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MEDIA: Studio Ghibli is such a respected animation house that has produced a number of beloved films. What movies of theirs have you enjoyed, and what was your reaction when you found out you'd be working on this project?
BRIDGIT: I thought it was so cool to be doing a voice for their films. For me, the movies that I really enjoyed were movies like Kiki's Delivery Service back in the day...Spirited Away was a really cool one. I love the imagination that they have in the stories, and the takes that they add to it. Oftentimes, they're creating these fantastical worlds, and the cool thing about this project in particular is it's a normal world--there just happens to be characters that are kind of an abnormal size that are living in it, so it kind of shifts the perspective.
What was your most memorable moment of working on Arrietty?
I have to say probably the first day at work (the first day out of three days), and I had to first embody Arrietty officially. It was a bit of a challenge--you know, you have to figure out how you want to address the character for audiences. And I think it was a really fun character to play, so I enjoyed that process.
What particular qualities of Arrietty's personality did you want to convey through your voice performance?
She's a younger character, so I wanted it to be a little bit more innocent in her voice. And then also, she's very adventuresome, and so I wanted to kind of include that excitement and curiosity in the way that she spoke. So I think that's probably the thing. [laughs] You know, you want to keep her a happy little camper.
The borrowers are very ingenious in the way they adapt human things for their own use. What did you find interesting about their world?
I thought it was cool how they used water, actually. Because they made it so that a droplet of water would, like, fill a little basin. And their little basin is like a pistachio shell or something. But that was enough for them. And it was just interesting, I thought, that they didn't make the raindrops especially small--they made them the size that they would be for you and me, and through doing that, you got to see how physics affected the borrowers, and how the natural world was just completely different for them.
This story focuses on the idea of a life-changing, unforgettable summer experience. How would you characterize your own summers as a youth?
I feel like my summer experiences were kind of similar to Arrietty's in that I was really into exploring the natural world, and I loved climbing trees and rocks. And there was this island that my family would visit in Maine, and we'd just climb around the whole island. It was all about exploring nature and becoming acquainted with that part of life, which I think is really special.
How old were you at the time?
I've done that all my life. [laughs]
 
Given your love of nature, what did you think of the botanical influence of Arrietty's home?
I think it's great. It's something that's cool about the movie: it makes nature really enchanting, and it's all about kids exploring that world and really looking at it through a different perspective.
We understand that The Borrowers was your grandfather's favorite book when he was younger. Did he tell you anything about the novels that helped to inform your interpretation of Arrietty?
You know, I didn't actually ever have a conversation with him about it. It was more just his enthusiasm for me being a part of the movie that was inspiring to me. And so I think it's just something that's really neat that we were able to share over so many generations. And now they're turning it into this movie in theaters, so I think that that's really exciting that we're able to keep this story alive for all these people of all walks of life.
How was your experience of working in the sound booth?
I'd stand there in front of a giant screen with my headphones on and say some random line, or make some random noise, and we'd just go down the script. And there'd be a packet of like 40 pages that I'd do for the day. And then we'd take a break every few hours, and I'd get something to drink or something like that, and you just go back to it. [laughs] It's really low key. You know, it's not like you have to really dress any certain way. There weren't cameras there for the majority of it, so it made things pretty easy.
Did you have prior experience recording for animation?
I've enjoyed doing animation for a long time. It was one of the first things that I did when I first started in the entertainment industry, like age 11, and so I feel like it's something that I can connect to. And it's something that requires a lot of imagination, but at the same time, you don't have to get dressed up, you don't have to go to a set, and it moves really quickly. Like I did the whole movie in three days. So in that sense, it doesn't require as much work. But it requires a lot more work of the mind, which I actually enjoy. I think it's fun.
Because this is an English-language dub of a Japanese animated feature, you had to match your voice performance to character mouth movements that had already been filmed. How did you tackle that challenge?
You know, they wrote the script with the idea of us having to say the words in English, matching up to the length of the speech that was in the movie. So a lot of that was already in mind. But it was kind of up to us as actors to match the inflection of how you see the characters moving their mouths, and that sort of thing. And sometimes they'd make slight alterations to that. But it was just an interesting process, and I enjoyed it, because not often do you have to fit your words to something that has already been said.
Did you use the original Japanese version as a reference for your own performance?
Yeah. They'd play it for me right before I would do the take so that I could hear the inflection. And sometimes they'd tell me what the character was actually saying word for word. I think that makes a difference. You know, each language kind of has a different meaning behind what they say, so sometimes it's hard to just completely translate it exactly. But I thought that it was really neat to be able to do my own version of that in English.
Disney has been a big part of your career to this point. What makes them so special to you as an actor?
I think that they really have a commitment to making quality programs, and they really are committed to having their kids that are a part of the show be able to express themselves in whatever positive way that they want to. I mean, for me, music has kind of been a big thing, so they've been able to help me with that. I have a strong connection with Friends for Change, and so they've allowed me to incorporate myself into that, too. And I think that they really want their kids to follow their dreams, and encourage other kids to do the same.
Did you know coming into Arrietty that you would be contributing to the soundtrack?
I didn't know that I was going to be doing a song at first. [laughs] They did talk to me about it through the recording process. And I wrote a song before the movie, and then they wound up using that song for the purpose of the movie. I think it's a nice fit, and hopefully it'll be on iTunes and that sort of thing. I don't think it's going to be on my album. I kind of see it as a different project--I kind of like to keep my music and acting worlds separate, besides the projects where I'm able to contribute a little bit of music to an acting thing. But I was really happy that they wanted me to do music for the movie.
How did your song "Summertime" come to fruition through Arrietty? And how do you keep that separation of music and acting in instances like this where they sort of overlap?
I've had it overlap in a few roles, but I don't see that as being my own music--I see it as being the character's music. So that's why I like the separation between those two. For this particular project, though, I had already written the song, and they just thought that it was a nice song, so they wanted to use it for the movie. I think it's so great to be able to put a [song] into a particular project. It's a fun task to do--and I've done it with a couple of movies now--because you're really trying to shape that sound to match the sound of the project. And with this song, the song was already written, but it hadn't been produced. So it was interesting...The production actually was really a big tool in making the song match up with the movie.
What style of music can we expect from your upcoming album?
There's definitely, like, the pop base to it, but I think it's going to be kind of funky, and a little soulful. I enjoyed experimenting throughout the album.
To what extent were you involved in the songwriting?
I wrote on all of the songs. There were definitely collaborations with other people, in terms of helping come up with how the song was going to go, but I was there for all of it.
What personal satisfaction do you get from writing music and singing?
I see music as a really creative experience, and there's no way to quantify it, or to have a foolproof system to it. And through meeting with people, you realize that everybody has their unique approach to it, their unique background. And I love that through collaborations, you are always figuring out new ways to express things. And I think the great thing about it is [that] I feel like every time, you're reinventing the wheel--you know, with everything, you're doing something completely unique, and it's something from nothing. So I think it's really fun. And it's a passionate experience--you have to feel something behind the music in order to make it special.
Having done acting, singing, and voiceover work, what else do you hope to do in the entertainment industry over the next, say, ten years?
In terms of the industry, I really enjoy making music, and I'd hope to produce music in the future. I'm kind of starting to mess around with that, but yeah, I think that it'd be really cool to just become in charge of that. And I think that directing music videos would be really cool, actually, somewhere down along the road.
What can we expect from the upcoming third season of Good Luck Charlie? And will your character Teddy be going off to college anytime soon, or is that still a few years away?
You know, I think at this point, she's 17, so she's nearing college age. I think she has one more year of high school. But yeah, college is on the horizon. She has a new sibling now. I don't know if you guys saw the [Good Luck Charlie Christmas special], but the mom was pregnant with her next child. So that kid has now arrived, and so I'm sure that there's going to be a lot of other crazy stuff going on in this season following that. [laughs]
Well, good luck with the new season, and thanks for your time.
Thank you, guys!
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