AND FORTH BETWEEN THE CHILDREN OF JIM HENSON AND STEVE.
>> WE'LL TALK TO STEVE NOW. STEVE WHITMIRE JOINS US.
HEY, GOOD MORNING TO YOU. I'M SURE THAT WASN'T EASY TO
WATCH. YOU'LL GET YOUR CHANCE TO
RESPOND. >> SURE, SURE.
>> YOU PLAYED THIS ROLE NOR 27 YEARS.
>> YEAH. >> YOU GOT A CALL LAST OCTOBER.
>> YES. >> WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND
WHEN THEY SAID WE NO LONGER WANT YOU IN THIS ROLE.
>> I WAS STUNNED. IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS FIVE
MINUTES OF SILENCE. I'M SURE IT WASN'T THAT LONG.
I JUST IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO GET ANSWERS.
I HAD HAD NO ADVANCE WARNING ON
THAT. NOTHING HAD EVER BEEN FRAMED TO
ME AS A CAREER BREAKING PROBLEM. IN FACT, WE HAD BEEN TALKING
PRIOR TO THAT FOR THE TWO YEARS BEFORE THAT ABOUT ME BECOMING
SORT OF A CREATIVE PRODUCER WITH THEM, WORKING ALONGSIDE THE TWO
EXECUTIVES WHO I SPOKE TO WHERE I WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY A PART
OF THE DAY TO DAY DECISION MAKING ON THE MUPPETS.
I WAS THRILLED ABOUT THAT. I FELT LIKE AT LAST, AFTER 12
YEARS WITH DISNEY, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE THE GREAT PACT
OF THE MUPPETS WHICH IS WHAT I WANTED TO DO.
>> LET'S GO TO ALLEGATIONS BETWEEN THE MUPPET STUDIO AND
THE HENSON FAMILY THAT YOU WERE BITTER, ANGRY DEPRESSEDED VICTI
YOU DID KERMIT THAT WAY AND YOU WERE DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH.
THAT BEGS THE QUESTION WHY DID THEY KEEP YOU AROUND FOR 27
YEARS. >> NOBODY LIKES THESE SHARP
CORNERED ADJECTIVES THROWN AT THEM.
AS I SAID, WE WERE IN TALKS TO MOVE THIS AHEAD JUST PRIOR TO
THE CONVERSATION, WITHIN THREE DAYS BEFORE WE HAD A CONFERENCE
CALL TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE WORK WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING GOING
FORWARD. YOU BETTER GET PLENTY OF REST
BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE WORKED REALLY HARD.
SO IT WAS A HUGE SHOCK. IN TERMS OF THE CHARACTER STUFF,
KERMIT BECOMING STALE OR BITTER, IT ISN'T TRUE IN MY MIND.
BUT THE FUNNY PART OF THAT IS, I WOULD EXPECT THE PEOPLE SAYING
THAT TO HAVE BEEN MY STAUNCHEST ALLIES.
>> WERE YOU PERSONALLY DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH?
THAT'S REALLY THE CRITICISM. YOU OFFERED NOTES AND WERE HARD
TO WORK WITH, QUITE FRANKLY. >> I OFFERED NOTES.
I DON'T THINK THAT MAKES SOMEONE DIFFICULT.
IT WAS TOTALLY AN IDEA OF TRYING TO DO WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE
MUPPETS IN TERMS OF RECEIVING MATERIAL AND IDEAS AND CONCEPTS
THAT WERE WELL OUT OF THE BOUNDS OF THE CHARACTER.
>> CHERYL POINTED OUT THAT YOU ARE NOT KERMIT.
YOU ARE SIMPLY SOMEBODY WHO PLAYS THE ROLE OF KERMIT.
>> YEAH. IT'S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT
THAT. IN MY MIND, MY MENTORING WITH
JIM TELLS ME THAT THE MINUTE THE MUPPETS ARE REDUCED TO BEING
ROLES THAT ARE AUDITIONED FOR AND CAST, IT TAKES ALL THE
INDIVIDUALITY OUT OF THEM. THEIR LONGEVITY IS COMPLETELY
BASED ON THEIR CONSISTENCY, AND THAT IS JUST SUPER IMPORTANT.
OTHERWISE IT'S NOT KERMIT OR ANY OF THE MUPPETS AT ALL.
THAT'S WHAT I'VE TRIED TO PUSH FOR AND BE OUTSPOKEN ABOUT.
>> THE IMPLICATION THAT IN SOME SENSE YOU HAD THEM OVER THE
BARREL. YOU WERE SAYING, HEY, I'M
KERMIT. GOOD LUCK, YOU CAN'T GET RID OF
ME. >> THAT'S AN ARROGANCE THAT'S
NOT IN MY BODY. THAT'S JUST NOT THE CASE.
I DON'T MAKE THOSE DECISIONS AND I CERTAINLY NEVER FELT THAT WAY.
>> YOU'RE JUST SPEAKING OUT NOW. THIS HAPPENED NINE MONTHS AGO.
>> YEAH. >> WERE YOU HOPING, FRANKLY,
MAYBE I CAN WORK THIS OUT AND GET THIS JOB BACK.
>> I STILL WOULD LIKE THAT. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN NOW. YEAH, I WAS HOPING THAT.
IN THE MEANTIME, THEY WERE SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT EVER
GOING TO HAVE YOU BACK AGAIN. WE REFUSE TO OFFER YOU A CHANCE
TO REMEDY THIS, WHICH IS THE WORST PART.
I COULD DO WHATEVER THEY NEEDED. THEY WERE ALSO OFFERING ME
THINGS THAT I CALLED CONSOLATION PRIZES.
THEY WERE GOING TO HONOR ME, GIVE ME DISNEY LEGENDS AWARDS,
THINGS LIKE THAT BUT THAT REQUIRED SIGNING NDA.
THEY WANTED ME TO FRAME THIS AS I HAD MOVED ON AND I HAD
RETIRED. IT WAS DISINGENUOUS, I COULDN'T
BRING MYSELF TO DO IT. >> YOU DECIDED TO GO PUBLIC ON
YOUR WEBSITE WHEN YOU WROTE THAT POST.
WAS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION OF THE TRADITION AND BRAND OF THE
MUPPETS? MAYBE IT'S NOT THE BEST IDEA TO
HAVE THIS UGLY FIGHT IN PUBLIC ABOUT CHARACTERS WHO WERE SO
BELOVED? >> I AGREE.
THAT'S WHY I'M NOT GOING TO RESPOND DIRECTLY TO ALL THE
ACCUSATIONS THAT THE HENSONS HAVE LAID OUT.
AS I SAY, THE REASON I'M GONE IS BECAUSE I WAS OUTSPOKEN FOR THE
EXACT THINGS THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M A GUY WHO GOT HIRED CONTRACT TO
CONTRACT TO PORTRAY THESE CHARACTERS HOWEVER DISNEY TOLD
ME TO. AND THE VERY ISSUES THEY ARE
TALKING ABOUT ARE THE ONES I WAS OUTSPOKEN ABOUT AND HAVE NOW
BEEN PUSHED OUT FOR. >> STEVE WHITMIRE, THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE AND SHARI