Some characters to take a final bow
Universal has notified 29 actors their gigs are ending as other roles are expanding.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 1, 2006
Betty Boop is being booted. Fred Flintstone is getting fired. Popeye is being popped. Hard times are coming for a handful of Universal Orlando characters and some of the actors who play them.
Universal is ending the roles of 10 of the 120 or so costumed characters and some show hosts at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, spokeswoman Cynthia Gordon confirmed Tuesday. Twenty-nine actors who play the parts full and part time were given 30 days' notice last week that their roles were ending.
But Popeye's and Olive Oyl's losses are Zorro's and Elena's gains, while Fred and Wilma Flintstone are being replaced full time by Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.
Gordon said the company is phasing out old characters and phasing in or expanding the roles of others.
"We did make some changes. It is affecting a number of people," Gordon said. "What it is all about is updating and refreshing our entertainment."
Some of the actors already play other characters part time. And all 29, most of whom worked full time playing one or more character or show-host roles, are being offered auditions for other jobs in the parks, though the new positions might not always measure up to the old ones in hours and wages. Those who leave will have benefits extended 90 days, Gordon said.
Coming within days of Universal's newest kids-are-free campaign that was announced Monday, the layoffs angered and frustrated some actors, but not all. Cosme "Cos" Ramirez is losing his gig as a show host at Islands' Toon Lagoon. But he said he has been laid off before and has always gotten new work at Universal.
"I have no problem knowing that I will land something. We're being offered positions that you can audition for. That's the nature of the business. It's the entertainment industry; you have to understand," Ramirez said. "But I've been working here full time for 16 years, without a lapse of benefits."New positions will come up because many of the new roles will be expanded, Gordon said.
The Zorro and Elena characters from two recent Zorro movies, and the penguins and other characters from the movie Madagascar were introduced this past fall on a test basis and will become full time. Lucy and Ricky were seasonal characters and now will become daily, and a full-time band is being added to join them, Gordon said.
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
Universal has notified 29 actors their gigs are ending as other roles are expanding.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 1, 2006
Betty Boop is being booted. Fred Flintstone is getting fired. Popeye is being popped. Hard times are coming for a handful of Universal Orlando characters and some of the actors who play them.
Universal is ending the roles of 10 of the 120 or so costumed characters and some show hosts at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, spokeswoman Cynthia Gordon confirmed Tuesday. Twenty-nine actors who play the parts full and part time were given 30 days' notice last week that their roles were ending.
But Popeye's and Olive Oyl's losses are Zorro's and Elena's gains, while Fred and Wilma Flintstone are being replaced full time by Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.
Gordon said the company is phasing out old characters and phasing in or expanding the roles of others.
"We did make some changes. It is affecting a number of people," Gordon said. "What it is all about is updating and refreshing our entertainment."
Some of the actors already play other characters part time. And all 29, most of whom worked full time playing one or more character or show-host roles, are being offered auditions for other jobs in the parks, though the new positions might not always measure up to the old ones in hours and wages. Those who leave will have benefits extended 90 days, Gordon said.
Coming within days of Universal's newest kids-are-free campaign that was announced Monday, the layoffs angered and frustrated some actors, but not all. Cosme "Cos" Ramirez is losing his gig as a show host at Islands' Toon Lagoon. But he said he has been laid off before and has always gotten new work at Universal.
"I have no problem knowing that I will land something. We're being offered positions that you can audition for. That's the nature of the business. It's the entertainment industry; you have to understand," Ramirez said. "But I've been working here full time for 16 years, without a lapse of benefits."New positions will come up because many of the new roles will be expanded, Gordon said.
The Zorro and Elena characters from two recent Zorro movies, and the penguins and other characters from the movie Madagascar were introduced this past fall on a test basis and will become full time. Lucy and Ricky were seasonal characters and now will become daily, and a full-time band is being added to join them, Gordon said.
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
