Benjamin “Lil P-Nut” Flores, Jr. Stars In Happy Feet Two

LIL P-NUT

    Benjamin “Lil P-Nut” Flores, Jr. isn’t a household name, yet, but he soon will be after the release of Happy Feet Two in 3D.
    The pint-size dynamo is a popular rapper who goes by the name Lil P-Nut.
Lil P-Nut, who hails from Memphis, plays a penguin named Atticus in the sequel to the highly-successful, Happy Feet, which won an Academy Award for best animated feature in 2006. 
The animated penguins are back dancing up a storm.
    The story goes like this - Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic.  Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven—a
penguin who can fly!  Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role
model.  But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces.  Erik learns of his father’s guts and grit as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures—from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals—to put things right.
    When he was asked to read for the role of Atticus, Lil P-Nut was happy to do so.  And, in fact, he does a great job in the film.
    An adorable nine-year-old, Lil P-Nut’s personality alone will get him far. He’s a well-mannered, respectful kid, who calls elder females ‘ma’am.’
    In short order he went from singing at local clubs in Memphis, Tenn., to rapping not once, but twice, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
    Lil P-Nut has performed in over 100 live concerts - including with Soulja Boy at the sold-out Summer Jam in Memphis—has been featured on various hip hop sites, and has also appeared in several hip-hop music videos, most recently Cymphonique’s “All That” and Memphis rapper Yo Gotti’s “Look In The Mirror,” which was featured on BET’s “106th & Park.”
     In addition to his music career, Lil P-Nut, who has a song called, You Might Be The One, has already appeared in several commercials.  He is due to appear in an episode of the TBS Network show “Are We There Yet?” executive produced by Ice Cube and is currently working on a pilot for his own TV show with Cartoon Network, which Ice Cube will also executive produce.
While Happy Feet Two will definitely give him an even bigger mainstream audience, Lil P-Nut is taking it all in stride.

    I caught up with Lil P-Nut recently to talk about his career and Happy Feet Two.
    DD:  How did you get the name Lil P Nut?
    LPN: My uncle said my head looked like a peanut. I like it.   Everybody calls me Lil P-Nut.
    DD: Who is your favorite rapper? Eminem because he raps fast. He has a lot of big words when he raps.
    DD: Why did you want to be a rapper?
    LPN: I grew up listening to rap. I guess I’ll keep on going. I like my record and it sounds good. I write my songs myself.
    DD: Tell me about working on Happy Feet Two. How did you get the role?
    LPN: I was on Ellen DeGeneres. Warner Bros. had found me. I acted for them and they said they wanted me to be in the movie.
    DD: Do you like the movie?
    LPN: I love the movie, it’s awesome. I like how the big, old iceberg breaks down. I like the bird.
    DD: Do you like hearing your voice in a movie?
    LPN: I like hearing myself cuz this is my first time being in an animated movie. I feel happy for myself. I want to do more movies. I want everybody to know it’s me.  
    DD: What other kinds of movies would you like to do?
    LPN: I’d like to be a superhero like Juggernaut on the X-Men,  He has super strength and he’s buff.
    DD: You’d have to bulk up.
    LPN: I already like to exercise. I lift weights, push ups, sit ups, crunches, everything. I workout for an hour everyday. I do it in the morning and night. 
    DD: What did you like best about working on Happy Feet Two?
    LPN: I met Common. I like the way he raps. I saw one of his video. He’s good. When we met, I was like, ‘What’s up Common. Lets take a pic right quick.’
    DD: Is there anyone else you’d like to work with?
    LPN: I want to do a movie with Denzel. I talked to him once. I want to do a movie with him. He’s the greatest actor in the world.  I like the train movie [Unstoppable].
    DD: Were you nervous performing on The Ellen DeGenere Show? 
    LPN: I wasn’t nervous. It was an ordinary day. I like working with her.
    DD: So, what’s the next movie you’re going to do?
    LPN: I don’t know.
    Happy Feet Two is directed by George Miller, who won an Oscar® as the creator of the original      “Happy Feet.”  A number of the original celebrities voiced characters in the original, are back.            However, there are some additions. First, singer, Pink, replaces the late Brittany Murphy and then there is the addition of Flores.
    The film features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Richard Carter, Magda Szubanski and Anthony LaPaglia.
    Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy Miller Mitchell production, with Dr. D. Studios, a George Miller film, “Happy Feet Two.”  The film is rated PG for “rude humor and mild peril.”