The Cuphead Show! is a love letter to the golden days of American animation. Hearkening back to the glory days of Fleischer Studios and classic Walt Disney animation, it melds mesmerizing characters rendered in the same rubber-hose style seen in early cartoons with the vibrant voices of actors Tru Valentino and Frank Todaro. As Cuphead and Mugman, they bring a kind of exuberance and all-out hilarity that is harder to express in a video game.

A pair that share the same sibling-like energy of their cartoon counterparts, Tru and Frank are clearly the right guys for the job, with credits like Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Sword Art Online between the two. From following Cuphead before landing their roles to ruminating over what the liquid in our beverage-based boys’ heads actually is, Tru and Frank served up some piping hot tea on how they brought Cuphead and Mugman to life.

Were you both fans of Cuphead before landing your roles?

Tru Valentino recording the voice of Cuphead.

Tru Valentino: Yes. I would always see the game people playing it online or YouTube, playthroughs and stuff. I never really knew exactly what it was, but I was familiar with it and always wanted to play it.  Then when I got the audition and found out that it was for Cuphead, I was like, "Man, I really want this.” I remember recording my audition. I literally did it in my car after coming out of a recording session for some other show and I had to turn the car off and do it. I'm basically in my car just sweating, trying to record this on my phone and hoping that it's good enough to get a callback.  Frank Todaro: I knew what Cuphead was. I’m a big fan of its inspirations: the era of animation, all the stuff that I watched with my family growing up. I did finally play it and failed egregiously over and over and over again. It’s an exercise in patience, like being a Mets fan. You're used to disappointment, but it's just so great and so beautiful that you just keep watching it.

You had the unique opportunity to establish a voice for characters who didn’t previously have them. What went into the process of creating the now-iconic voices you've given Cuphead and Mugman? Valentino: I think they had an idea of where they wanted to go in terms of [regional accent]. That gave us a lot of leeway to find that ourselves, and it's been a collaborative process. If I go back and look at my audition for Cuphead, it doesn't sound like what he sounds like when we really started getting the ball rolling. It was a process. A lot of different hands were in the pie when creating the delicious dessert that is The Cuphead Show!

 Frank Todaro, left, recording the voice of Mugman, Cuphead’s blue-strawed friend.

Todaro: I'm a small cog in the machine that made that character what it is. Listening to my audition, it was a lot more like Lou Costello, because that was one of the notes that they gave in the audition. That was one of the inspirations. There’s also this very staccato delivery, which Mugman has, especially when he yells.  The DNA is from that era of animation, the old Fleischer stuff, those Lower East Side, New York voices. There’s also the impressions I would do of my family that are in there. I'm an Italian guy from Queens. There's a little bit of my grandma in there. For sentimental reasons, the fact that the world is watching this thing and there's a little bit of my family in there is very sweet.

You both have a chemistry that's palpable throughout every episode. Did you record separately while working on The Cuphead Show?  Todaro: We did. I think we had one session before the pandemic where we were in the same room. Valentino: We really haven't had an opportunity to really dive into Cuphead and Mugman in the same room. And I think it’s pretty cool that we were able to play off each other so well knowing that we recorded it completely separately and probably on different days. Frank typically would record before me. So, if there were lines where we had to say stuff at the same time, I would be able to hear Frank's version of it and try to match him. Todaro: It’s a testament to [voice director Sara Jane Sherman]’s directing and what the team had in mind, because it really does sound like we were together, especially that really back and forth quick repartee between us. 

Do either of you see yourselves in Cuphead or Mugman?  Valentino: Cuphead is so unaware of impending doom that I don't think that part of me is too similar. I try to be very aware of my surroundings and not try to get myself into trouble, but I can definitely see a younger version of me in there. Especially with some of his irrationality and carelessness. But I think I'm a pretty chill person. I can also be a little crazy and loud and goofy sometimes. So there are some exaggerated qualities of my personality that I think are definitely in Cuphead. Todaro: Yeah. Mugman has his nose in the books. He’s a little cautious. I don’t know about being cautious, but I relate to Mugman in a lot of ways. How did your approach to your respective characters evolve since the first day of recording The Cuphead Show? Valentino: It's kind of like when you meet somebody, either in a romantic or just a regular social relationship. You meet somebody, and you get to know them. Eventually you know them really well. You know how they're going to react [in certain situations]. So, after a certain point in recording, just to be overly floral about it, Mugman is my best friend. I know how he's going to react now. I know what he's going to do in this or that situation. Yes, they're scripted. Yes, it’s meticulously decided on what these characters are going to do. But now, if I were going to role-play Mugman, I would probably do so with a fair amount of accuracy because I know who the guy is. 

What is it about The Cuphead Show! that you believe transcends the boundary between video game fans and casual cartoon viewers?

Valentino: I think what marries those different groups together is that they can watch this collectively. It’s a gorgeous cartoon with old-school animation. There have been so many new types of animation out there that I think we haven’t seen something like this in a long time. And I think there's kind of a familiarity to everyone when they watch this style of animation that takes them back to a time when they were younger. Maybe it brings out the childlike wonderment in everybody again. 

What are some of your favorite moments voicing Cuphead and Mugman? Valentino There are definitely things I love doing with Cuphead. I always like when they allow me to play around with his personality, like I still do his voice but change his personality a bit. That's always fun. There's some stuff down the road that you’ll see, but I can’t really talk about it right now. Todaro: I love Mugman’s frustration. There are certain lines where he's just kind of fed up. Whenever he’s faced with absurdity, there's just this kind of reaction that he has. The animators make his face do some weird rubbery things that are awesome to couple with that. But my favorites are the quick back and forths with his brother. Because with Cuphead and Mugman, underneath it all, they love each other. So, they've got each other's back. I love all those little moments. There's a humanity to this ridiculous cartoon that makes it super fun. 

We've heard from game developer Studio MDHR that the liquid inside Cuphead's head is basically the essence of his soul. Others think it might be milk since sometimes he "drinks" himself. What do you think it is?  Valentino: I can't remember there being an episode where the contents in there got poured out or he didn't have it in there. If I had to pick what it is, I would say water, because you can't live without water. You can go days without food. But you need some water. H2O. Stay hydrated, kids. Todaro: We dip cookies in it, though. I’ve dipped cookies in water and that does not taste good. Valentino: Oh, no. Listen, if we're dunking cookies then obviously milk, but if there's no cookie dipping then I would choose water. Todaro: But it could be like hot chocolate. I'm weird. I dip pizza in soda.  Valentino: Stop making me have to go back on my answer. I thought water was a good one, but now hot chocolate sounds even better. Todaro: Then it would be brown. It's not brown. It's like blue, maybe like hot blueberry. Do you remember Strawberry Nestlé Quik? Maybe there's a blueberry flavor. That sounds like great branding.  Valentino Whoa, Cuphead should have the strawberry flavor then, because it's red. Mugman should have the blueberry milk.  Todaro: I dig it. Cut, print.  Valentino: I don't know who we need to talk to on the marketing team, but I'm guessing Frank has some ideas.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Character Voices | The Cuphead Show! S1