HOT GALLERY: Muppets Actors Before They Were Stars
There are many problems in the world today. But you know what? The Muppets are back on the big screen. That means that at least for a little while (110 minutes, give or take), everything will be fine. The latest Muppet movie adventure is directed by James Bobin (HBO's The Flight of the Conchords) and written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Any Muppet endeavor brings out the biggest and brightest stars, and by that we mean the ones that were willing to work for scale. (See what we did there? Wocka wocka wocka!) Let's play a little "Who am I?" with the cast of The Muppets. See how many you can guess correctly! By Brett SingerGive up? It’s Alan Arkin. According to our research department (a.k.a. “Google”), Mr. Arkin is the only cast member from The Muppets who also appeared on The Muppet Show (1976–1981). Check out this clip of Alan Arkin doing terrible things to a group of singing bunny rabbits circa 1979. To be fair, he was under the influence of one of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s potions at the time. (Also, it was the ’70s.) Arkin has another Muppet-related credit: a series of sketches on Sesame Street with his then-wife Barbara Dana. Here they are as Larry and Phyllis, making strange noises. Arkin’s role in The Muppets is listed as “Tour Guide.” He won an Oscar in 2007 for Little Miss Sunshine. We’re guessing he has a good sense of humor.