DUSTIN HOFFMAN NEVER PLAYED MAGORIUM CHARACTER BEFORE

Dustin Hoffman plays a completely different character with Mr. Magorium.

Dustin Hoffman has been called upon to play odd eccentric characters before but never to create a 243 year-old toy store owner without the help of prosthetics.

At the suggestion of his wife Lisa, Dustin developed the quirky Mr. Magorium by looking at himself in the mirror while telling his famous ostrich joke and the character was staring back at him.

“Some actors like to play signature roles. I’ve yet to find a signature role so in a sense my signature role is trying to find something I haven’t done before. I had not done a character like this before. What we think is not real exists in Magorium’s toy store, Magorium’s Emporium. Let’s say what kids believe in or want to believe in. In other words they can open a book of toys and see a real fire engine. Not just a pop out but a real one.”

Jason Bateman, the Mutant accountant who is called upon to audit Magorium’s Wonder Emporium says he had the joy of hearing Hoffman’s stories of character development throughout the shoot.

“Just basically him walking me through finding little quirks with the character he played in All The Presidents Men, Carl Bernstein. That’s one of my favorite films and it was nice to hear all the little stories about that, about the set and the director and Robert Redford and researching and trying to smoke as much as he should have and wanted to for the character and placing the ashes on his sweater so that it looked right. He’s the full package.”

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is currently playing in theaters.