June 24, 2024 • 25 mins
Ever wondered how a fresh take on a beloved Disney character comes to life? Discover the magic behind Disney Junior's brand-new series, "Ariel," in this captivating episode of Pop Culture Weekly. Join Kyle McMahon as he chats with groundbreaking executive producer Lynn Southerland about how she expanded Ariel's adventurous and warm-hearted nature for a new generation. Dive into the casting secrets with stars like Taye Diggs and Mykal-Michelle Harris and hear firsthand how Southerland made history directing "Mulan 2."
That's not all—Kyle is also joined by the talented Mykal-Michelle Harris herself, who gives us an insider's look at the thrill and responsibility of voicing the iconic Ariel. Learn how she infuses Ariel with her unique touch and why diversity in the show matters deeply to her. The episode wraps up with an engaging discussion with Taye Diggs, who shares his journey portraying King Triton and his illustrious career in theater and film. This episode is a treasure trove for Disney fans and anyone fascinated by the magic of storytelling and animation.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
---------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.com
Watch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videos
or Pop Culture Weekly YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@popcultureweekly
Read the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.com
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Website: http://www.kylemcmahon.me
That's not all—Kyle is also joined by the talented Mykal-Michelle Harris herself, who gives us an insider's look at the thrill and responsibility of voicing the iconic Ariel. Learn how she infuses Ariel with her unique touch and why diversity in the show matters deeply to her. The episode wraps up with an engaging discussion with Taye Diggs, who shares his journey portraying King Triton and his illustrious career in theater and film. This episode is a treasure trove for Disney fans and anyone fascinated by the magic of storytelling and animation.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
---------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.com
Watch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videos
or Pop Culture Weekly YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@popcultureweekly
Read the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.com
Follow Kyle on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kmacmusic
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahon
Website: http://www.kylemcmahon.me
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the brand new Disney
Junior series Arial. I talk withTay Diggs, Lynn Sutherland, Michael,
Michelle Harris and more. Let's goWelcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon
from iHeartRadio your pop culture news,views, reviews and celebrity interviews on all
(00:20):
the movies, TV, music,and pop culture u Crabe Weekly. Here's
Kyle McMahon, nay Na Na,Hello, and welcome to the pop Culture
Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I ofcourse am Kyle McMahon, and I can't
thank you enough for hanging out withme for another episode of pop Culture Weekly.
(00:41):
This episode is all about the brandnew Disney Junior series Ariel. Disney
Junior's Arial is a brand new animatedmusical series. It's aimed towards preschoolers and
of course, it's inspired by theLittle Mermaid. It follows eight year old
mermaid Princess Ariel as she and herfriends embark on fun filled, action packed
(01:03):
underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean inspired fairytale Kingdom of Atlantica and beyond. It's
got, of course, fan favoritecharacters like King Triton, who was played
by Tay Diggs. Love Tay Diggs, Ursula played by the amazing Amber Riley,
and Ariel herself is played by MichaelMichelle Harris. Who is She is
(01:26):
so adorable and so talented. She'sperfect as Ariel. Of course, it's
also got Sebastian and Flounder, andsome exciting new friends, mer children,
Lucia and Fernie, and of courseall kinds of adorable sea creatures. So
it's executive produced by Lynn Sutherland,who I talk with. Lynn is one
(01:48):
of the most prominent black female producerdirectors in the business. She directed Mulan
iiO as well as produced Happily everAfter on HBO and produced the classic animated
film Babas Kids. And she isthe executive producer on Disney Junior's Ariel.
So I can't wait to talk toher. I also talk with Tay Diggs,
(02:12):
Love Love Love Tay, and MichaelMichelle Harris. So first up my
interview with Lynn Sutherland. Lynn,as I stated, is a pioneer in
the business, first black female toever direct a Disney film with Mulan two.
She is a prominent producer who's workedon such classics as Sister act two,
(02:37):
one of my favorite all time movies, The Naked Gun Throw Mama from
the Train, Beabays Kids Happily everAfter on HBO, extremely goofy movie.
Another one of my childhood classics,and so much more. So let's get
right into my interview with the oneand only Lynn Sutherland. So, first
of all, congratulations on Ariel.It really is a cool uh project in
(02:59):
the world of the Little Mermaid.I think it's really enjoyable. People are
gonna love it. What was thewhat drew you to to telling these stories
in this world? I just thoughtit was a great opportunity to uh discover
(03:22):
the richness of who Ariel is.The nature of making the movies is it's
a very contained kind of story.This is a chance to see Ariel in
lots of different parts of her life, different stories that let us see her
(03:42):
as you know, warm hearted,friendly, adventurous and an experimenter. These
are all things that we might havehad hints of in the movies. But
here's a chance to really get insideof her. And so that felt like
a meaty opportunity. Yeah. Ilove that, and I love how it's
(04:04):
kind of your everyday aerial, Likeyou know, there's not this huge world
potentially world shaking thing that's happening.It could be something that we run into
every day. That's right exactly.She's just a girl living her life and
(04:26):
discovering who she is. And yeah, I like the grounding of that versus
that that there's a you know,there's there's We don't point a lot to
that she's a princess. She's justAriel and I like that. Yeah.
Uh. The cast is absolutely incredible, Tay and Amber everybody. How how
(04:47):
do you determine? I mean,obviously, I know, you know,
typically there's an audition process for forsome roles and that sort of thing.
But how did you decide, youknow, with casting that this is Tay
is Triton or you know whatever.I always like to think of it a
little bit like if it were anopera. It doesn't apply in live action,
(05:13):
but in animation, the voices helpus understand the room we're in,
so to speak, you know,and if everybody's voice sits in the same
place, then I'm kind of gonnafall asleep. So that's an element of
the process in this show. Thataspect probably applies more to the kids.
(05:35):
Making sure we have some variety inthat core group of kids, but in
terms of the adults we're going forin that voice, can we pick up
the humanity of the character the waywe want that character to express. So
Tay really when he came in andwe started actually work to shape the character,
(06:02):
you know, I think it mightbe one's natural instinct to think that
he should be a king, andit's no, He's a dad and Tay
is a dad, So it meantit was easy for him to grab on
to what we were looking for.I mean, he has a great voice
whatever, you know, So thenit's just how do we have him craft
(06:24):
his voice to work for this character. And the same with Amber. I
mean just she's almost like you justgo, yeah, perfect Ursula because we
wanted her to have big energy,big heart, and you really feel a
lot of joy when you hear hervoice, and I think Amber just captures
(06:46):
all that and yeah, her fabuloussinging voice. Of course. Yes for
you, you know you did Mulantoo. That was the first film that
you were the first black woman todirect a animated film. You know,
you are continuing the legacy set bythe you know, the recent Little Mermaid
(07:09):
film in bringing people of color tocharacters that are beloved for generations. Is
that for you? You know,is that something that you are like,
I want kids that see this tobe reflected. I loved The Little Mermaid
when I was a kid, butit was, you know, it didn't
necessarily reflect my friend group. Youknow, I had a lot of black
(07:32):
friends and people of all color,and it was, you know, not
as diverse as my life. Wasthat something consciously as you're doing this,
that we want, you know,a series to reflect our viewership. Yes,
to reflect the viewership, and alsoto reflect that that we are ready
(07:54):
for that now, like the energywe have, we have moved ourselves to
a place where we see the deficiencyin limiting the actors that we either see
or hear. So it's a greatnexus of the moment. It's a desire
(08:15):
I've always had, and I've gottento work on many projects that had diverse
cast, but this was the firsttime I was doing it with a character
that had another identity at another time. So it's just wonderful to have had
(08:39):
the opportunity to move her into abroader sense and for everyone to remember that
you can you know, aerieal youknow, why couldn't in another iteration in
whatever in twenty years that somebody says, you know Atlantica. Actually she's not
(09:01):
in Atlantica, she's in Pacifica.And now we're gonna tell it this way.
You know, it's like it wasa fairy tale. We can do
whatever we want with them, exactly. I love that. Thank you for
what you're doing, Thank you forspeaking with me. Thank you. And
I can't wait for everybody to seeAriel, me too, have a great
(09:22):
day, me too. Lynn's southernLynn, what an icon and pioneer in
the business. And she's from Philly, so I didn't realize that. So
next time you are back in town, Lynn, let's get a sub or
a cheese steak at Gino's and talkshop. All right. Next up The
(09:43):
Adorable and Such a Powerhouse Michael.Michelle Harris Is. She plays Ariel in
Disney Junior's Ariel Mermaid Tales, andshe is an Emmy winner. She won
the twenty twenty three Emmy in thecategory of Best Younger Performer and a Pre
School, Children's or a Young TeenProgram for her role as Alice Baxter in
Raven's Home. She was also inCheaper by the Dozen and You Can Look
(10:09):
at UH where I interviewed that castlast year on from Disney Plus. And
she stars in Mixed Dish, whichshe is hysterical in. She's also been
in Big Little Lives on HBO andso much more. So let's get right
in to my interview with the Emmywinning Michael Michelle Harris. Thank you,
(10:31):
Michael Michelle for speaking with me.I appreciate it absolutely, Thank you,
of course. So first of all, congratulations on Ariel. It's such a
great project and you do so wonderfulin it, so I want to congratulate
you on that. Thank you somuch, of course. So what is
it like, I mean Ariel,Like, what is it like to play
Ariel Vierial? Right? I amso so so excited to be playing Ariel
(10:58):
as a person who like always grewup on watching all of the Disney princesses
and wish they could be a Disneyprincess when I grow up. I being
and now actually being a Disney princessis like a dream come true. I
am so excited. I am thisis like such a fulfilling role for me.
(11:22):
I'm just oh, it's it's soamazing and I love that and you
do such a great job with it. And of course, and you have
such great talent around you, TayDiggs, Amber Riley, you know,
you have such great you know,these these big talented people, and you
are holding your own with all yourtalent with them. What's it like to
(11:45):
work with with talent like that?Unfortunately I didn't get to be in the
studio with them, but I didget to see the first and second episode
and hearing their voices and all thatemotion that they put into the character,
mixed with the beautiful scenery of Atlanticaand the incredible songs, just it brings
(12:05):
the whole show together in this beautifulculmination of all of all of the talent.
Yes, and and you're totally totallyright. It is a culmination of
so many awesome things, from themusic and the score and the animation and
all of you guys. It's sucha great project. What you know,
(12:26):
when you are obviously you know,successful actor, when you get a project
like this that is something that hasa history before you know, there's a
there's a couple of films, therewas a series at one point. Do
you feel pressure at all or areyou like, I'm gonna do my own
take on aerial or can you likeblock out the other actors that have played
(12:50):
her before? How do you do? How does that work for you?
That's actually all of those things areare what I feel home. So of
course there is a pressure because havebeen so many different people that have played
this role and that have knocked itout of the ballpark, and I,
you know, I feel like Ihave to come in with this you know,
(13:11):
new take on things and you know, be up there with them and
stuff like that. But I feellike it is a good feeling that I
know that I can put my ownspin on things, put my own take
on things. But also I dida bit of character resource research. You
know, I watched the aerial featurefilms again. I studied what I felt
(13:35):
like they or what I felt likeshe would sound like when she was eight
years old, because we have notseen arios so young, and so I
had to you know, kind ofcome up with like a backstory ish like
you know, her aerialisms. Soof course I was helped out by the
writers and the executive producers and thedirector, but you know, so the
(13:56):
tiny details I have to sprinkling myselfsometimes And where did that come from?
For you? Those those little details. Is it just your personally personality coming
out, or is it you know, is it in things that you've learned,
or where does that come from?I think overall, when I like
drop into the character and fully takeon the character, it really just comes
(14:18):
from a place where I think itwould the character right. And so I
feel like when I'm doing like theaerial I don't really have to modify my
voice that much. But when Ido kind of like the aerial voice,
I really think about the different howshe would sound natural, you know,
and I just it just comes outright, like sometimes I put a giggle
(14:41):
on the end of a line,or or like I do like an extra
big smile on this line, sothat it comes through my voice. And
I feel like that really just comesfrom a place of knowing the character and
knowing how she would react to certainthings. I love that. And finally,
what is most excite for you?You know? In this project?
You know, there's so many coolthings, as we've discussed many of them.
(15:05):
What is your favorite part of beingaerial in Ariel? Right, I
think one of my absolute favorite partsis all the diversity that is included in
this show. There are so manydifferent merph folks that you can see in
this in Disney Juniors Aerial and youcan basically put yourself in their shoes.
(15:31):
And I would say that all ofthis diversity and stuff like this is really
good to include in a preschool showbecause it's great to show this type of
this type of of what is theword this type of diversity yeah, oh
oh yeah, gotcha, this typeof diversity to young children, so that
(15:54):
they know that they're not alone inwhatever they may be going through. They're
not alone, and it's okay tobe themselves. It's okay to you know,
like what they like, do whatthey do, and that all comes
through in the diversity in Disney Junior'sAriel. But as an artist and an
art junkie myself, I also lovethe imagery of the mystical underwater land of
(16:17):
Atlantica. Yes, it is beautifuland and to your point with the diversity,
I think it's amazing too. Peopleget to see themselves represented all throughout
Atlantica and Ariel, And of coursethat is with huge kudos to you with
all of this and making Aerial Ariel. So thank you so much for speaking
(16:40):
with me. I can't wait foreverybody to see Ariel. Thank you.
I appreciate it. Michael Michelle Harris. I can't wait for to continue to
watch her career just explode. Howare you an Emmy winner at twelve years
old? Like I woke up witha burrito in my pocket this morning,
and this twelve year old has anEmmy. She's incredible and love speaking with
(17:03):
her. She's so delightful, sosmart and talented. And as I said,
I can't wait to continue to watchher career explode. All right.
Next up, I love this man. Tay Diggs plays King Triton, Ariel's
father in The Little Mermaid. Tayoriginated the role of the landlord Benny in
(17:26):
the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musicalRent. He continued to work on Broadway,
including the revival of Chicago in twothousand and two. End was in
the Broadway musical Wicked. He gotfrom the stage to TV in the soap
opera Guiding Light, then made hisfilm debut and How Stella Got her groove
(17:48):
back then he just went ham.He was in the Wood with Omar Epps.
He was in the Best Man wherehe was the best Man House on
Haunted Hill. And you know,I love My Horror. He replied his
role as Benny for the Rent film. He reprised his role as the band
leader in the film adaptation of Chicagoand played opposite Christian Bale in Equilibrium.
(18:11):
And that's just scratching the surface.Oh and by the way, he is
the only two time winner on LipSync Battle, which love that show.
So without further ado, let's jumpinto my interview with King Triton himself.
Tay Diggs, what's up to say? How you doing man? How are
(18:32):
you, Kyle? Good to seeit? Good to see you. So
this new project it is I loveit because it is a just another kind
of chapter in the universe of theLittle Mermaid and King Triton. For me
anyway, King Triton has been suchalways, such an iconic character which you
(18:52):
are now playing. What is thatlike for you? It's it's so many
things. Because I grew up onDisney and and always uh dreamt about being
in a Disney movie. Finally gettingthat opportunity is amazing. Uh. And
then when I think about the projectthat I'm working on, a Little Mermaid,
(19:15):
and and how a solid and youknow, ever living that this tale
is that's amazing. And then whenI think of the perspective in which you
know, they're they're they're coming atthese characters kind of dealing in everyday problems,
(19:36):
very realistic, very down to earthsituations. That's it's it's excellent.
You know, it's you know,I'm I'm. I consider myself very lucky.
And for you, as you know, as an actor, do you
find so in other words, obviouslythere's been other actors that have played this
(19:56):
character before. Do you find ithard to kind of differentiate and find your
own take on it or are youable to like block those out or how
do you approach that? Oh,that's a good question. I do neither.
I just since the writing is sogood, I just follow the writing.
(20:18):
I don't think about who came beforeme, who's going to come after
me. I don't care about myperformance after I've made it. I find
it's it's it's healthier for me tojust be in the moment and uh and
do what I do and uh andnot put much extra on it. Okay,
and acting, you know, voiceacting obviously it is just as challenging,
(20:44):
I would assume, as as beingon camera and that sort of thing.
Do you find that there are additionalchallenges as an actor when doing voice
work over being on camera. Oh, I hate when people say things like
this, but I don't. Idon't think of it as a challenge.
(21:07):
Uhh. It's different and it's alwaysgreat to be exposed to different things,
you know, and in a lotof ways, it's it's more difficult than
acting, as you know it becauseyou don't have your body or your gestures
(21:32):
or your facial expressions to lean on. All you have is your voice.
So that's that's really really cool touh experiment with. Yeah, and I
love the fact that that that I'mstill learning, you know, this job
(21:52):
won't get boring because I'm still learninglearning about it. So I love that.
And when when you filmed Ariel orI guess not filmed when you worked
on Ariels recorded? Yeah, recordedAeriel? Were you was this like solo
or or you know you're you're doingTriton's parts by yourself or are you like,
(22:17):
how does that work with this project? Yes, that's a good question.
I personally, I don't know howthe other actors work, but personally
I am by myself in a studio, and then there are the overseers,
you know, through a glass window, the engineers and whatnot, and it's
just me. Normally you might hearsomeone complaining about not being in the same
(22:41):
room as their fellow actors, butthe other actors in this project are so
talented that when I hear them throughmy earphones, it's as if they're they're
standing right there. So I can'teven complain about that. It's a it's
a great gig, you know.I can come in and house shoes in
(23:02):
a wardrobe as long, and arobe as long as your as long as
your voices are warm, you canget down. I love that. And
uh, will we be seeing furtheradventures uh with with King Triton. Absolutely,
I can't wait. Thank you somuch today. I really appreciate your
(23:23):
time and I'm such a great project. Yeah, great, great, great
questions, my man. Thank you. Have a good day you too,
sir Ty Diggs. I love him. We followed each other on Twitter for
years and you know, would sendmessages here and there, back and forth,
but I've never interviewed him. Sohere's my first official interview with mister
(23:45):
Tate Diggs. So there you haveit. The my interviews with the team
behind Disney Junior's Ariel Mermaid Tales.You can watch Ariel on Disney Plus and
Disney Junior beginning today. If you'relistening, I guess today No matter when
you're listening, June twenty first,today is when At debuts. So it's
(24:08):
really a great series for the littleones and there's a lot to enjoy for
us big ones too. So that'sit for this episode. I've got some
exciting things coming up for the nextfew episodes, including who knows, maybe
we'll have a return of the rotatingpanel of guest hosts and start getting back
to those fun conversations that we haven'thad in a long time. So until
(24:32):
then, hit me up on socialsat KMAC music. On most places,
we're at real Kyle McMahon, we'reat pop Culture Weekly. Just find me,
search me, continue to reach outto me. Please continue to review
if you haven't on Apple Podcasts.It really does help us and helps the
show continue to grow each and everyweek. And that is all because of
you and your love for this andI do it for my love for you.
(24:56):
Thank you. I'll see you nextweek. Thank you for listening to
pop Culture Weekly. Here all thelatest at popculturewekly dot com. I don't
want to be where the people are.
In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the brand new Disney
Junior series Arial. I talk withTay Diggs, Lynn Sutherland, Michael,
Michelle Harris and more. Let's goWelcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon
from iHeartRadio your pop culture news,views, reviews and celebrity interviews on all
(00:20):
the movies, TV, music,and pop culture u Crabe Weekly. Here's
Kyle McMahon, nay Na Na,Hello, and welcome to the pop Culture
Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I ofcourse am Kyle McMahon, and I can't
thank you enough for hanging out withme for another episode of pop Culture Weekly.
(00:41):
This episode is all about the brandnew Disney Junior series Ariel. Disney
Junior's Arial is a brand new animatedmusical series. It's aimed towards preschoolers and
of course, it's inspired by theLittle Mermaid. It follows eight year old
mermaid Princess Ariel as she and herfriends embark on fun filled, action packed
(01:03):
underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean inspired fairytale Kingdom of Atlantica and beyond. It's
got, of course, fan favoritecharacters like King Triton, who was played
by Tay Diggs. Love Tay Diggs, Ursula played by the amazing Amber Riley,
and Ariel herself is played by MichaelMichelle Harris. Who is She is
(01:26):
so adorable and so talented. She'sperfect as Ariel. Of course, it's
also got Sebastian and Flounder, andsome exciting new friends, mer children,
Lucia and Fernie, and of courseall kinds of adorable sea creatures. So
it's executive produced by Lynn Sutherland,who I talk with. Lynn is one
(01:48):
of the most prominent black female producerdirectors in the business. She directed Mulan
iiO as well as produced Happily everAfter on HBO and produced the classic animated
film Babas Kids. And she isthe executive producer on Disney Junior's Ariel.
So I can't wait to talk toher. I also talk with Tay Diggs,
(02:12):
Love Love Love Tay, and MichaelMichelle Harris. So first up my
interview with Lynn Sutherland. Lynn,as I stated, is a pioneer in
the business, first black female toever direct a Disney film with Mulan two.
She is a prominent producer who's workedon such classics as Sister act two,
(02:37):
one of my favorite all time movies, The Naked Gun Throw Mama from
the Train, Beabays Kids Happily everAfter on HBO, extremely goofy movie.
Another one of my childhood classics,and so much more. So let's get
right into my interview with the oneand only Lynn Sutherland. So, first
of all, congratulations on Ariel.It really is a cool uh project in
(02:59):
the world of the Little Mermaid.I think it's really enjoyable. People are
gonna love it. What was thewhat drew you to to telling these stories
in this world? I just thoughtit was a great opportunity to uh discover
(03:22):
the richness of who Ariel is.The nature of making the movies is it's
a very contained kind of story.This is a chance to see Ariel in
lots of different parts of her life, different stories that let us see her
(03:42):
as you know, warm hearted,friendly, adventurous and an experimenter. These
are all things that we might havehad hints of in the movies. But
here's a chance to really get insideof her. And so that felt like
a meaty opportunity. Yeah. Ilove that, and I love how it's
(04:04):
kind of your everyday aerial, Likeyou know, there's not this huge world
potentially world shaking thing that's happening.It could be something that we run into
every day. That's right exactly.She's just a girl living her life and
(04:26):
discovering who she is. And yeah, I like the grounding of that versus
that that there's a you know,there's there's We don't point a lot to
that she's a princess. She's justAriel and I like that. Yeah.
Uh. The cast is absolutely incredible, Tay and Amber everybody. How how
(04:47):
do you determine? I mean,obviously, I know, you know,
typically there's an audition process for forsome roles and that sort of thing.
But how did you decide, youknow, with casting that this is Tay
is Triton or you know whatever.I always like to think of it a
little bit like if it were anopera. It doesn't apply in live action,
(05:13):
but in animation, the voices helpus understand the room we're in,
so to speak, you know,and if everybody's voice sits in the same
place, then I'm kind of gonnafall asleep. So that's an element of
the process in this show. Thataspect probably applies more to the kids.
(05:35):
Making sure we have some variety inthat core group of kids, but in
terms of the adults we're going forin that voice, can we pick up
the humanity of the character the waywe want that character to express. So
Tay really when he came in andwe started actually work to shape the character,
(06:02):
you know, I think it mightbe one's natural instinct to think that
he should be a king, andit's no, He's a dad and Tay
is a dad, So it meantit was easy for him to grab on
to what we were looking for.I mean, he has a great voice
whatever, you know, So thenit's just how do we have him craft
(06:24):
his voice to work for this character. And the same with Amber. I
mean just she's almost like you justgo, yeah, perfect Ursula because we
wanted her to have big energy,big heart, and you really feel a
lot of joy when you hear hervoice, and I think Amber just captures
(06:46):
all that and yeah, her fabuloussinging voice. Of course. Yes for
you, you know you did Mulantoo. That was the first film that
you were the first black woman todirect a animated film. You know,
you are continuing the legacy set bythe you know, the recent Little Mermaid
(07:09):
film in bringing people of color tocharacters that are beloved for generations. Is
that for you? You know,is that something that you are like,
I want kids that see this tobe reflected. I loved The Little Mermaid
when I was a kid, butit was, you know, it didn't
necessarily reflect my friend group. Youknow, I had a lot of black
(07:32):
friends and people of all color,and it was, you know, not
as diverse as my life. Wasthat something consciously as you're doing this,
that we want, you know,a series to reflect our viewership. Yes,
to reflect the viewership, and alsoto reflect that that we are ready
(07:54):
for that now, like the energywe have, we have moved ourselves to
a place where we see the deficiencyin limiting the actors that we either see
or hear. So it's a greatnexus of the moment. It's a desire
(08:15):
I've always had, and I've gottento work on many projects that had diverse
cast, but this was the firsttime I was doing it with a character
that had another identity at another time. So it's just wonderful to have had
(08:39):
the opportunity to move her into abroader sense and for everyone to remember that
you can you know, aerieal youknow, why couldn't in another iteration in
whatever in twenty years that somebody says, you know Atlantica. Actually she's not
(09:01):
in Atlantica, she's in Pacifica.And now we're gonna tell it this way.
You know, it's like it wasa fairy tale. We can do
whatever we want with them, exactly. I love that. Thank you for
what you're doing, Thank you forspeaking with me. Thank you. And
I can't wait for everybody to seeAriel, me too, have a great
(09:22):
day, me too. Lynn's southernLynn, what an icon and pioneer in
the business. And she's from Philly, so I didn't realize that. So
next time you are back in town, Lynn, let's get a sub or
a cheese steak at Gino's and talkshop. All right. Next up The
(09:43):
Adorable and Such a Powerhouse Michael.Michelle Harris Is. She plays Ariel in
Disney Junior's Ariel Mermaid Tales, andshe is an Emmy winner. She won
the twenty twenty three Emmy in thecategory of Best Younger Performer and a Pre
School, Children's or a Young TeenProgram for her role as Alice Baxter in
Raven's Home. She was also inCheaper by the Dozen and You Can Look
(10:09):
at UH where I interviewed that castlast year on from Disney Plus. And
she stars in Mixed Dish, whichshe is hysterical in. She's also been
in Big Little Lives on HBO andso much more. So let's get right
in to my interview with the Emmywinning Michael Michelle Harris. Thank you,
(10:31):
Michael Michelle for speaking with me.I appreciate it absolutely, Thank you,
of course. So first of all, congratulations on Ariel. It's such a
great project and you do so wonderfulin it, so I want to congratulate
you on that. Thank you somuch, of course. So what is
it like, I mean Ariel,Like, what is it like to play
Ariel Vierial? Right? I amso so so excited to be playing Ariel
(10:58):
as a person who like always grewup on watching all of the Disney princesses
and wish they could be a Disneyprincess when I grow up. I being
and now actually being a Disney princessis like a dream come true. I
am so excited. I am thisis like such a fulfilling role for me.
(11:22):
I'm just oh, it's it's soamazing and I love that and you
do such a great job with it. And of course, and you have
such great talent around you, TayDiggs, Amber Riley, you know,
you have such great you know,these these big talented people, and you
are holding your own with all yourtalent with them. What's it like to
(11:45):
work with with talent like that?Unfortunately I didn't get to be in the
studio with them, but I didget to see the first and second episode
and hearing their voices and all thatemotion that they put into the character,
mixed with the beautiful scenery of Atlanticaand the incredible songs, just it brings
(12:05):
the whole show together in this beautifulculmination of all of all of the talent.
Yes, and and you're totally totallyright. It is a culmination of
so many awesome things, from themusic and the score and the animation and
all of you guys. It's sucha great project. What you know,
(12:26):
when you are obviously you know,successful actor, when you get a project
like this that is something that hasa history before you know, there's a
there's a couple of films, therewas a series at one point. Do
you feel pressure at all or areyou like, I'm gonna do my own
take on aerial or can you likeblock out the other actors that have played
(12:50):
her before? How do you do? How does that work for you?
That's actually all of those things areare what I feel home. So of
course there is a pressure because havebeen so many different people that have played
this role and that have knocked itout of the ballpark, and I,
you know, I feel like Ihave to come in with this you know,
(13:11):
new take on things and you know, be up there with them and
stuff like that. But I feellike it is a good feeling that I
know that I can put my ownspin on things, put my own take
on things. But also I dida bit of character resource research. You
know, I watched the aerial featurefilms again. I studied what I felt
(13:35):
like they or what I felt likeshe would sound like when she was eight
years old, because we have notseen arios so young, and so I
had to you know, kind ofcome up with like a backstory ish like
you know, her aerialisms. Soof course I was helped out by the
writers and the executive producers and thedirector, but you know, so the
(13:56):
tiny details I have to sprinkling myselfsometimes And where did that come from?
For you? Those those little details. Is it just your personally personality coming
out, or is it you know, is it in things that you've learned,
or where does that come from?I think overall, when I like
drop into the character and fully takeon the character, it really just comes
(14:18):
from a place where I think itwould the character right. And so I
feel like when I'm doing like theaerial I don't really have to modify my
voice that much. But when Ido kind of like the aerial voice,
I really think about the different howshe would sound natural, you know,
and I just it just comes outright, like sometimes I put a giggle
(14:41):
on the end of a line,or or like I do like an extra
big smile on this line, sothat it comes through my voice. And
I feel like that really just comesfrom a place of knowing the character and
knowing how she would react to certainthings. I love that. And finally,
what is most excite for you?You know? In this project?
You know, there's so many coolthings, as we've discussed many of them.
(15:05):
What is your favorite part of beingaerial in Ariel? Right, I
think one of my absolute favorite partsis all the diversity that is included in
this show. There are so manydifferent merph folks that you can see in
this in Disney Juniors Aerial and youcan basically put yourself in their shoes.
(15:31):
And I would say that all ofthis diversity and stuff like this is really
good to include in a preschool showbecause it's great to show this type of
this type of of what is theword this type of diversity yeah, oh
oh yeah, gotcha, this typeof diversity to young children, so that
(15:54):
they know that they're not alone inwhatever they may be going through. They're
not alone, and it's okay tobe themselves. It's okay to you know,
like what they like, do whatthey do, and that all comes
through in the diversity in Disney Junior'sAriel. But as an artist and an
art junkie myself, I also lovethe imagery of the mystical underwater land of
(16:17):
Atlantica. Yes, it is beautifuland and to your point with the diversity,
I think it's amazing too. Peopleget to see themselves represented all throughout
Atlantica and Ariel, And of coursethat is with huge kudos to you with
all of this and making Aerial Ariel. So thank you so much for speaking
(16:40):
with me. I can't wait foreverybody to see Ariel. Thank you.
I appreciate it. Michael Michelle Harris. I can't wait for to continue to
watch her career just explode. Howare you an Emmy winner at twelve years
old? Like I woke up witha burrito in my pocket this morning,
and this twelve year old has anEmmy. She's incredible and love speaking with
(17:03):
her. She's so delightful, sosmart and talented. And as I said,
I can't wait to continue to watchher career explode. All right.
Next up, I love this man. Tay Diggs plays King Triton, Ariel's
father in The Little Mermaid. Tayoriginated the role of the landlord Benny in
(17:26):
the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musicalRent. He continued to work on Broadway,
including the revival of Chicago in twothousand and two. End was in
the Broadway musical Wicked. He gotfrom the stage to TV in the soap
opera Guiding Light, then made hisfilm debut and How Stella Got her groove
(17:48):
back then he just went ham.He was in the Wood with Omar Epps.
He was in the Best Man wherehe was the best Man House on
Haunted Hill. And you know,I love My Horror. He replied his
role as Benny for the Rent film. He reprised his role as the band
leader in the film adaptation of Chicagoand played opposite Christian Bale in Equilibrium.
(18:11):
And that's just scratching the surface.Oh and by the way, he is
the only two time winner on LipSync Battle, which love that show.
So without further ado, let's jumpinto my interview with King Triton himself.
Tay Diggs, what's up to say? How you doing man? How are
(18:32):
you, Kyle? Good to seeit? Good to see you. So
this new project it is I loveit because it is a just another kind
of chapter in the universe of theLittle Mermaid and King Triton. For me
anyway, King Triton has been suchalways, such an iconic character which you
(18:52):
are now playing. What is thatlike for you? It's it's so many
things. Because I grew up onDisney and and always uh dreamt about being
in a Disney movie. Finally gettingthat opportunity is amazing. Uh. And
then when I think about the projectthat I'm working on, a Little Mermaid,
(19:15):
and and how a solid and youknow, ever living that this tale
is that's amazing. And then whenI think of the perspective in which you
know, they're they're they're coming atthese characters kind of dealing in everyday problems,
(19:36):
very realistic, very down to earthsituations. That's it's it's excellent.
You know, it's you know,I'm I'm. I consider myself very lucky.
And for you, as you know, as an actor, do you
find so in other words, obviouslythere's been other actors that have played this
(19:56):
character before. Do you find ithard to kind of differentiate and find your
own take on it or are youable to like block those out or how
do you approach that? Oh,that's a good question. I do neither.
I just since the writing is sogood, I just follow the writing.
(20:18):
I don't think about who came beforeme, who's going to come after
me. I don't care about myperformance after I've made it. I find
it's it's it's healthier for me tojust be in the moment and uh and
do what I do and uh andnot put much extra on it. Okay,
and acting, you know, voiceacting obviously it is just as challenging,
(20:44):
I would assume, as as beingon camera and that sort of thing.
Do you find that there are additionalchallenges as an actor when doing voice
work over being on camera. Oh, I hate when people say things like
this, but I don't. Idon't think of it as a challenge.
(21:07):
Uhh. It's different and it's alwaysgreat to be exposed to different things,
you know, and in a lotof ways, it's it's more difficult than
acting, as you know it becauseyou don't have your body or your gestures
(21:32):
or your facial expressions to lean on. All you have is your voice.
So that's that's really really cool touh experiment with. Yeah, and I
love the fact that that that I'mstill learning, you know, this job
(21:52):
won't get boring because I'm still learninglearning about it. So I love that.
And when when you filmed Ariel orI guess not filmed when you worked
on Ariels recorded? Yeah, recordedAeriel? Were you was this like solo
or or you know you're you're doingTriton's parts by yourself or are you like,
(22:17):
how does that work with this project? Yes, that's a good question.
I personally, I don't know howthe other actors work, but personally
I am by myself in a studio, and then there are the overseers,
you know, through a glass window, the engineers and whatnot, and it's
just me. Normally you might hearsomeone complaining about not being in the same
(22:41):
room as their fellow actors, butthe other actors in this project are so
talented that when I hear them throughmy earphones, it's as if they're they're
standing right there. So I can'teven complain about that. It's a it's
a great gig, you know.I can come in and house shoes in
(23:02):
a wardrobe as long, and arobe as long as your as long as
your voices are warm, you canget down. I love that. And
uh, will we be seeing furtheradventures uh with with King Triton. Absolutely,
I can't wait. Thank you somuch today. I really appreciate your
(23:23):
time and I'm such a great project. Yeah, great, great, great
questions, my man. Thank you. Have a good day you too,
sir Ty Diggs. I love him. We followed each other on Twitter for
years and you know, would sendmessages here and there, back and forth,
but I've never interviewed him. Sohere's my first official interview with mister
(23:45):
Tate Diggs. So there you haveit. The my interviews with the team
behind Disney Junior's Ariel Mermaid Tales.You can watch Ariel on Disney Plus and
Disney Junior beginning today. If you'relistening, I guess today No matter when
you're listening, June twenty first,today is when At debuts. So it's
(24:08):
really a great series for the littleones and there's a lot to enjoy for
us big ones too. So that'sit for this episode. I've got some
exciting things coming up for the nextfew episodes, including who knows, maybe
we'll have a return of the rotatingpanel of guest hosts and start getting back
to those fun conversations that we haven'thad in a long time. So until
(24:32):
then, hit me up on socialsat KMAC music. On most places,
we're at real Kyle McMahon, we'reat pop Culture Weekly. Just find me,
search me, continue to reach outto me. Please continue to review
if you haven't on Apple Podcasts.It really does help us and helps the
show continue to grow each and everyweek. And that is all because of
you and your love for this andI do it for my love for you.
(24:56):
Thank you. I'll see you nextweek. Thank you for listening to
pop Culture Weekly. Here all thelatest at popculturewekly dot com. I don't
want to be where the people are.
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