If you know anything about Big Hero 6, then you probably know it is about a boy and his robot. Which is true, very true. But like any good Disney movie or Marvel story, there are many layers to this story. And for all the moms of girls out there, you will appreciate knowing that there is a strong element of girl power throughout the movie too.
As I mentioned in my Big Hero 6 review when Marvel writes a female character, they write the character with strength and power and the characters of GoGo Tamago and Honey Lemon are no different. Thanks to Disney, I had the chance to sit down and talk to Jamie Chung and Genesis Rodriguez about their roles in the movie.
What was your favorite part about your character?
Jamie: I think the favorite in particular with Go Go is that she doesn’t say a lot at the beginning of the film. But when she does say something, it’s very on point and it’s quite sassy and you know, she’s described to me as the Female version of Clint Eastwood.
Genesis: For me it was having to be so positive all the time. I really feel like I was acting a fool, and I was getting paid for it.
We’ve been huge Disney fans all of our lives, and I literally would comb my red hair in restaurants as Ariel. It’s like a dream come true to be able to play these strong female characters and bring that to future generations.
Genesis: What I love about this film is that there is no stereotype. It kind of breaks all of those boundaries in terms of you being a Nerd and being not cool — this is the absolute opposite of that. And in terms of strong female characters, Honey Lemon and Go Go are so different from each other and yet they both represent strength in their own way. What Disney’s great about is that it is not a cookie cutter example of a strong woman. They come in different shapes and sizes, and different shades and what not, and that’s what I love about it.
Did you add your own personality to the characters?
Jamie: I think the interesting thing when you add a voice to a character, it because it really does come alive. And if you look at each character and compare them to the person that’s playing them, they embody that character. Genesis to me is Honey Lemon, you know. It’s her own personal attributes that give this character life, and I think that’s what they did with casting. They wanted the characters to represent the actors who play them.
In terms of an adrenaline junkie and being sassy I do feel like I embody those characteristics. And again like Genesis is just Honey Lemon, happy, perky, awesome, smart woman.
Genesis: She (Jamie) has the best line in the Movie. Which is “Woman up.”
So what do Jamie and Genesis think about their characters being superhero role models for girls?
Jamie: In terms of sending the right message — it is a superhero movie, but it stresses the importance of education and science. I love that the message that it sends — that intelligence and smarts is not sex biased, no more is it race biased. You know, everyone’s equal and has the same opportunity to reach milestone in terms of education. So I think it’s cool to part of that, and also in terms of 10, 20, 30 years from now this movie still will be relevant.
Genesis: I was so excited for a movie to talk about robots and technology. I was into robotics too, and I’m an official nerd. I hope girls, especially after seeing this movie, will be the first ones to raise their hands in class and realize that being smart is empowering. If we got to do that, we’re so cool. Robotics is cool. Science is cool.
Oh, and you’ve gotta check out Genesis’ Honey Lemon nails. Seriously, how awesome are these nails?!
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