Porky Pig was a Method Actor

There are all sorts of actors out there. One type is the method actor. That's the actor who becomes the character they are playing.

Believe it or not, Porky Pig was a method actor.

Or at least his voice was. That is Mel Blanc, the man who supplied the voices for Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, and pretty much every other Warner Bros. cartoon character.

Mel Blanc tells the story of his "audition" for the role of Porky in his autobiography That's Not All Folks. In the book, he recalls asking for a few days to research the role... The reason? "You know, Leon, method acting," he said to Looney Tunes producer, Leon Schlesinger.

Then, Mel Blanc drove out to a pig farm and gained permission from the owner to spend time with his pigs. "Once satisfied that I could translate a stout-bodied omnivore's grunt into a comical voice, I headed back to the office, to demonstrate for my boss the fruits of my intensive probe."

He gave Schlesinger what would become standard Porky Pig fare: "Bye-b--, uh-bye-b--, so lo--, uh-so lo--, auf Wiede--, auf Wiede-- Toodle-loo! ... Th-- uh-th-- uh-th-- that's all, folks!"

All that time with the pigs paid off! Mel Blanc got the job.

But as he was leaving...

LEON SCHLESINGER
Just one more thing, Mel.

MEL BLANC
Yes, Leon?

LEON SCHLESINGER
Go home and take a bath, will you?