Sir Ian McKellen impersonator sings "Baby Got Back"
If you haven’t yet seen Hunter Davis’ dramatic reading of the great Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” in the voice of Sir Ian McKellen, then you are missing out.
The video is just the latest in a series that include the intro to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the Back to the Future theme and, my personal favorite, the opening to DuckTales. (Because your life is just not complete until you’ve heard Sir Ian McKellen talk about life in Duckberg. Trust me.)
We spoke to Davis about how he got his start, his plans for the future, and what it was like to meet the real Sir Ian McKellen. So, watch the video, then check out our interview below!
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Can you tell me a little about yourself?
HUNTER DAVIS: I originally grew up in a small town in West Texas and have wanted to be an actor since I was very young. I was in plays throughout high school and went on to study theater at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and started doing videos on YouTube in my free time.
What drew you specifically to Sir Ian McKellen?
Back in college I was playing an old wise man in acting class, and since The Lord of the Rings and X-Men movies were big at the time, several people told me I sounded like Sir Ian. So I started practicing the voice and always thought it was funny to have a serious, classically trained actor say silly things as it were Shakespeare. Also, I felt like no one else really does an Ian McKellen impression, as opposed to Sean Connery, for example, so the uniqueness made it a lot of fun to do.
What made you choose “Baby Got Back” in particular? Other than it’s completely awesome, of course.
I’ve done a few different songs now, and after my Sir Ian version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme got popular a while ago, I was really trying to figure out a song that people would like just as much. I debated over several songs until a friend suggested “Baby Got Back.” Once I played around with the lyrics, I felt it had a perfect blend of nostalgia and silliness that made it an ideal choice for a “dramatic” version with the Ian McKellen voice.
Do you have any plans for future videos?
I’m constantly trying to put out new web content but am pretty selective when it comes to Sir Ian videos as I don’t want the idea to get boring or stale. After my videos first got popular, I was hesitant to do more because I wondered if Sir Ian, whom I greatly admire and am a huge fan of, had seen them and worried that maybe he didn’t like them. I was very fortunate to get to meet with Ian last year and was relieved to find out he was amused by and liked my videos. Now with his blessing, I would love to keep doing more, and have a few fun things in mind, especially with Gandalf returning in The Hobbit this December.
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