( Interview ) Nick Palatas

Nick Palatas Nick Palatas plays Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster. He has also been in two short films called The Erogenous Zone and Love, and he plays the role of Skeet on True Jackson VP. ScoobyAddicts.com: How did you get started as an actor? Nick Palatas: Basically, I starred in a school play in the 6th grade, and that's where I was bitten by the bug. I continued participating in theater in Kansas City, doing both community theater and school productions, until one day, I happened to be shopping in a Wal-Mart with my family, and there happened to be an open casting call for a commercial, and they happened to need a family! Funny how God works like that. We ended up getting the commercial, then seeking an agent, then going to a competition where my first manager encouraged me to come to LA. The rest is history!

ScoobyAddicts.com: How did you get the part of Shaggy in The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster? Nick Palatas: No nail-biters here... I auditioned for it just like many other actors and luckily had the edge over my competition. To this day I still cannot put into words what a blessing it has been.

ScoobyAddicts.com: Do you relate to Shaggy in real life? Nick Palatas: Haha, well sure! I mean, certainly there are discrepancies between our personalities, but I try to live as care-free as possible, and I think that's in keeping with his philosophy.

ScoobyAddicts.com: Do you do anything special to get into the role of Shaggy? Nick Palatas: Actually, not really. My main "technique" is to simply relax my body. As a result, my posture slumps, my feet angle outward a bit, and my demeanor lightens up! It's almost therapeutic. =P

ScoobyAddicts.com: Is difficult to make your voice sound like Shaggy's? Nick Palatas: Without a doubt, that is my biggest concern. Not only is it difficult to hold the right balance between squeaky and smooth, but all the screaming I do takes my voice away fairly quickly. For Curse of the Lake Monster, I completely lost my voice one night, and had to have warm lemon and honey tea coming pretty consistently throughout the night. I'm blessed to work with so many great people that were kind enough to run tea to me all night!

ScoobyAddicts.com: What was the most difficult part of filming the live action Scooby movies? Nick Palatas: Many people think that working with air would be the most difficult part, but I actually find it quite simple. Other than the intensely interactive scenes, eye-lines and visual cues are pretty straightforward. Without a doubt, the voice is the part I struggle with the most.

ScoobyAddicts.com: How long have you been a fan of Scooby? Nick Palatas: Oh please, since I was a kid! And yes, Shaggy was always my favorite character.

ScoobyAddicts.com: Do you have a favorite Scooby-Doo series or episode? Nick Palatas: I'm conflicted, because I always loved "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo," but so many fans are disappointed with the contradictions between the story lines of that series and ours. Still, I really liked the show.

ScoobyAddicts.com: If you have been watching Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, what do you think of the romance storyline between Shaggy and Velma? Nick Palatas: I've seen a few episodes, and yeah, they pour it on pretty thick! I enjoy it, though. It doesn't really subtract from the plot(s), and they get quite a few good jokes out of it, too! As long as they keep the focus on mysteries and don't change the show's primary intent to a Twilight'esque teen romance paradigm, I think it's hilarious.

ScoobyAddicts.com: When you were on "Destroy, Build, Destroy", was is really difficult to watch the Mystery Machine get dropped off a cliff? What went through your head when you saw it crash to the ground? Nick Palatas: Hahaha, not at all. I've never seen a car roll down a cliff before, and knowing that nobody was getting hurt made it a win-win situation in my mind.

ScoobyAddicts.com: Do you have any new projects in the works? Nick Palatas: I just filmed a short before Christmas break, and have had a few auditions already this year, but things are going pretty slowly. I don't mind, though. I know everything will happen for me when I am properly equipped to handle it, and not a moment sooner. As my best friend shared with me a few days ago, "If you ever want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." =D