This line is uttered by no lesser thespian than Steve Buscemi, playing eccentric geneticist Romero, in Robert Rodriguez’s film Spy Kids 2. Which is, naturally, the sequel to the movie Spy Kids. Now, it ought to be self-evident that this is not heavy theatre fare, being after all a movie about.... well, kids who are spies. But this certainly one of the theologically deepest thoughts (perhaps the deepest) to emanate from such a genre.

Romero, you see, has busied himself on the island of Leeke Leeke conducting absurd genetic experiments in the creation of various miniaturized hybrid creatures —— a flying pig, spider-monkey, horse-fly, cat-fish, bull-frog, and such. But (as is typical of mad scientist efforts), his experiments spiral out of control after he doses his initially miniature creations with a "growth formula," leading to their monstrosity and his self-imposed isolation in hiding on the island, whilst these hybrids roam freely.

Rodriguez has described in interviews how he came up with the line as something he thought the character, living in fear of his own creations, would have had a lot of time to think about -- though Romero is hardly God-like despite his power of creation, and his hiding place is no Heaven. Apparently, they did dozens of takes for the scene, with Buscemi getting as close to the camera as possible before speaking the line. The diction is as if it is a spontaneous thought, but it is clearly not. And it is amusingly followed by Romero turning and looking back at the kids and insisting, "Stop looking at me like that. I'm no loon."

The whole scene can be seen here.

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