If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
The TMNT cartoon's Michelangelo is just Sean Penn's Fast Times at Ridgemont High character, but you know, teenage, mutant, a ninja, and a turtle
The producers of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon wanted Michelangelo to sound like Sean Penn from Fast Times at Ridgemont High
When the convention ends, the adventure continues at Broward Center and The Parker, sponsor of this article.
Michelangelo is a turtle who was raised in New York City, under the watchful eye of his mentor, a Japanese rat. It’s only natural that he would have a Californian surfer accent.
If you watched the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, you’ve probably noticed that Michelangelo sounds a bit goofy. It turns out you can thank Sean Penn for that. Penn had played a stoner named Jeff Spicoli in the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and the TMNT producers thought Spicoli’s laid back persona was the perfect template for the party dude turtle.
“What they were looking for with Michelangelo, they were looking for a surfer dude, and they used Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as sort of a prototype,” Michelangelo voice actor Townsend Coleman says during a TMNT reunion panel at Florida Supercon.
At the time the producers had picked the four actors who would play each turtle, but they weren’t sure which turtle they would be playing. Coleman thought that Cam Clarke had the advantage for Michelangelo, since he’s from California. However, the voice actor decided to do his best Sean Penn impression.
“I thought, ‘Okay, I can kind of do that.’ But like [Cam Clarke] was saying, he’s from California, and he had that voice down. I’m from Cleveland, Ohio, so I didn’t really have this surfer sound, so I just copied Cam.”
In the end it was decided with a coin flip.
Does this mean we could consider Jeff Spicoli an unofficial Ninja Turtle? I bet they would really get along.
Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:
About Florida Supercon
Today’s hottest celebs, voice actors, and comic creators all under one roof? Florida Supercon brings guests from across the pop culture universe to Miami Beach for panels, Autographs, and Photo Ops.
Dates
-
Location
Miami Beach
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.