A rootless start propelled Root’s career

When Stephen Root (shown here) does a TV role – which is often – a slice of his dad emerges.
“Everything I do probably comes a little bit from him.” Root said.
Well – maybe some things morte than others. Root is both a voice actor – including the intriguing “Praise Petey,” which debuts at 10 and 10:30 p.m. Friday (July 21) on Freeform – and an on-camera guy, including his Emmy-nominated role in the just-ended “Barry.” His roles range afar.
He’s been a vampire, an exterminator, a coach, a mental patient and a royal tart toter. He’s been Superman’s uncle and Batman’s nemesis. He’s been real people (J. Edgar Hoover, NASA leader Chris Craft) and Fred Flintstone, Santa Claus and a Klingon officer. He’s been lots of judges and officials, plus guys called Zeb Zoober, Woozy Winks, Big Ducky and Mr. Big Corporation.
And some of those roles – not all — reflect his dad. “He was a guy who took no (BS) whatsoever,” Root said, “and expected you, on Saturday morning at 8 o’clock, to be outside, mowing the lawn.”
He believed in structure, Root said. So does the guy he voices in “Praise Petey.”
Petey is a trendy New Yorker with a wooden boyfriend (literally) and a hollow life. Then things crumble, just as she gets a surprise: She has inherited the rural cult created by her late father.
That’s Root’s role – voicing the videos the dad left. He’s playing a guy awash in positive vibes. That’s sort of like his breakthrough role, as the “NewsRadio” station-owner. And yes, both reflect the can-do spirit of Root’s father.
He was the site manager for big construction projects, a job that required moving. Every year or so, the family might be move to Iowa or Indiana or Kansas or even Mexico.
And yes, that helped prepare for a career of constantly being different people in different places.
“I don’t have friends from the 2nd grade, like most people do,” Root said. “It did help, moving around, because it’s kind of like being a gypsy and that’s what we are as actors.”
He managed to stay in one place for a while, going to high school at Vero Beach, Fla., and then studying acting at the University of Florida. He did some stage work and then a couple small movie roles; one – Paul Hogan’s “Crocodile Dundee II” – showed how pleasant this life could be.
“We would finish a day and go to the food truck and there would be at least three cases of Foster’s there. (Hogan) was a really down-to-earth kind of guy and liked to have a beer and discuss the day.”
Then came the five-season run of “NewsRadio” – and an offer for his first animated show. “King of the Hill” would last 13 seasons, with Root doing two main characters and three others. Animation would change his life, letting him reject iffy projects and go with intriguing ones.
“That was a subsidiary income that allowed me to do different things,” Root said. “It allowed me to do ‘CSI’ or ‘True Blood.’”
He often worked for the same people – several movies for the Coen brothers, several series for HBO (“really stellar projects”), some movies and TV with Judge, including an upcoming “King of the Hill” follow-up that finds little Bobby grown into a 22-year-old restaurant-owner.
At 71, Root can be picky. “I’m not doing things for the money …. I want to be able to do good work.”
That includes “Praise Petey,” with its offbeat humor and its quick verbal bursts. (“This is an adult show …. You’re going to get some things that are pretty dicey.”
He praises the work of Annie Murphy (as Petey) and John Cho (as Bandit, her potential love/hate interest). And he wishes voice work would always be like the old days, with everyone together.
“I’ve done a lot more of it one-on-one,” Root said. “And I wish we could at least get two or three (actors) with you in the studio.”
For a guy without 2nd-grade friends, those links can feel cozy.