‘Dipper gets to say all the stuff I would like to say’
Julie Bowen on Planes: Fire & Rescue
Julie Bowen is still a bundle of energy in a Beverly Hills hotel suite after a gruelling 12-hour day promoting the 3D animated motion picture Planes: Fire & Rescue.
The 44-year-old is best known as the two-time Emmy-winning actress who plays Claire Dunphy on the acclaimed sitcom Modern Family. But she’s on hand, and still energetically available, to talk about her role voicing Dipper in the Disney sequel to Planes, which in turn is a spin off of the Cars movies.
Dipper is an air tanker and part of a Smokejumper team that Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) joins when a damaged engine forces the former crop duster-turned-racer to learn a new trade. You might say Dipper is the meet-cute comic relief as she falls for Dusty in an swoon-like way.
Certainly, Bowen handles the comedy with confidence in the second Planes film but she admits during an interview with Postmedia News that she had some challenges. She talks about those and how her three boys — five-year-old twins and a seven-year-old — impact her career.
Q Are your three boys excited about mom voicing a character in a Disney movie?
A My kids could give a rat’s patootie about their mom doing Modern Family but they are very excited about [ Planes: Fire & Rescue].
Q Did you enjoy bringing Dipper to life?
A Oh, yeah. Dipper is a full-figure gal. She’s powerful and beautiful, so it is all about her personality and her capacity.
Q Dipper’s also a flirt. Are you a flirt?
A Well, no. That’s why it was funny for me. Dipper has no filter. She gets to say all the stuff I would like to say to Stephen Colbert while getting really fan girl on him.
Q So how else did you get into fan mode doing Dipper?
A I thought about Shaun Cassidy when I was kid. He was my first concert but I had to go with my parents.
Q Did you feel comfortable in the recording studio?
A I’ve done a moderate amount of commercial voice overs which is really restrained and that’s hard for me. But doing (Dipper) was like play. Q How so? A It was one of the least restrictive voice jobs I’ve ever done. There was no such thing as a mistake. And sometimes ignorance can be your best friend. Q Did you mind the multiple takes? A Not at all. It was like shooting a thousand arrows to get one in the middle.
Q So why aren’t your kids fans of Modern Family?
A To my kids, Modern Family is the thing that takes me out of the house and makes strangers talk to me when I’m with them. So that’s the double whammy.
Q Is it true many of your Modern Family followers are teen girls?
A It’s basically girls 12 to 14. (Laughs) That’s when they are the most dangerous because they swarm and a gaggle of them get very excited.
Q And do they make that highpitched squeal?
A Yeah and there is the fluttering of the arms almost like hummingbirds. Q Have you figured out why teen girls like Claire so much?
A I find it completely fascinating. Am I like a surrogate mom to them? I don’t know. But God bless them ... they help pay my rent.
Q Recently, you were nominated for another Modern Family Emmy. How does it feel? A It’s a rich combination of exciting and deeply, secretively pleasing, and vaguely embarrassing. Q Why embarrassing? A Because I can’t believe I’m singled out again in such a way that excludes other good people.