Next week, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Wish is coming to Blu-ray. Ahead of the film’s home release, we had a chance to chat with NiKo Vargas (who voices Hal in the movie) and ask them what it’s like being in a Disney film, how they landed the role, and more.
Laughing Place: Hi, NiKo. Nice to meet you.
NiKo Vargas: Hi, nice to meet you too. Thank you so much for having me.
LP: So, we are here to talk about your role in Wish. Can you talk a little bit about what led you to being part of this celebration of the 100 Years of Disney Animation?
NV: My agents being awesome. That's definitely, I have my agency to thank, 100%. So the process pretty much was it was actually a requested audition. I believe that, I'm not sure exactly if they were initially considering Hal to be non-binary. That was a little up in the air, I think. But I think that's kind of what put me on their radar because I do identify as non-binary, and my agents were like, "Hey, we have a person who we think would be a good fit for this."
So typically how that kind of works is after sending out my reels and that sort of thing, they're like, "Oh, that sounds awesome. We like this person's voice print." And then we kind of go from there.
It was actually the first on camera audition that I ever recorded, so I was really, really nervous. I get a little shy being on camera. And I didn't realize it was a requested audition at first either…
So I almost didn't even audition to begin with because it was on camera and I was so nervous about doing that and I had never done it before. But then it came time where my agent was kind of like, "Hey, are you going to submit? They requested this." And I was like, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." And it was super scuffed and super last minute, but they liked it. Here I am. So that's kind of how that happened.
LP: Well, and I mean, you should have no reason to worry about being on camera, you're quite photogenic and have a great spirit to you.
NV: Well, thank you.
LP: Which your character, Hal, is evocative of Happy from obviously the classic animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. So I mean, you identify as being a happy person?
NV: Yeah. I wouldn't say I'm very sad.
LP: Well, that's good. Since this character is inspired, all Seven Teens are inspired by the Seven Dwarfs, did you have a connection to Disney Animation prior to being part of Wish?
Yeah. No, I love Disney. I was super into Disney princesses. I used to want to be just like Princess Jasmine. I thought she was the moment. She was iconic. I definitely had a huge connection to Disney growing up, so being able to be part of that legacy is something that is now part of my legacy. It's just crazy. It doesn't feel real still.
LP: And obviously this film came out at a weird time because we were just coming out of people not being able to promote the movie and things.
NV: Yeah.
LP: And so did you get a chance to spend time with your fellow teens in-
NV: I did not.
LP: Are there any of them you'd love to meet in person?
NV: I would love to meet the entire cast. When I found out who I was going to be working with, I was like, "Whoa." It was crazy. But no, the way that we all kind of meshed together on screen, you would think that we were able to hang out. I feel like I would definitely get along with everybody.
Specifically I was a fan of Ariana from seeing her in Hamilton. I remember when I came into the first recording session and they had asked me like, "Oh, are you familiar with any of these actors?" And I'm going to be honest, I don't really watch a lot of movies or partake in a lot of media, so they kind of had to be like, "Oh, have you seen West Side Story?" And I was like, "No." And they were like, "Hamilton?" I was like, "Yes. I love Hamilton." And they were like, "You remember the really pretty girl?" And I was like, "Yes. That's crazy."
So yeah, I definitely would've loved to have been able to meet everybody. Hopefully this isn't the end and we get to have a get-together sometime in the future. That'd be awesome.
LP: That would be awesome. So Disney culture is universal. Obviously there's from Snow White all the way to Encanto and beyond.
NV: Yeah.
LP: These movies have spoken to generations of not only just kids, but families around the world. But in this film we have in the Kingdom of Rosas, we have a community that brings in, for better or for worse, depending on how you view Magnifico, people from around the globe and the inclusion of various types of folks from, obviously you represent different backgrounds ethnically, but also personality-wise. And obviously everyone's wish is different depending on their personality. What's it like to see so many different types of people represented in a movie that celebrates something that we all love no matter where we come from or who we are?
NV: It is truly amazing. Seeing how far we've come as Disney as a whole, but our society as a whole, it's absolutely insane. The fact that I was able to be part of something like that too is also just crazy.
But I also come from a very diverse background. I come from a family of immigrants. My mother is Cuban and Dominican, and her father was off the boat from Cuba, and my dad was a Jamaican immigrant as well, so being able to see… I remember the first time I saw it in theaters, my friend that I had went with kind of looked at me and she was like, "What culture is this?" And I was like, "Yes. Yes." It's a celebration of just everyone and everything, and I just think that that's such a beautiful thing that we were able to do that. Absolutely.
LP: And if you were coming to the Kingdom of Rosas and wanted your wish to come true, what is your heart's true wish? What's your dream for your future?
NV: My dream. My dream would be able to, I guess it's kind of broad, but I am the eldest sibling of four, and my siblings are my whole world, they're my babies, I would do anything for them, and my dream would definitely be to be able to provide for them, to make sure that they're going to be good, if that makes sense.
I really take on the role of the eldest big sister, and I would love to be able to put them all through college and if I can. And of course that's also partially my parents' job and they're doing their best too, but as an older sister I just feel so responsible for all of them. I want them to be happy and not have to worry about some of the same things I had to worry about growing up. So definitely whatever that wish would be, just give it to me please.
LP: And there's a lot of, as in most great Disney films, there's a lot of great music in Wish, and you got to be a part of that.
NV: Yes.
LP: Do you jam out to your own song? How's that?
NV: Well, I'm not going to lie to you, of course I do. I'm like, "Wait, wait, here I come, here I come. Aah." It was so surreal, especially seeing it animated on the screen and I was like, "That's me. That's my voice coming out of… What? That's crazy."
LP: And obviously these movies will always live beyond the theatrical run. It is coming onto home video, but then I was just at the Festival of the Arts and they represented it at EPCOT, and Disney movies live forever. Even Saludos Amigos lives on.
NV: Yeah.
LP: Have you thought about the legacy that your role has on sort of the Disney pantheon here? I mean, you're part of a Disney movie. Does that sink in?
NV: That, I don't shut up. I don't shut up. And I don't think I ever will. It really has been such an honor, and I think about my legacy a lot. As someone who's physically disabled, who has a heart condition, it's not fun to talk about, but I think about that sort of thing like, "Well, what am I going to be leaving behind? And is anyone going to remember me?"
And that's another reason Hamilton resonated a lot with me. "He was playing scenes with the guard you never get to see," all that fun stuff. But I think it's definitely sunk in, and I don't think there's enough of… How do I word it? I don't think there's enough for it to sink in for it to really get to that depth where it's like, "Whoa."
Because I feel like I've got to that peak where I'm like, "Oh my God, this is real. Oh my God, this is real." And seeing it in theaters and going out and seeing all the promotion when we were finally able to start promoting it, I will not be quiet about it. I don't think I ever will be quiet about it because it's so cool and so awesome.
LP: If I was in a Disney movie I wouldn't be able to shut up about it either.
NV: Yeah, no, it was so surreal. And my mom is my biggest supporter. My mom is my biggest supporter. Going into stores even and seeing I have a little character, a little figurine, and I'm like, "Oh my God," it's crazy.
LP: Well, so congratulations. You're lovely to talk to and your role in the film is great, and I know everyone's looking forward to Wish coming out on home video so that people can watch it over and over and over again and catch all those cool Disney Easter eggs as well.
NV: I'm so excited. I've watched the movie maybe five times and I still don't think I've caught everything. I'm trying not to Google it. I'm trying to be smart and just really pay attention. I'm so excited for it to be released on DVD. Absolutely.
LP: Well, congratulations. Thank you very much for your time.
NV: Thank you.
Wish will be released on Blu-ray March 12th.