The secret behind The Minecraft Movie's General Chungus voice actor has been one of the most talked about Easter eggs coming out of the film's first weekend in theaters.
General Chungus pops up throughout the smash-hit video game adaptation as one of many mob characters from the Minecraft world to appear in the film.
Chungus is the hulking leader of the Piglin army. He ultimately meets his demise during the film's climactic battle in the Nether, dying at the hands of the dastardly Piglin sorceress Malgosha.
Meet The Voice Actor Behind Minecraft's General Chungus
Jared Hess' Filmmaking Career
A Minecraft Movie's CGI Piglin captain, General Chungus, is voiced by Jared Hess, who fans may know as the film's director, in a fun cameo for the longtime filmmaker.
Hess has worked in Hollywood for over 20 years, breaking onto the scene in 2004 with his feature-length debut Napoleon Dynamite, which he wrote and directed. His work on Napoleon Dynamite earned him near-universal acclaim, with many calling Hess the next big name in comedy.
He also wrote and directed another cult classic of the genre in the 2006 Jack Black-led comedy venture, Nacho Libre. Since then, Hess has released four other feature films, including Gentlemen Broncos, Masterminds, and Don Verdean.
Over the years, the Minecraft Movie director has included himself in some of his directorial efforts, playing voice roles in Napoleon Dynamite and Thelma the Unicorn.
Jared's Wife and Filmmaking Partner
A name often associated with Jared Hess is his wife and filmmaking partner, Jerusha.
Jered and Jerusha Hess have worked together on nearly every project the Minecraft Movie director has had his fingers in, with the two co-writing most of his directorial work.
This partnership dates back to their time making short films at BYU in Provo, Utah.
After graduating, the pair penned the Napoleon Dynamite script together, and the same level of collaboration has been employed on five of Jared Hess's films to this point (excluding A Minecraft Movie and Don Verdean).
Jared and Jerusha met while attending BYU film school in the late 90s. Jerusha primarily focused on writing, while Jared focused on directing. Jerusha Hess has gone on to direct as well, though. In 2013, Hess wrote and directed Austenland starring Keri Russell—a project she worked on entirely separately from her husband.
The Napoleon Dynamite writer told Filmlink in 2011 that watching her Jared direct has been a massive benefit to her over the years, saying he taught her to "[handle] the whole set pretty generously, and with a lot of love:"
"My husband directs very differently than me, but the things that I took away from him are that he handles the whole set pretty generously, and with a lot of love. When you’re nice to people, they bring their A-game. I saw how collaborative it was for him. He wasn’t sitting on his throne making demands. He had people help and contribute. They felt that they were a part of it, and they really loved it. So, that’s how I directed as well.
She noted, though, that she "[does] things a little differently," letting her actors play in the moment and improvise a bit more than her husband does:
"I did things a little differently though, in that he kind of line-reads for his actors. Jared is a funny guy, and he does great voices. He knows exactly how everything should sound, and he tells them. I think that can be a little disconcerting, so I was more like, ‘Let’s see what you’ve got and just bring it.’ They improvised, and the actors made this an amazing project because they just brought so much into it."
Jared's Longtime Love for Minecraft
Director Jared Hess had Minecraft on his radar long before talk of A Minecraft Movie began to percolate.
The Nacho Libre director credits his kids with introducing him to the beloved video game franchise. When asked about his passion for Minecraft, Hess told Deadline that his love of the colorful cubic world dates back to the game's first release.
"They were in elementary school and just would have a riot playing the game," Hess posited, describing the experience of his kids jumping into Minecraft. So, he decided he would jump in and give it a try:
"That was my introduction to the game, right when it came out. They were in elementary school and just would have a riot playing the game, and so I had to jump in and join the party."
From there, it spiraled, with the acclaimed director falling in love with the Minecraft franchise. Then, when a pitch for the movie came across his deck, he knew he had to direct it.
Hess remarked, "There was an immense audience that was so passionate about the game," and getting to bring its "really funny and absurd" world to the big screen was something that appealed to him:
"It’s one of those things. There was an immense audience that was so passionate about the game and for whom Minecraft was such a key part of their childhood adolescence, just something that they loved. The game itself is so creative, but it’s also ridiculous and really funny and absurd in so many ways. That was so much of the appeal to me in adapting it."
His work on the film seems to be resonating with audiences, as the movie has become notorious for its raucous crowds clapping and cheering at Hess' vision of this block-based universe (read more about why people are cheering in The Minecraft Movie here).
