Inside Out is the latest from Pixar, and their first in two years. The incredible film takes us inside the head of an 11-year-old girl and explores her emotions through a quintet of characters: Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader).
The Movie Mensch caught up with the cast of Inside Out and asked them why they felt each was cast as the emotion they portray.
“The character has a lot of qualities of a very impatient, judgmental adolescent girl and because I seem to be recurring in playing that role over and over again in my career… She just says the things I say on a really bad day, the thing I really want to say but then don’t say it,” Kaling said. “Basically, in my mind the parenthetical role or her line is ‘I can’t, I can’t with this.’ It’s just like what she’s always thinking.”
Black felt it was a no-brainer casting him as Anger. As anyone who has seen his stand-up act or his appearances on The Daily Show can see, it fits him like a glove. But, the star admitted, that comes from a long life of living that way.
“My family argued all the time. That’s what we did. That was the way we expressed love,” Black admitted. “That kind of anger is always kind of a part of me.”
For anyone who is even aware of Poehler, she embodies Joy in so many ways. “I do think she just likes living in the moment and maybe I do that too,” Poehler said. “But, I aspire to be more like Joy and I think that characters in the film get all of the range of emotions. Everybody feels anger, fear, sadness, joy — each in their own journey.”
“I think I’m a big wimp,” Hader said of why he was a natural fit for Fear.
For Smith, she said that she identified immediately with Sadness’ disposition. “I’m just a mess and I’m a real sad sack. I sit around and mope all day and I think they saw that effervescent side of me and decided to hone in on it,” she said and laughed.
Inside Out is a Pixar/Disney movie that is going to resonate for years. We wondered which Disney or Pixar movie hit your emotional buttons?
“Up — the other movie that Pete (Docter, Inside Out director) did, by far, was just unreal. I thought it was really great,” Hader said.
When it comes to classic Disney movies, Hader pulls one out that is not one of the famed studio’s most famous. “You remember that Ichabod Crane Disney one? I dressed up like Ichabod Crane for Halloween for four years in a row because I was obsessed with that.”
Smith agreed with Hader when it comes to Pixar’s best. “I’m just an Up person as well,” she said. As for the Disney classics? “I date myself, but it’s Cinderella…”
“Yes,” agreed Poehler. “I think it was Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White…”
“All those,” added Smith.
When it comes to Poehler’s Pixar choice, she marveled at the “audacity” of a film that had no dialogue for the first half-hour.
“I love Wall- E. I just love the first 35 minutes of no talking. The audacity to make a movie like that. It’s the big risk, big reward philosophy of Pixar,” Poehler said.
She puts Inside Out in that category as well. “This film is really high concept and every film right now is going external. It’s so bad ass that Pixar went in.”
Speaking of risks, not to give anything away, but the ending is surprising, and equally as astounding. “I attribute that to the genius of Pete Docter and the writers,” Smith said.
“I didn’t realize that it was going to have that kind of feeling until the end of the movie and I just love how it shows the importance of your emotions in your life and that it is okay to be sad.”
Poehler thinks it shows the brilliance of Pixar and how they look up to the audience, even the youngest ones. “They don’t underestimate the intelligence of their audience. They keep raising the bar and also they assume that you and your big brain are gonna show up… and your big heart,” Poehler said.
“They assume you’re gonna take all those things with you when you go see their movies — and you’re so rewarded when you do.”