For many that saw Cars 3, Miss Fritter became a fan favorite. We had the chance to speak with voice of the character Lea DeLaria about her role in the film.
Laughing Place: You have accomplished a lot in your career. What’s it like to be a Disney character?
Lea DeLaria: Oh, that’s like the best thing ever. I thought I had accomplished a lot in my career. I’ve done a lot of things and I’ve had good success in what it is that I’ve done, but nothing was more exciting that getting that call from Pixar.
Laughing Place: One thing I thought was fascinating was is that there was your character has become sort of a cult classic already. In fact, at the Halloween party at the parks, there’s been Miss Fritter walk-around characters. People dressing up as her. Does that mean something to you, that your character has resonated with so many people?
Lea DeLaria: That means a whole lot to me. I’ve been sent so many pictures on social media, which is the best thing as people can reach out and touch you, so I have been sent so many pictures of little kids like sleeping with Miss Fritter dolls and Miss Fritter toys and getting upset if the parents take their Miss Fritter toy away from them. I think that’s just fascinating, and I’m really excited because she makes a really strong statement about what you can be and be female, which we don’t get very often, if you know what I mean.
She is self-possessed, and she’s confident, and she’s strong, and she’s a hoot. She’s a riot. So it’s such a great thing that people like her so much.
Laughing Place: If there’s one thing that you hope the audience gets from Miss Fritter as being a new kind of hero, I guess in the end. What do you hope they’d get out of her= presence on this film?
Lea DeLaria: What I hope they get out of her is exactly that message that I gave, that you can’t really judge a book by cover in that she is well rounded and she’s three-dimensional, and she fan girls when she realizes that it’s McQueen, you know what I mean? She literally fan girls, and she looks like she’s a big tough, but what she is is a whole lot of things. She has a great heart, and she works for the underdog, and this is all very positive things, and then, more than that, what I said before about her being a woman and being strong and being confident and being in love with real things. What she’s doing is smashing stereotypes, and I think it’s fantastic.