To conclude Inside Out Week, we speak to the break out star of the film: Phyllis Smith who voiced Sadness. Known for her role on the U.S. version of The Office as well as a supporting part in Bad Teacher, Smith’s portrayal of Sadness made everyone fall in love with her.
FanBoy recently got to speak with Sadness herself to discuss how she got the role, how they developed the character, and the impact the film has had so far:
FanBoy: First, congratulations on the film and especially the reaction to your character. How has that been for you?
Phyllis Smith: I’m enjoying every moment of it actually. I said before, I’m so happy to be sad. In my life it’s been a good thing to be sad.
FB: One thing that makes the film work is you’re definitely able to portray the character of Sadness, but you don’t find it overbearing so that you get depressed.
PS: Irritating. Go ahead and say it.
FB: You don’t want to spend 90 minutes with someone who just brings you down all the time.
PS: Exactly, Pete Doctor that’s one of the first conversation we had about the character was the fact that, just what you said is, 90 minutes of someone crying and whining would wear thin pretty quick. We had to find other elements of Sadness which I think we honed in on her insecurities which helped to give her different levels.
Also the writers, they’re so brilliant in how they could make her this sad sack funny with how she was drug around when she and Joy were joining and she’s so tired. Joy would have to drag her around and stuff. It was a collaborative effort or genius. I’m not the genius part of it, I’m just a small part of a person that delivered their other people’s genius.
FB: With Halloween just having occurred, has it sunk in that a character you portrayed has become one of the most popular Halloween customs this season?
PS: I know I think that’s great. Some people sent me pictures of Sadnesses that they’ve seen. The people did a wonderful job with it. This one picture I saw the woman had the blue face, the white turtleneck. She even had the blue memory orbs in her hand. They went all out and it’s pretty neat to be part of the cultural history of something. I’m happy about portraying that character.
FB: Do you know how you got the role?
PS: After the fact I did. I didn’t know it at the time. I don’t know how long into the process… I’m trying to think how long it was. I did about 12 different sessions. I can remember it was at one of the sessions at Emeryville, the Pixar Campus, Jonas Rivera was telling me that one night he couldn’t sleep and he turned on Bad Teacher and he saw, in the beginning of the film, there’s a scene where Cameron [Diaz] and I are eating lunch, and she’s eating out of my plate and we’re having this discussion. He picked up the phone and called Pete Doctor and said, “I think I found our Sadness”.
I didn’t know that until into the process of everything, that Jonas was the one that heard my voice and decided I had the quirkiness for Sadness. I’m really happy about that. I’m glad he couldn’t sleep.
FB: One of the great parts, I would think, of voicing a leading character in a Disney Pixar film is that your performance will live on forever throughout video games, and theme parks, and people watching this movie for eons to come.
PS: I know.
FB: Has that sunk in yet?
PS: No, I have to tell you. We were at the Cannes Film Festival and John Lasseter came up to me. We had just finished a noon conference and we’re all walking… as a group to catch an elevator. He came up to me and thanked me for being part of the film and for being Sadness. He said, “You know that from now on you’ll forever be known as Sadness.” I said, “Well, that’s a great thing. I’m really happy to be Sad for you.” It’s pretty neat to be hopefully part of a classic film that’s going to live on forever.
I have done some games, the [Disney] Infinity games. I did the voice for the float, I think it’s for the park in Florida. I said it probably really won’t hit me until like five years after the fact. My hindsight is so much better than where I am… when you’re in your current day. About five years from now I’m going to go, “wow, that film I was involved in that film.” Very happy about that, yes.
FB: One thing that we’ve talked to some of your peers about is, the fact that the film is being used a lot to help children express their emotions.
PS: Is it?
FB: Particularly those of development disabilities. We keep hearing and as a Disney site we keep reporting on different autistic organizations using the Inside Out to help on their therapy.
PS: Oh, they are. I didn’t realize that.
FB: Yeah. Much like the Seven Dwarfs, you portrayed something that’s core to all of us. Even just the merchandise because people run to it because emotions are so pure they want that thing that represents something that’s core to humanity. It’s not that you just represent Sadness and Inside Out. Forever you’re going to be tied as the film shows not necessarily a negative emotion, but something that is internal to all of us.
PS: Right, and it’s brought to life in the fact that Sadness is not necessarily a negative. It’s a positive in that she’s able to talk about it. When Sadness is in the film talking to Bing Bong just the fact that she’s able to listen to what he has to say makes him feel better. I mean, there’s so many levels to it.
It’s pretty amazing that just the level of the genius of the guys that, Pete Doctor, and Ronnie, and Josh [Cooley, screenwriter], and Jonas and everybody involved in it how they were able to not only create characters that will live on. Also that every age group can identify with in some form or another. Kids will identify in one way, adults will have memories about their childhood. It really created something that you can have a discussion about.
Actually, one of the journalist that had interviewed me a while back told me that his sister was involved in education. She went out and instructed all of her teachers that were under her to buy every one of the dolls, just like you said, to help kids to express themselves. They can hand them the Fear doll and have them talk or the Sadness doll. In today’s world it’s amazing to have what is considered a lighthearted thing, films to have such and impact on everybody lives in different ways. I think that’s the genius of the Pixar team.
FB: We’ve watched the Blu-ray over the weekend and enjoyed it. We also enjoyed the new short, “Riley’s First Date.”
PS: That was pretty great wasn’t it?
FB: Yeah, it was. Thank you for your time. Congratulations once again.
PS: Thank you and you have a good day.