Singing her heart out
Actress Reese Witherspoon rediscovered much of herself with an animation film
Actress Reese Witherspoon made a lot of heads turn this month with her speech at the Golden Globes and her active participation in the “Time’s Up” movement against sexual harassment. She is not just a producer, an actor and a mother but has also lent her voice to the animation movie, Sing, which premiered on television a couple of days ago and won hearts. She did the voiceover for the character of Rosita, who plays a selfless homemaker and a mother of 25 piglets.
Having been a part of several animated films, what is your favourite part about voicing an animated character?
It’s so freeing and creative. There are endless possibilities! The experience of having no boundaries is quite magical.
In your Oscar-winning performance for Walk the Line, you sang all the songs. How was the experience this time around?
It was really good. We had great musical producers like Harvey Mason, who was really polite and encouraged me to sing more often. He let me sing Firework and Shake it Off many times. They helped me with the whole performance aspect.
You had to modulate your voice a lot for your character Rosita.
Yes, because they let one know how she is feeling — strong, weak…
Do you think that mothers all over the world will love Rosita?
I hope so because the truth is that she is that invisible mom no one really values or cares for. Nobody realises she has a song in her heart. I think mothers everywhere can relate to her and hopefully kids will appreciate their parents more after watching this film. They, too, had certain dreams before motherhood came into their life.
It takes a while for her husband to appreciate that too. Isn’t it true? And we can all relate to her fear of failing.
Yes, which is precisely why I find the moment so beautiful when Rosita’s husband runs up on stage and kisses her. For sure! I have been scared many times in my life but sometimes one just has to do it and be brave enough to try new things. And it certainly helps when it works out well in the end, because then one is willing to take an even bigger leap.
At its core, Sing is about relationships. The film is also a love letter to music. What part does it play in your life?
I like how the movie sets up these conflicts and is capable of resolving them by the end. Music is a big part of my life. Growing up in the south, I listened to a lot of country music, which inspired me to be a storyteller.
Why do you believe Garth Jennings, who makes his directorial debut in animation with Sing, was the right filmmaker for this project?
I think Garth does a great job at being compassionate about each character. He told me why he related to Rosita and who she was in his life. It’s great to approach the character with humanity along with having an understanding of where one wants him or her to end up. One could sense that he was a real leader and he does everything with a lot of benevolence and kindness. I wanted to do anything on my part for someone who is so supportive and nice.
Did your children enjoy the film too?
They loved it. And it’s nice for them to participate in something I am a part of. They listened to me rehearsing the songs around the house all the time, so they felt really invested in this project.
I was stunned by how many popular songs the film has from incredible artists like The Beatles, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and many more. It’s great to listen to these songs one had admired over time in a completely different way.