"Megamind," DreamWorks' latest animated comedy, hits theaters on Friday, with a star-studded Hollywood cast that includes Will Ferrell, [article id="1651522"]Ben Stiller[/article] and Brad Pitt. And while funnymen Ferrell and Stiller are no strangers to comedic work, A-list actor Pitt is a bit of a newbie to the genre.

The film tells the story of a super-villain named Megamind, voiced by Ferrell, who has repeatedly attempted -- and failed -- to conquer Metro City. Instead, the town's studly hero Metro Man (Pitt) has managed to defeat him every time.

Although Pitt has played a multifaceted range of characters onscreen, until the role of Metro Man came along, he had yet to add an animated hero to his résumé. When MTV News caught up with "Megamind" director Tom McGrath and executive producer Stiller, the two men explained what made the part appealing to Pitt.

"He loved the idea. He loved the character and playing that kind of character that has a couple levels to him," McGrath said. "You know, he's not just the cardboard hero, he's got another layer to him -- not to give anything away -- and he's funny."

Pitt's reputation as one of the most attractive men in the movie business certainly was not a consideration when the decision was made to cast him in the animated flick. Stiller said he thought he would actually be doing Pitt a favor by offering him this kind of role.

"We wanted to give him a break. We felt like he could use a boost right now in his career," Stiller joked. "We figured things aren't really popping with the on-camera work, maybe the voice thing will get him something. So I'm hoping he'll owe us for this one."

What do you think of Brad Pitt flexing his comedic chops in an animated flick? Tell us in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Megamind."

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