I thought, This is interesting.
He had single-panel drawings of all the characters.
He was just so gentle.
He said, Okay, I want to hear you read for SpongeBobs best friend.
Im a professional moron if you will, Fagerbakke laughs.
Luckily, he saw me as the character.
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Carolyn Lawrence had a similar experience when she read for Sandy.
It was an unusual setup!
It was so informal.
In a way, it almost made me more nervous, Lawrence shares.
It set the tone for the whole thing because he did things the way he wanted to do them.
It was so exciting for me, but I had no idea what it would become.
No one did, no matter what they say.
Steve had me go to his house!
So see what you think of it and if you would be interested.
What actor isnt interested in getting paid?
Like, I dont even have to look at it; the answer is yes, he laughs.
There was one thing in particular that immediately stood out.
These little concept drawings of the characters doing different things in their lives were super charming.
Black-and-white pencil drawings in Steves inimitable style.
The way he drew the characters, I can instantly pick it out, you know?
I was actually recently just over in that area, and all the memories came rushing back.
I was driving by; I almost had to pull over.
We were best buddies doing that show and learning about it, he says.
Soon, Hillenburg recorded this pilot with Mr. Lawrence auditioning for every single character.
I actually did the Plankton voice for SpongeBob.
It was stupid, but I got big laughs from it.
But this doesnt feel like its it.
But I think its Plankton.
You know, they probably should have done that!
But Steve was like, Nope, Ive got my SpongeBob, he fought for me.
Yes, it was.
This is the most fun Ive ever had.
We had a lot of fun recording the pilot, and its always been fun.
Its never not been fun.
I remember that first day very clearly.
Thats the first day I met Steve, Bill, Tom, and Clancy.
We were the ones in the first episode.
I was just going past, and I thought, Wow, people are responding to it.
When I would go to meetings, if I were trying to pitch something, it was different.
Its like the show had arrived, but I hadnt realized.
And I had that moment of like, This is so weird.
Like, should I explain to them?
Do I say who I am?
Would they even believe me?
Do I even believe me?
That was probably the most surreal of all those moments.
It was in the auto supply, cards, and video sections.
Every single department had representation of our stuff.
And it outgrew my apartment at the time.
A sea of 20 seven- to nine-year-olds would just come running at me screaming, Patrick!
I was thinking, Whats happening, whats going on?
That was really, really something.
That was really great.
He also recalls the moment he felt that SpongeBob had transcended into the true mainstream.
There were a couple of key media moments that were significant, Fagerbakke says.
That very easily could have been.
That was really a reflection of Hillenbergs vision of the show.
It was a baptism by fire, he shares.
I mean, honestly, it is a dream come true.
The crew we have is amazing.
I mean, our schedule is insanely busy, Waller says.
Were both up at the crack of dawn and work well into the night.
But its always fun doing it.
My wife says all she ever hears coming out of the room when Im working is laughter.
I just feel like I finally ended up where I belong, Ceccarelli smiles.
I just feel like Im finally home.
It still gets me.
Thats when it went to the next level.
Brown wasnt the only one who saw the moving impact of SpongeBob in real life.
Like, our show struck this kid enough that he was compelled to meet us and paint for us.
So its very sad, but also sort of inspiring.
The love SpongeBob SquarePants has inspired is something that the cast is deeply aware of, as Kenny explains.
Its something that is in my consciousness every day, in a good way.
And its mattered to people for a long time across generations, and thats amazing.
Fans and kids make art, and that is always our favorite, Brown shares.
I have a wall full of it, too.
Yeah, its just the best ever.
For the man behind the titular character, the world expanding means one thing.
Its another SpongeBob job!
Im just happy to still be this character in all these iterations; each one is a unique puzzle.
I always say weve become that crazy family, she laughs.
Thats unique in show business and something she credits to SpongeBob creator Hillenburg.
I dont know, I think a lot of casts truly dont get along, she says.
All the people who work on the show, everybodys very down to earth, she says.
Everybodys very grounded, very humble about it.
As for what excites her the most about the next era of SpongeBob, Spinelli is full of ideas.
Im excited to continue to explore other characters and what we can do with them, she says.
Well, for the most part.
Mr. Krabs has fulfilled every dream.
Hes been a sword-fighting swashbuckler, hes been a commander in a war movie, Brown says.
Hes done all these characters that I would love to do.
So what does Brown dream of for Krabs, then?
Ill throw that out to the writers.
Thats the dream scenario.
Thats why people still love it as much as they do, Kenny tells us.
