Photo courtesy of: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
Cute, accomplished and vibrant….Ginnifer Goodwin lit up the room from the monitor. Even though she couldn’t be in the same room with us to chat about her role in Zootopia, we still had the opportunity to talk about her role in what I predict will be this year’s break-out family film.
About preparing to be a BUNNY
I would like to say that I have a lot of artistic integrity and lived on a rabbit farm for a month, but I really just relinquished all control, which was new for me because I think control is something for which actors are always fighting and creating. But this is a new world for me, animation. I understand that everything physical, everything making up everything that you see, was really in the hands of the animators. I did show up and try to be completely emotionally available, said my lines and tried different things, and wore sneakers so I could jump around and that’s about it. I mean, it’s the most fun I’ve ever had.
Photo courtesty of: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
Why she took the role
To be honest, there was one word that convinced me that I needed to take this role and that was Disney. That’s the truth. I was sitting in Mickey Mouse pajamas in my kitchen. I was pregnant. I was in Vancouver shooting Once Upon a Time and I got a phone call that I was being offered this job and I had never heard of Zootopia and I took it immediately. My representative said, don’t you want to know anything about the character or the script? I said well, of course, I want to, but just accept the job first and then call me back. So they did and I actually didn’t read the script for a little while.
About overcoming stereotypes – like her character
I think becoming an actress in the way that I’ve become an actress was overcoming other perceptions. I am proud of the fact that I am not some like stereotypical, classic package of a Hollywood actress. I was certain early on I would never be a leading lady, and I thought that was ridiculous because there are all kinds of ladies and all stories need to be told, so why wouldn’t my kind of lady lead a film at some point?
Photo courtesy of Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
What she’d like kids to learn from Zootopia
There are so many incredible themes in this movie. The one that I gravitate towards the most because it’s the one my character articulated – that anyone can be anything and I absolutely believe that. I believe that there are infinite amounts of opportunities for everyone.
Photo courtesy of: Disney
Then there are some incredible underlying and very timely and timeless themes about the human condition and the state of our world that I think are powerful. It may take a little more maturity and social interaction for them to understand them, but I can’t wait for my kids to be old enough to really talk about it.
Disney’s Zootopia opens nationwide on March 4th!
Find out more on:
- The web at: Zootopia
- Facebook: DisneyZootopia
- Twitter: @DisneyZootopia #Zootopia
- Instagram: @DisneyAnimation
