SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Danielle Brooks is no stranger to big roles, but her latest one might be the blockiest yet. In “A Minecraft Movie”, she dives headfirst into the pixelated world of creepers, crafting tables, and endless llamas.

ABC4 film critic Patrick Beatty sat down with Brooks to talk about what it was like bringing one of the world’s most popular video games to life, why she took the role, and what her Minecraft was growing up.

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class="wp-block-heading">Q: Minecraft is such a big, important part of a generation of kids and how they’re able to use their imagination. What was your Minecraft when you were young?

Danielle Brooks: “Acting, period. That was it. I remember learning about Shakespeare and as kids, we got to create our own worlds and try to bring Shakespeare to life in a different way, or I remember rolling around, acting like pigs and cows and … acting games you used to play, that was my Minecraft. That was where I got to create, where I got to meet different characters.”

Q: Was there a lot of improv on set that you guys could go back and forth on, or was it all just written down on the page?

Danielle Brooks: “It was a ton of improv. There were a ton of times where the writer or director would just whisper something in your ear and be like, ‘Okay, we’ll just call him a — you know, whatever, make up something. Insert funny joke.’ That’s what a lot of the time what had happened. I loved it.”

Q: Is it challenging when you’re improvising for something that might be more kid-friendly, and you have to be more restrictive?

Danielle Brooks: “That is so challenging because for me, I just came off Peacemaker for HBO, which is Warner Brothers too, and that was tough because those guys — oh my, night and day. Trying to clean up the jokes and leave out the cuss words was a little challenging, but we did it.”

Q: With what you know about Minecraft, do you have a favorite character? Do you have a favorite animal? Favorite area?

Danielle Brooks: “I really do love Steve and I love Steve and Dennis’ relationship that turns into Don and Dennis together. I love that journey. But then I also like Clemente, who doesn’t love Clemente? I think the relationship that he has with Jennifer Coolidge’s character is hilarious.”

Q: If there’s anything that you want audiences, or more specifically parents, to take away from this film, when their kids are like, ‘I’m going to play Minecraft for 80 hours afterwards.’ What’s the benefits?

Danielle Brooks: “It’s true. I think there are benefits to it. I see it more now than I did before because I have a kid, too. But she’s not old enough to play quite yet. I do see that we need to escape sometimes. We need to get away and create our own world.”

“These kids are going through so much. Middle school is harsh, high school is tough. Even college, like transitioning to adulthood, can be really tough. It’s okay to let your child go play a game. It’s way better than some other things they could be doing. I say let them go play, but make sure you go watch the movie first.”