's been 30 years now of doing Bugs. How have you grown with the character? Has your approach to him changed at all over time?

JEFF BERGMAN: You know, my approach really doesn't change because I reference back to Mel and what I grew up with as a child, Ethan. But people will often say, Jeff, you don't sound anything like you did in that. Because I was directed by a different director and the material was different.

ETHAN ALTER: We should mention actually, the Flintstones and the Jetsons. You've gotten to do both Fred and George, and those are also classic Hanna-Barbera characters. It's important in the development of TV series, I mean they were first cartoon sitcoms really, back in the day. What's it like to inherit the legacy of those characters, specifically, for Fred and George?

JEFF BERGMAN: You know, Fred Flintstone was maybe the most difficult voice of all to do. Because in my 20s and 30s, I just didn't sound anything like him. But by the time I think I got to be around 40 ish, when they were auditioning for Flintstones on the Rocks, that was kind of a wild thing. And my voice started to get a little bit more mature, I guess. And I was able to do it. And probably to this day, Ethan, and I probably said, yabba dabba doo! About, I don't know, 6,000 times. And I still feel like I still don't quite have it. And the same with George Jetson. Ho boy, Janie? Now I think what I'm going to do is ask Mr Spacely for that raise. And the same thing with Mr Spacely. Jetson? Jetson! I want to see you in my office right away, George. So it just took forever to get those voices. I thought, what am I going to be 75 when I can figure out how to do it?

ETHAN ALTER: Is the reverse true? The fact that your voice has changed, does that make it harder do Bugs for example, now? Or how does that go the other direction?

JEFF BERGMAN: Well, it's true Doc. I'm the voice of the rabbit, all right. A combination of the Brooklyn and the Bronx. It kind of makes it easier to do Bugs because Mel was a smoker, he had a very heavy voice so it made all of his characters raspier. I felt it was really difficult to do in my 20s and 30s, and even in my 40s. But as I've gotten older, it's easier to do. (SINGING) Oh carrots are divine, you'll get a dozen for a dime, it's magic!

ETHAN ALTER: That's opera, doc. I love it. Oh man, that was amazing. Well let's get into some sports movie quotes. Because of Space Jam I rounded up some classic movie sports quotes, and we'll get you to read those quotes in character. We can decide which character you want to do, you can do it impromptu, but yeah. I'll just prompt you with the quote, you take it away and do your thing. First is from Rocky, Mickey.

- You're gonna eat lightning and you're gonna crap thunder!

JEFF BERGMAN: How about Yosemite Sam? Well, I say, you're going eat lightning and you're going to crap thunder! Or Foghorn Leghorn? I say-- you're going-- I say you're going to eat lightning and crap thunder.

ETHAN ALTER: All right, here's a classic.

- There's no crying in baseball!

JEFF BERGMAN: Sylvester. Suffering succotash, there's no crying in baseball!

ETHAN ALTER: Staying in the baseball realm.

- You're killing me, Smalls!

JEFF BERGMAN: Daffy Duck. You're killing me, Smalls!

ETHAN ALTER: It's that s that does it. It's so great. Let's see, Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.

- I must break you.

JEFF BERGMAN: I must break you. Heehee.

ETHAN ALTER: From Dodgeball.

- If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

JEFF BERGMAN: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

- Awesome, awesome. Well thank you, Jeff. This is such a pleasure.

JEFF BERGMAN: Thank you Ethan, so much. This has been so much fun for me.