'Megamind' junket: No Brad Pitt, not even a cardboard cut-out?

By Elizabeth Snead

October 28, 2010 3:41 PM ET

Brad Pitt was MIA at the "Megamind" junket at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles on Saturday (Oct 23).

But his costars -- Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and David Cross -- must be getting used to the A-list paparazzi-bait movie star not being around to promote their hilarious new animated Paramount film.

After all, Ferrell made a point of bringing a cardboard cutout of Pitt onstage at the Comic-Con "Megamind" panel in July to make up for Pitt's absence.

Brad plays hunky Metroman in the film, a do-gooder super hero who is Megamind's nemesis. It's a pretty major role but Pitt's quotes aren't even in the film's production notes because -- as a source close to the film told The Dish Rag -- "He wasn't in the EPK."

EPK translates to the electronic press kit video always made for films that usually features all the actors and much of the crew talking about the film, the production, the characters.

So a reporter at the junket had to wonder, did anyone have any interactions with Brad? Silence from Ferrell and Fey, who recorded together but not with Pitt. Will tossed the question to director Tom McGrath, saying, "Tom, you worked with Brad.... more than we did."

''He's a total pro," said McGrath. "Brad drives his motorcycle to the recording studio and because of the paparazzi, he pretty much drove his motorcycle into the studio."

David Cross added (or shall we say, improv-ed): "Brad makes his own homemade beer. It's near beer. You probably all know that he's a severe alcoholic so he makes his own near beer and it's awful. But it's gluten free."

There was just about as much hilarious improvisation at the junket for "Megamind" as there is in the film itself. Which is estimated by the stars to be around 30%.

Will was asked how he felt to be front and center in the animated Paramount movie.

"I don't really consider myself front and center." Will demurred. Then Tina tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the gigantic movie poster behind them.

"Oh, I guess I am front and center."

When a reporter asked Will about his Megamind accent, wondering if was doing a Brit accent because they make good villains, he looked sad.

"That's so disappointing. It's not your fault but I was actually doing a Lithuanian accent and that just shows how bad a mimic i am."

Asked if he shared any traits with his evil blue character, he replied, "I have a lot of tight leather pants in a vault and there is a part of my body that I cannot go into detail about that is blue."

Tina was asked about playing a reporter in the animated film.

"I am one of America's foremost fake reporters. I'm gonna have a fake show on CNN."

Seriously, though. "It was fun to step into this archetypal modern Lois Lane. And she looks like a young Sharon Osbourne." And she also likes that they gave her character a "nice can."

Tina revealed that she has no intention of stopping her Palin impersonations.

"That's the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. I'm gonna milk that dry. I'm going to -- God willing -- be doing that when I'm 70 at an auto show."

Considering that Palin just told Access Hollywood that she would run for president if there's nobody else willing to do it, Tina should start preparing.

Better dust off that Palin campaign skirt suit, Tina.