Maya Hawke Talks Voicing Anxiety and What She Hopes Audience Glean From ‘Inside Out 2’
For Inside Out 2, audiences got a chance to return to Headquarters and reunite with Joy, Sadness, and the rest of Riley’s Emotions. As the young girl begins to enter puberty, however, the original Emotions soon find that new feelings are moving in.
Of Riley’s new Emotions, there is one character in the film who stands out from the rest- Anxiety.
![Joy and Anxiety's fragile relationship summarized in one image in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2joymeetsanxiety-1024x502.jpeg)
![Joy and Anxiety's fragile relationship summarized in one image in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2joymeetsanxiety-1024x502.jpeg)
Image: Pixar
The main “antagonist” in Inside Out 2, Anixety, is voiced by franchise-newcomer Maya Hawke, who admitted that she was able to tap into her own emotions when playing the character.
“The little voice that I hear in my own head — the one that tells me to worry if my shoes are wrong or if I’m going be late to the airport or say the wrong thing — whatever that voice is that’s in my own head, I just tapped into that and let it come out of my mouth instead of keeping it in my brain,” she explained.
![Anxiety is about to make some mistakes in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2thewrongemotions-1024x429.jpeg)
![Anxiety is about to make some mistakes in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2thewrongemotions-1024x429.jpeg)
Image: Pixar
“I have anxiety, but I don’t have debilitating anxiety or medical grade anxiety. I do have, like, a character within me that frets and worries, and so I was really able to play with that character that I’ve had in my own life, let her free, and give her free reign in this role, which was really cool.”
Hawke Was Impressed by Anxiety Right Away
Hawke, who is a longtime Pixar fan, was drawn to Anxiety right off the bat. In fact, after seeing an image of the character, she knew she wanted the role.
“I actually saw the drawing of Anxiety while I was in the audition process. I just thought, ‘I HAVE to play this part’. And it was incredibly rewarding to see the end result,” she explained.
![Maya Hawke](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Maya-Hawke-1024x683.jpg)
![Maya Hawke](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Maya-Hawke-1024x683.jpg)
Photo: IMDB
“In fact, some of the hand gestures and little movements that I did during the voice recording made it into the way the character was animated, which was just the coolest thing to see.”
“This Movie is Just a Force For Good”
In the end, Hawke hopes that audiences can take something meaningful from Inside Out 2.
![The emotions discover the Puberty button in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2pubertybutton-1024x429.jpeg)
![The emotions discover the Puberty button in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2pubertybutton-1024x429.jpeg)
Image: Pixar
“This movie is just a force for good. It’s like a double rainbow. It takes so many tough emotions that everyone experiences, not just teenagers, and actualizes those emotions in a way that makes them feel less alienating or stressful,” she said.
“I could not be more grateful or proud to be part of this incredible movie alongside this insanely talented, amazing cast.”
![Embarrassment has had enough in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2wellthisisawkward-1024x428.jpeg)
![Embarrassment has had enough in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2wellthisisawkward-1024x428.jpeg)
Image: Pixar
With audiences lauding Inside Out 2 and the film having the biggest opening weekend for an animated film ever, it looks like Hawke’s wish is coming true.
![Inside Out 2 Trailer New Emotions](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Inside-Out-2-Trailer-New-Emotions-7.jpg)
![Inside Out 2 Trailer New Emotions](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Inside-Out-2-Trailer-New-Emotions-7.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Inside Out 2 is in theaters now.
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