ABIGAIL BRESLIN chats about voicing animated characters and having to chipmunk-ify her voice in the new animated movie RANGO.
**RANGO is in cinemas from 4 March.
MMM: It seems incredible that just 5 years ago you were getting ready for Oscar night for your performance in Little Miss Sunshine. You’re now in this A-list movie, so is this all down to the amazing success of that film?
Breslin: Of course, I definitely think I was really lucky to have been able to be a part of that movie and it gave me a lot of opportunities.
MMM: So what was the fun part of doing this movie for you?
Breslin: I had a lot of fun making it because, first of all, I just loved the character of Priscilla. I had fun finding her because she’s so out there and so strange.
MMM: You made this in a different way to a lot of animated movies in that you were there, actually acting it out, as opposed to being in a sound booth by yourself with only the director for company. Did that make a lot of difference to you as an actor?
Breslin: Definitely. I’ve done voiceovers inside a booth and a lot of the time you have to adapt even the way your voice sounds to sound the same as the actor who had come in a month previously. You just don’t feel the same. Obviously, it’s not a bad way to do it because it’s been successful in the past but I feel like it’s more natural to be able to actually talk to someone as opposed to a screen.
MMM: How did you find the process of keep coming back to the film after months away? Can you pick up immediately from where you left off? Or do you have to build back up to it?
Breslin: I came in two or three times to re-do some lines. So, for me, we first shot it when I was 12 and I’ll be 15 in two months, so my voice started to change a little bit during the process and I’d be like 13 and a 1/2 and go in and my voice sounded different. It sounded a little deeper, so I’d have to chipmunk-ify my voice a little bit and make it a little higher. [Laughs. But most people in the movie were not having to go through changes in their voice!
Priscilla, voiced by Abigail Breslin
MMM: Do you have a birthday party planned for your 15th?
Breslin: Well, me and my best friend were thinking about having a joint birthday party because we’re just a month apart from each other. But no, I’m not like a huge party person. I just like to hang out. I’m not opposed to gifts though. Let’s not get crazy!
MMM: You’re doing a film called Innocent with Julianne Moore, which is a vampire story. And you’ve just finished the Helen Keller story on Broadway. Can you talk about those?
Breslin: Yeah, I did The Miracle Worker on Broadway last year and I got to play Helen Keller and it was an amazing experience. I’ve always wanted to play Helen Keller. She’s one of my heroes. So to get to do it on Broadway, since I’m from New York, it’s sort of like the most iconic New York thing. I got to work with an unbelievable cast, an amazing director and crew, and I have a huge respect for stage actors because it’s a really, really hard job to do. It’s really intense. And then Innocence is a really, really cool project with an amazing script. It’s something I’m attached to right now and I’m very excited about it.
Priscilla and Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp)
MMM: You were 13 when you were on Broadway and you said that Helen Keller was already a hero of yours. How were you so aware of her at that age?
Breslin: Well, when I was about 7, one of the first books I read that had chapters in it was a Helen Keller biography for second graders. I think there was a biography every grade in elementary school, so this was the one that I was on back then. I loved it. She’s just a really inspiring person. I mean, she overcame so many obstacles.
By Jan Gilbert
