Summary
Inside Out 2is doing a victory lap atD23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, celebrating the movie’s status as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The Disney Pixar project is also branching out in more than one direction, growing just like its protagonist Riley with the upcoming home release and a highly-anticipated new series on Disney+. Given that new emotions like Anxiety and Envy already spiced things up in the sequel, many fans are excited to see which characters will breathe life into Riley’s mind next.
WhileInside Out 2boasts big stars, including Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke, young Kensington Tallman as Riley herself is the glue that holds it all together. Her teenage triumphs and tragedies set her emotions into motion, and audiences are rooting for her self-actualization every step of the way. According to the actor, the movie’s message helped her in her own life too, teaching her that “it’s okay to be real and authentic.”
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Screen Ranthad the opportunity to visitInside Out 2’s Headquarters at D23, where we were greeted with friendship bracelets, mood swings, and a shot at receiving an emotion from the infamous console. We also interviewed Tallman, who shared her enthusiasm over the movie’s success, her excitement forDream Productions, and herpersonal hopes forInside Out 3.
Kensington Tallman Shares The Lessons She & Riley Learned From Inside Out 2
Screen Rant: The first and most important question for you: how does it feel to have Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke fighting for control of your destiny?
Kensington Tallman: Oh, my gosh! Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke are two of the most iconic actress actresses in the world, and I feel like to have them in my head is so surreal. Getting to meet them at the premiere was so amazing. They’re two of the kindest humans you’ll ever meet. They’re both so funny and so sweet, and I’m thankful that they got to be in this movie.
The emotions often get all the attention, but Riley is the star of her story. What was the most surprising or interesting thing you learned while voicing her?
Kensington Tallman: I think I learned that it’s okay to be yourself, and it’s okay to not be okay. Sometimes I think, especially as teenagers, we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves. We think we have to be perfect or we have to change ourselves for people to like us, but it’s okay to just be us sometimes. It’s okay to be real and authentic; it’s okay to have anxiety, it’s okay to be joyful, and it’s okay to be sad all at the same time. I think that’s really special.
The home release date was just announced, and we’ve heard there will be an alternate opening and deleted scenes. I personally love deleted scenes because it’s always interesting to see where the creators thought of going, but do you have a favorite moment you recorded that didn’t make the cut one way or another?
Kensington Tallman: Yes, there was a scene that we recorded at a pizza restaurant. It was after the girls had just won the big game, and they were celebrating at the pizza restaurant. Unfortunately, we did have to cut that one just for time, but it was a really sweet scene of Riley, Bree, and Grace kind of partying together and being silly and enjoying this high after they had just won the game.
Have you had any particularly special interactions with fans since came out?
Kensington Tallman: Yes, I have received so many DMs and met so many fans, and every single one of them has said how impactful the movie has been to them. I think that is so special for me just as an actress, and this is why I do what I do.
I want to inspire people, and Inside Out 2 has helped me in my own mental health journey, so to see it ripple to other people is so incredible. I think this movie is changing the way we look at mental health and breaking that stigma, and people are just receiving it so well. I’m so thankful that everyone loves it.
Inside Out Surprises At D23 & The Future Of The Franchise
This activation is incredible. I saw you making some friendship bracelets earlier, but what’s been your favorite station?
Kensington Tallman: This is amazing. Every single thing here is so cool. I really love the console because I have not gotten to touch an actual console before. If you press it, it will give you an emotion, and then it’ll give you a pin of that emotion. That was probably my favorite.
Pete Docter has said that the upcomingInside Outspinoff show,Dream Productions, may explain why Riley’s dreams are so weird. Is there anything you can tease about the project?
Kensington Tallman: The spinoff show is going to be so fun. It’s so unique, and it’s something that Pixar has never really done before. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s so funny; every single scene is just so incredible, and it’s shot in a really special way. I think our fans are really going to love it. If you love Inside Out 2, you’re going to love Dream Productions.
Obviously,Inside Out 2broke all the recordsand therefore demands a sequel. Do you have any ideas of what aspect of Riley’s life you’d like to explore forInside Out 3?
Kensington Tallman: I’d really love to see her exploring college and entering adulthood because I feel like the three pivotal moments in our lives are childhood, teenhood, and then adulthood. Going from a teenager to an adult is so different.
I’m not there yet - I just turned 16 the other day, so I’m on the brink of that - but a lot of my friends are older and are in college. They’re experiencing different changes, like being away from home and living on their own. I think that would be a really unique storyline for Inside Out 3. Fingers crossed!
Finally,Inside Out 2introduced so many fascinating new emotions, and yet it teased that others - like Nostalgia - were still waiting in the wings. What as-yet unused Kensington emotion would you like to see represented?
Kensington Tallman: That’s a really good question. I feel like goofy. I don’t know if that’s a real emotion, but I feel like I’d want to see a goofy emotion. Because I’m really, really silly, and I feel like this movie has taught me that it’s okay to be silly. It’s okay to be goofy and have fun. So, I feel like that would be a Kensington emotion, for sure. I definitely have a giant Goofball Island.
About Inside Out 2
Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 invites moviegoers inside the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as Headquarters undergoes a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions.
Check out our previousInside Out 2interviews here:
Inside Out 2arrives on Digital on August 20 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 10.
Inside Out 2
Cast
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
