When Jack Black does press for any movie he's in, you know it's going to make for a fun ride. Coming off of Be Kind, Rewind, Jack Black stepped away from live action to venture into the world of animated comedy to star in Kung Fu Panda, which hits theaters on June 6, about a slacker Panda who becomes the chosen one to fight for his fellow animals when evildoers threaten their way of way in the Valley of Peace. Leading up to the film, Jack Black sat down with journalists to go inside the world of King Fu Panda while also sharing stories of connecting with his character, his childhood obession, working with Dustin Hoffman, the status of Tenacious D, his recent announcement of Angelina Jolie's pregnancy, and eating bamboo every day for years before hearing about Kung Fu Panda.

Jack Black on how the Kung Fu Panda character evolved:

"I want to say it was four years ago when I first came in and recorded it. I evolved as a character. When we first did it, I remember I was like, ‘I wonder if that’s too whiney or too shrieky?’ And calling up the next day and saying, 'I want to come back in. I think maybe I was too whiney or shrieky.’ And then I came back and we did it again, but I never did it all in one sitting. I never sat down and did the whole movie all at once because that’s not the process. They were working with a more organic script development and performances would come in."

Black on whether he had a real life Master Shifu as a mentor:

"I had plenty of mentors and people that advised me and helped me along my road. Great acting teachers. Deb Devine was my acting teacher in ninth grade. She actually said, 'Hey, you should... Why do you want to be an actor? Why don’t you be like a writer or director? Those people are really the ones who are the brains behind the movies. Why do you just want to be a puppet?’ And you could say that she was discouraging me from being an actor, but I thought it was really great advice and I have tried to do some writing. I’ve written for myself, songs and sketches and stuff for my band, Tenacious D, and it really helped me to find my voice as an actor. That’s what I always tell people who ask me - 'How do I become an actor like you?’ I tell them to write their own ticket, you know? Do your own movies and things. Don’t wait around to be a puppet in someone else’s show, you make the show happen. So that’s the one that pops into my head right away for someone who helped me."

On whether he connected with Po’s story in relation to his own life:

Yeah, there’s lots of - I knew Dustin Hoffman was in the movie so I wanted to be absolutely method acting my performance, not to be outshown by the master himself. I would think about things like when we were doing the scene where I was talking about the Furious Five, and how much I idolized them, and was really excited that they were going to have a presentation of the Dragon Warrior. I substituted, like, "Okay, what would I get that excited about? Oh my God, Radiohead. My favorite rock and roll band is going to be playing at the Wilshire and I have to go see them. They’re going to be adding a new member to the band and maybe I could be in Radiohead." You know, things of that nature. Little "what if" exercises is what we like to call it in the Strasburg technique that I’m very good at."

Jack Black on what he was obsessed about as a kid:

"Yeah, I loved acting. I loved the arts in general. I also loved the martial arts. But yeah, I guess I was crazy for improv games, the Viola Spolin games when I was a kid, and definitely wanted to master it. So I would say, yeah, that was my thing."

Black on telling Cannes that Angelina Jolie was pregnant with twins:

"Well, the truth is: I didn’t tell the whole story, I held back. What the hell, I’m gonna go ahead and tell you she’s actually pregnant with triplet pandas, which is great news for the panda population. They got three new pandas coming. Unfortunately, it’s really bad news for Brad Pitt because they’re not his. We’re still friends, real good friends."

On working with Dustin Hoffman:

"Dusty and I worked together. And I can call him Dusty now, we’ve gotten to that point. It was great to work with him and I think you guys just wanted us to get together to see what would happen, because, you know, for the most part we work in isolation. It’s just easier that way so you don’t have overlap, and just technical reasons and schedule reasons. It’s fun to work together. But it’s also really helpful to be able to just focus on your performance and just explore all the different lines and joke angles you can take without the other actor there who’s like, ‘Come mon, Jack! We’re on hour number three on the same joke. I’m Dustin Hoffman, I have to move.’ But when we did get together, I was intimidated because I’ve been a huge fan of his my whole life it seems and it was cool to get tips from him, acting tips. And yeah, he is the master, for real."

Jack Black on becoming a dad for the second time and the challenges of juggling career and family:

"Yeah, you know, you have to make all of the time precious that you have with the babies when you’re working. Like right now, I really should be with my baby right now. But I’ll get back. And you know, you got an hour in the morning and an hour at night and you really make the most of that time."

Black on whether he’s a method actor in Tropic Thunder, like Dustin Hoffman:

Totally. I lived with pandas for three years before we even started recording. That’s how I heard of the project. I eat bamboo, I haven’t eaten anything but bamboo. Bamboo and cheeseburgers. I did actually take a summer of Strasburg classes here in L.A. and I learned how to hold an imaginary cup of tea and I still have it since memory - ‘Ahh, it’s hot! It’s hot!’ And I use it, I’ll use that technique on ya at the drop of a hat."

On whether he was surprised at how the press jumped on Robert Downey Jr. for going "dark face" in Tropic Thunder:

"No. It’s a spicy little character he’s playing and we’re in a very politically correct climate right now. There are certain things that are taboo, you can’t do, but I think when people see the film they will appreciate an incredible performance. And in the context of the film, I do not think it will be deemed racist or inflammatory at all, just a very funny and smart comedy."

Jack Black on what Tenacious D is up to:

"Tenacious D is alive and well. We’re gonna go do some concerts, some festivals. Redding and Leads in England, very famous. And we’re going to be opening for Metallica. Just a little band you might have heard of, Metallica. Then we’ll probably do some benefits here in L.A. when we get back from that in August."