‘It’s All So Insane’: Hoppers’ Piper Curda & Bobby Moynihan Thought They’d Be Recast in Pixar Movie | Interview

(Photo Credit: Pixar)

Hoppers stars Piper Curda and Bobby Moynihan spoke with ComingSoon about Pixar’s hit movie. The duo discussed how they thought they’d be recast in the movie, how surreal the response has been, and more. Hoppers is now streaming on Disney+.

“The wildly imaginative animated adventure follows animal lover Mabel as she uses a groundbreaking technology to ‘hop’ her consciousness into a lifelike robotic beaver, uncovering a hidden animal world shaped by its own rules. Alongside charismatic beaver King George and an unforgettable community of local wildlife, Mabel embarks on an action-packed mission that invites audiences to experience nature like never before,” says the official synopsis.

Tyler Treese: Piper, I wanted to ask you, because Mabel has such a passionate nature to her, how was it really unleashing that energy in your performance? And I was curious if it kind of rubbed off on you because I feel like we could all learn something from that character. If I had 20% of her passion, I feel like everybody would be better off.

Piper Curda: I think I was lucky because I got to play a character that was not super far off from who I am in real life. I did not really realize that until way too far into the process. But I think Daniel Chong realized it immediately, which is why he put me here.

There is so much of her in me and vice versa. It truly is the biggest compliment when I meet someone who watched or loved the film, talk to them for two minutes, and they say, “You’re just like Mabel.” I’m like, “Thank you.” That’s the biggest compliment.

I do feel that sometimes, but hearing it from other people is special because you’d like to think you’re like that person you think is really cool, but maybe you’re not really like them. So when people tell me that, I think it’s just a compliment.

I think she’s amazing, and getting to be a part of building that character was really special.

That’s really special. Bobby, you worked with director Daniel on We Bare Bears before. What did it mean for you to be asked back by Daniel and to be the co-lead in a Pixar movie? That has to be exciting.

Bobby Moynihan: Yeah, it’s nuts. I owe Daniel nothing. I owe him everything. He has made my life exponentially better. He’s a very kind man, and he teaches people how to be kind through his animation.

We Bare Bears is easily one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. On the last day of We Bare Bears, I said, “I don’t want this to end. I really hope we get to work together again.” And here we are. I can’t believe it. Being a co-lead in a Pixar movie, you assume it’s going to make sense at some point.

You assume that at some point you’ll go, “Yeah, that happened. I get it. I’ve seen it. It makes sense.” And it just doesn’t. One of the last interviewers showed us that King George and Mabel are now avatars on Disney+, and I changed mine to my avatar during the interview. It’s already done.

That’s pretty surreal, to have yourself be the avatar on the streaming service. That’s really cool.

Moynihan: It’s not lost on us. It really isn’t.

Piper, I know you had done some voice work on TV, but this was your first major movie that you voiced, which has to be surreal. There are toys of your character. How has it been seeing all this excitement that comes with being part of a Pixar movie release?

Curda: It still does not compute in any way at all. I’ve spent the last few years of my career doing a lot of really wonderful indie movies, and by nature of the business they often don’t get seen by a mass audience.

So to go from that to Pixar, where now we’re stuffed animals, we’re icons on Disney+, it doesn’t feel real. It’s all so insane. I feel so lucky that I’ve had Bobby to go through it with me and that Bobby is who he is. I would expect anybody who’s been in the business and around the block as much as he has to be a little more nonplussed by it all. But throughout the entire experience, it’s just been me and Bobby saying, “We’re so lucky.”

Moynihan: Oh yeah, I’m a child.

Curda: What the heck, you know? It has just been so special, and I don’t think it will ever stop feeling that way.

Moynihan: Honestly, I agree with all of that.

Bobby, I did want to ask about that because voice actors mostly record solo. How has it been doing these press rounds, especially with Piper and meeting all your talented co-stars? How has it been having that relationship with your co-stars develop after the fact? Clearly, you two have really connected.

Moynihan: Yeah. Sorry, other projects, but I don’t have a third daughter from any of the other projects. They’re all wonderful. I’ve made friends. I’m not a mean person. But I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone and hit the ground running faster than Piper. I went, “Oh, there’s Mabel. I got it.” We dropped into our slots and stayed there.

We’re very lucky people to get to do this job and to be currently working. To be excited about coming here today because I was going to see Piper, you don’t get that a lot. I didn’t get it with Ted Danson. That guy was a jerk. No, I’m just kidding. He’s the nicest man in the world. I love you, Ted. I went for the clearest target that I was kidding. That was Ted Danson. Love him.

Piper, you’ve mentioned how surreal this has been, and you mentioned that Daniel obviously saw a part of you in Mabel and could see that connection before you even did. What was that casting process like when you were auditioning for this project?

Curda: It was interesting. I had gotten the very nondescript email that was like, “Okay, this is this code name,” and a side note from my agent that said, “I’m pretty sure this is Pixar, just so you know.”

They give you zero information about the project or what it is. So I went in very blind, did a session with casting, and they were like, “Good enough,” and moved on. Then I did a session over Zoom with Nicole and Daniel. Then I did a final session. They flew me up to Emeryville and recorded for a couple hours in the booth.

Unbeknownst to me, I was the only one they did that for. I’m sitting there thinking, “Okay, there’s probably four or five other girls. I gotta keep it together.” And it was just me. Then they were like, “Okay, you’ll hear soon.”

And I did hear. What I heard was, “You did not get the job.” I sat with that for a couple weeks. I wasn’t doing too great. Then I got a call from my agent, and he said, “Are you sitting down?” I was like, “What are you about to say to me?” And now here we are.

None of that had to do with Daniel or Nicole or anybody else I was working closely with on the project. But it was a bit of a roller coaster for me emotionally. I will say it made me work that much harder. When you don’t feel like you have job security, you are working real hard.

Moynihan: I worked on this movie for four years and never thought I was safe. Two weeks before release, I literally called Daniel and was like, “If you recast this, I won’t hate you. I understand.” That’s the SNL in me, just knowing it could get cut live on air. Having that feeling that at any moment someone else is going to…

Curda: Until the trailer came out, I was literally like, “Could change.”

Moynihan: At least now there’s legal proof. We can see it now.

It all worked out. You two are both so perfect for your characters.

Tyler Treese: Bobby, I wanted to ask what your favorite aspect of King George was. His kindness and pure-hearted quality are so special. I feel like everybody instantly connects with him. How is it putting that out into the world?

Bobby Moynihan: It’s the best. My favorite part of King George now is his bald spot. It’s my favorite thing in the world. I’ve had a bald spot for 10 or 15 years. I love that he doesn’t care. I’m not a vain person. I don’t care about what I look like. I love that George doesn’t either. I love that he’s got that too.

Also, I just want to say this. If there’s ever a Hoppers 2, I think you might need to be in it. Seeing you amongst the characters in the background, I love you, and I think you fit in well. I think you belong in the Glade.

Tyler Treese: Nothing better than that. I would love to be part of Hoppers 2, for sure [laughs].

Piper, speaking of a Hoppers 2, do you have any hopes for a sequel? I was talking to Daniel and he said so many ideas were cut that could be explored in the future. Do you feel like there’s more of Mabel’s story to be told?

Piper Curda: No. That was one and done. No, I’m kidding. We’ve talked about it throughout the whole press tour. The adventures of George and Mabel. What could they get into? Where does their story go after this?

The idea that Mabel is in the lab with Dr. Sam cooking up other stuff. How does that impact the world or hopping or whatever? I just think there’s so much material there. Not only that, but we loved making this movie, and we loved working with each other. Daniel Chong could tell me to set myself on fire, and I would do it for him because I trust him.

Moynihan: I hope he doesn’t.

Curda: Yeah. But I would. That’s the dream, getting to work with people like that forever. So that’s the hope.

Bobby, I was curious, how has it been seeing all the fan response? Kids are being introduced to you through this movie, but older fans can show it to their kids. It’s this real mixture of audiences, and that has to be special.

Moynihan: Yeah, I was a big hit at drop-off at my kids’ school for like a week. It went from, “Where did I see you? Is It Cake?” to “King George.” That’s pretty sweet.

I was telling Piper recently that I was in Five Below with my daughters and a little kid just came up to me. It was like a cartoon. First of all, when a child approaches me in public, I usually run away. The kid looked at me and whispered, “Are you King George?” And I went, “Yeah, shhh.” He goes, “Out of a movie?” I was like, “Yeah.” He got all excited and ran away.

I was just like, “That’s the best. Are you kidding me? That just happened.” My daughter had a friend over, and the Hoppers trailer came up on Disney+, and the kid said, “I love that movie.” My daughter goes, “It’s my dad.” And he was like, “What are you talking about? Liar.”

I watched it all go down and then walked into the room and found myself talking like George, trying to impress the seven-year-old in my home. Shout out Kayan, by the way. They’re gonna give me jobs in 20 years.

Piper, I feel like everybody has such a connection to Pixar growing up. For me, Toy Story was what I would watch before bed all the time. What Pixar movie did you always return to growing up?

Curda: The big one was Ratatouille growing up. I have four siblings, and we drove everywhere in a giant Dodge Grand Caravan minivan. We got the one with the TVs in it, which was huge for us. Anybody who grew up with a car like that knows you’ll put a movie in and it’ll just live in there for six months. You end up watching it hundreds of times.

One of those movies was Ratatouille. I love Ratatouille also because I love cooking. Any movie or show that has cooking sequences, I just love watching. That movie is endlessly quotable and fun to watch. It was a big one for my family. I think we all love Ratatouille.

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Thanks to Bobby Moynihan and Piper Curda for taking the time to talk about Hoppers.

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