It’s hip to be Square

Tom KENNY does not wear cardboard pants, nor does he live under the sea. He is, however, the voice of the popular cartoon character “SpongeBob SquarePants,” to whom those descriptions do actually apply.

With a loyal following that includes little kids, their parents, college students and others in between, the gang from Bikini Bottom is hitting the big screen for the first time with “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” which features additional voice work from Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, Alec Baldwin and a special live-action appearance by David Hasselhoff.

With oversized Buddy Holly glasses and a penchant for retro-looking clothes, as well as a frenetic, mile-a-minute way of speaking, even in person Kenny seems slightly cartoonish. A longtime habitue of the Los Angeles alternative comedy scene, Kenny has done voice work on innumerable contemporary cartoon shows. It is with “SpongeBob” that he has created his most indelible character.

Aside from the obvious steady-gig aspect of it, what has it been like to do “SpongeBob” so long?

It’s actually really nice. You do get super-comfortable with the character and just are able to instantly access him. Just flick the switch. He’s a comfortable shoe now. And it’s also a shoe I happen to like very much. I always think of it like I’ve had this roommate for six years now and we know each other pretty well, and we get along nicely.

The character of SpongeBob has a fanatical following, and yet you are able to remain relatively anonymous. You’ve probably got just the right level of fame.

There are perks to it. You can utilize it for good when you want to, like your signature on something for a school auction or a charity event. So it can help people, whatever clout the voice of a sponge has. You’re not quite a nobody, but you’re less than a somebody. If you’re William Shatner, you look like Captain Kirk and people yell at you out of the windows of their cars. You do 12 seasons of “Cheers” and you’re Norm.

If people find out who you are, do you get much reaction?

I was in a restaurant just last night with someone who doesn’t have kids and isn’t into “SpongeBob” at all. I was signing something for an auction and I guess the staff noticed and word sort of spread through the restaurant. And people started to come up to ask for autographs, the busboys came up to ask for something for their infant kids, and someone else said they had a 4-year-old, and someone else had a 19-year-old and then this 30-ish couple wanted something for themselves.

My friend said, “I had dinner with Lou Reed and people get way more excited about ‘SpongeBob.’ ”

I understand you had an audience with Jerry Lewis.

First of all, let me say, I love Jerry. I’ve been an unapologetic Jerry partisan my whole life. And the SpongeBob character owes a huge debt to him, just in terms of being kinetically spazzy, and like a hyperactive child that’s not really a child chronologically. Sometimes it’s as if I am tapping the inner Jerry.

So a few years ago a group of guys I know, all of them other voice actors, we all went to Las Vegas to see Jerry Lewis perform. And one guy actually called the hotel and said, ‘We’d like to get backstage to meet Jerry. We’re cartoon voice actors.’ And I was like, ‘Aw, man, don’t say that, they don’t care.’ And Jerry’s assistant or whoever calls and says, ‘I’ll run this by him, who are you again?’

Between us we’re on ‘Ren & Stimpy,’ ‘SpongeBob,’ ‘Powerpuff Girls,’ ‘Dexter’s Laboratory,’ and sure enough the phone rang barely five minutes later -- tickets, a reserved table and Jerry will see you after the show. And he knew all about all of our shows.

He comes out from backstage and the first thing he says is, “So which one of you is the sponge?”