The big, bad Hydra was unmasked during the April 6 episode of The Masked Singer. Magicians Penn & Teller were revealed underneath the Hydra mask after facing off against Armadillo. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with one half of Penn & Teller about the dynamic duo’s Masked Singer experience.
“We are the longest-running headliners in the history of Las Vegas. We get about a quarter of a million people to come to see us every year, and those people find out about us on television. So the joke is we answer the phone. We do everything. That being said, we were very excited to do this because it’s a show that it’s based on kindness and fun. It’s done based on sweetness. It’s really, really wonderful,” Penn told HollywoodLife.
The Hydra costume was the only option for Penn & Teller, despite the costume having three heads. For the duo, that was the perfect way to throw off the panelists. “We thought if we came out as a two, we would be immediately busted,” Penn admitted. “So we couldn’t get into a costume for one, so three seemed really good. Also, being the hound that guards Hell seemed like the proper position for us. We were very happy about that. Now Teller and I, having worked together in magic for a combined century, have spent a huge amount of time in little tiny spaces, hiding behind mirrors, hiding in spaces and things, hiding in boxes. We’re very used to being together and uncomfortable, so Hydra was perfect for us.”
Even though it was just the two of them inside the Hydra costume, there were sometimes 3 voices coming from inside the mask. Two of those voices were thanks to Teller, who is known for not speaking during his performances. Penn was excited to hear Teller’s singing voice on The Masked Singer stage.
“I’ve been working with Teller for 47 years. I’ve heard everything. But that was our plan, of course. Since my voice is damaged from years and years of the carnival and talking all the time… Teller, no one knows what he sounds like, so Teller did two of the voices and I did one,” Penn explained. “I thought that was just brilliant. He said one is what we call ‘the Rex’ as Rex Harrison and he said his other is his real singing voice. I thought he did a beautiful job. I was along for the ride and a lot of my pleasure was watching how good Teller was with what he had to do.” The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays on FOX.