London was foggy and wet, just like home. Oh, and The Queen sends her best. Not Elizabeth—Miss Piggy.
Are you an environmentalist? I imagine your 3,265 tadpole siblings are urging you to help save the wetlands.
As an Amphibian-American, the environment is a top priority. Sometimes stars get criticized for talking about politics. But as one of Hollywood’s few talking-frog celebs, I believe it’s important to speak for species that don’t have a voice. We must take care of our world. Croaking is not an option.
You just had a very big year traveling the globe for your 50th-year celebration.
I’ll be even busier in 2007. I’ll be on the road—not literally; frogs are allergic to pavement—promoting my new book, Before You Leap: A Frog’s-Eye-View of Life’s Greatest Lessons.
Do you have a special place in your heart for D.C.?
I love Washington. Not only is it built over a swamp, it’s where I got my start on
Sam and Friends on WRC-TV in 1955. Most of all, this is where I first worked with a great man named Jim Henson. I really miss him.
Has it gotten easier over the years, being a shade of chartreuse?
I don’t know if it’s easier being “chartreuse,” but it’s sure harder spelling chartreuse, which is why I stick to green.
You’ve had a long and prosperous career. What does a frog do with all those greenbacks?
I’m a frog. I work for flies. Besides, when you live simple and work naked, you really don’t need money.
How about gardening? Got much of a green thumb?
I love it, but it can be dangerous. If other gardeners don’t see you, things can get ugly: One minute you’re raking, the next you’re going mano a mano with a Weedwacker.
Movies, TV, books, commencement speeches: Is there any field you won’t hop into?
Politics. A few years back, I was approached to run for governor of California, but I couldn’t meet the minimum candidate requirement for bench pressing.
Having such a hot pig girlfriend must make the fellas green with envy ...
I never talk about my love life, unless I’m doing one of those Animal Planet shows on mating. And Miss Piggy is not my girlfriend. We’re colleagues who have an extremely close relationship—give or take the occasional restraining order. As for those “fellas” who turn green about hot pigs: That’s not envy; it’s trichinosis.
Your second home, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, is closed for renovations until 2008. Will you head for greener pastures until it reopens?
Actually, I’m overseeing the environmental impact statements, which basically means I have to run everything by Ed Begley Jr. Oh sure, it’s a lot of work, but with the price of D.C. housing, it’s worth it to have a place right on the Mall.