Last Saturday, I wrote about how much we loved the movie, Wreck It Ralph. But I skimmed over the part about being invited to a press day with its actress, Stefanie Scott…
I’m not sure which one of them was more thrilled to be there: the 15-year-old cutie-pie behind the voice to Moppet Girl, at her big movie press sit-down or the 9-year-old with a more-than-passing affinity for talking to herself in her mirror, meeting her first bona fide actress, up close and personal.
Who am I kidding? Emily was over the moon! She took her press/blogger-by-proxy role very seriously, preparing a bunch of questions and even committing them to memory. She could hardly contain herself till the day of, counting the minutes and seconds until we met her.
Of course, when the time came, she pulled a total Chris Farley, rest his soul… you know, the skit from Saturday Night Live where he asked celebrities “Remember, remember, when you did that… that was SO cool!”? Yup, just like that, she froze and babbled like an idiot… it was adorable!
Here’s one such example:
Emily, showing all her God-given teeth: It was so funny the way he (Ralph) shrieked, ‘Get away from me.’
Stefanie Scott, laughing graciously: Yes, he was shooing them (Cy-Bugs) all away.
Pithy and insightful… that’s my little girl 
Interview with Stefanie Scott, the voice of Moppet Girl on Wreck It Ralph
Luckily, this being a group sit-down including other children and adults, we didn’t have to rely on Emily’s wits for conducting the interview. Here are some of the Q & As from that infamous press day.
Q: Did you play a lot of video games before you did this movie or are you playing any now?
A: Yes. I’ve been a big gamer my whole life because I have older brothers so I’ve always kinda had to play all the Pac-Man games with them, Mario Cart. So I’ve definitely grown up with lots of video games. I think that’s also what made me love this project even more is that I grew up with all these video game characters with my brothers.
Q: Do you have a favorite video game that you like to play?
A: Yes, definitely. Pac-Man and Mario Cart are my favorite video games that I played. I love Mario Cart. It reminds me of Sugar Rush in the movie. I love all the race car games. They’re a big adrenaline rush.
Q: How did you like working with Wreck It Ralph?
A: Well, Wreck It Ralph is played by John C. Riley. And I think he’s hysterical. Isn’t he like a big teddy bear at heart, though? So awesome. I love Wreck It Ralph. He’s such a cool character.
Q: Was he (John C. Reilly) the funniest actor on the set?
A: I would say yes. I mean, I think he’s a hysterical person in general. So to meet him and everything was really, really awesome. I loved it.
Q: Do you know why the Moppet Girl wasn’t shown a lot in the movie?
A: Hm, no, I don’t know (laughs) I think that she’s just — she’s a cute character. She’s the wallflower character and she’s the one who realizes Wreck It Ralph is missing, which is a big deal because without Wreck It Ralph, Fix It Felix can’t fix anything, right? And you do get to see her throughout the movie and towards the end. I think that I was just really blessed to be a part of this film. It’s been a big dream of mine to be in a Disney animated feature forever, since I saw “Finding Nemo”. I love it. So, definitely, I was very, very lucky to be a part of this film.
Q: Was it hard changing your voice?
A: Yeah, it is kind of hard changing your voice, isn’t it? I actually sound a lot like Moppet Girl. But, I think that, um, I don’t know if it was hard to change my voice like her. I think it was more, exciting, cuz it’s really fun to be able to have your voice be a character totally different from me, you know what I mean?
Q: What was your favorite part of the movie?
A: I loved the whole Sugar Rush thing– it looked like Candy Land. There were cotton candy trees and chocolate swamps. And it looked beautiful. I would have loved to live there.
Q: So what was your favorite action part of the movie?
A: I don’t want to give anything away because I want everyone to be surprised when they see it. I have some really, really fun parts in the movie. I think another one of my favorite scenes is in with Jane Lynch’s character in Hero’s Duty. That was a pretty intense scene with all the white wasp things flying everywhere, the cy-bugs. That was intense actually. I’m not gonna lie. I was a little bit scared in that scene. I was scared for Ralph. That was intense.
Q: So when you came in to do your voiceover work, did you see any of the cast or was it just you individually?
A: It was just me individually in the studio doing it with the director in the other room. So it was kind of weird cuz, you know, you’re in the room by yourself and it’s kind of — you’re talking to yourself (laughs) But, I had a blast. I got to see a couple of pictures of what my character was gonna look like when they were finished with the animation. And I got to see a couple of pictures of Mr. Lipwax’s Arcade and things like that right before I got to record it so I at least got a little bit of a visual of what it was gonna be like.
Q: So how was it different doing voiceover versus regular acting, which is what you normally do?
A: So different because on my show, you know, we have the live action comedy. So we get to get into wardrobe and get into character in so many different ways. And in voiceover, all you have is your voice to kind of make yourself heard and kind of create a character off the tone of your voice. So, it’s much, much different. And it’s kinda weird having your voice come out of something else (laughs). Another person. So, I think that’s how it’s very different. My character on “Ant Farm” — we have so much physical comedy. Kind of like an “I Love Lucy”. Throwing pies at you and yogurt and crazy things. And this is, like, you’re in a studio and it’s more of just your voice. So it is much different. But, I love both and both are such awesome opportunities to have.
Q: We absolutely loved the movie. Fabulous. What would be your dream job? Or your dream acting role?
A: Well, I have a very big list of things I want to accomplish. I am a big dreamer, I guess. I definitely want to do another Disney animated feature. Hopefully Pixar, one of those big movies. Those are my favorites. I want to do Broadway as well as maybe some musical films. And to work with some other directors I have in mind, like Adam Shankman. So I definitely want to get more involved on the feature film side as well. And also with my music. I can’t wait to start to actually record some of these things I’ve been writing. So, I have a lot that I want to do. And,yeah, I still want to go to college as well and film school. I wanna learn — I wanna direct (laughs).
Q: How did you become an actor?
A: That’s a very good question, actually. Um. I became an actor through — like I said, it’s always been a really big dream of mine. And then when I started doing all my local theater productions and things like that. And I did not succeed at first. I remember in fourth grade is when they had the big “High School Musical” auditions at my elementary school. And I really, really wanted the part of Sharpay. And I did not get the part of Sharpay (laughs). She gave it to her daughter. And I was, like, darn. I was kind of bummed. So I decided I was gonna do real acting instead. And I got an agent. I just found a local agent by my house in Orlando actually. It was, like, an hour away. And then I just started auditioning for commercials and getting something every once in a while. And then just had my goals set and I worked towards them.
Q: Your character in “Wreck It Ralph” is so different from Lexie in “Ant Farm”. So did you feel like you could connect with the character and in what way?
A: I think that in all acting, you always play a different character. And I’ve gotten the chance to play some really, really different people. But, I think Lexie, she’s more of the saucy side. And my character in this film, Moppet Girl, she is definitely more of the wallflower. And, she’s a little bit more on the quiet side and you get to kind of see that when she’s asking for her quarters. But I don’t think it was hard. It was very fun. And I had a blast working on it. And to create a different character and to be somebody so different. Cuz that’s why I love my job is cuz you get to act like so many different people. I wouldn’t want to play the same character every time. That’d be boring.
Good for you, Stefanie! I look forward to following your promising career.
Don’t forget to enter to win the lovely Wreck It Ralph tee shirts that the good folks at Disney generously gave me to give away. Wreck It Ralph opened in theaters nationwide on 11.2.12. Follow Wreck It Ralph on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates, video clips, goodies and freebies.
Such poise and professionalism from such a young thing, I was very impressed. I remember when I was 15, I was NOWHERE this motivated or dedicated to a craft, ANY craft! Were you?
