An interview with Jamie Chung and Genesis Rodriguez aka GoGo and Honey Lemon #BigHero6Event

cincomom November 13, 2014 Comments Off

In Big Hero 6, Honey Lemon is just as cheerful, peppy, and geeky as her name and wouldn’t you know it, Genesis Rodriguez who voices the character, embodies all of those elements.

And Jamie Chung is as strong willed and tough as her alter-ego Gogo Tomago.

And I got the chance to chat with both beautiful ladies during the #BigHero6event in Los Angeles last week.

What was your favorite part about playing the Character that you played?

Jamie: I think the favorite, in particular with this Character, Go Go 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 Clint Eastwood, the Female version of Clint Eastwood, in the group. And it was just fun to like sass it up, and like literally if I said a line with too much of a smile, the Directors Chris and Don (would say) do it, No, No, No, No, No, a little bit meaner. [LAUGHTER] And just 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.

It really is just the biggest blessing to have this cast, warm and loving Characters cause you’ll never get to play that kind of part in a live action thing. So to be honest, I mean, I can speak for the both of us, we’ve been huge Disney fans all of our lives and you know, we’ve been Princesses 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 down to future Generations.

Had you voiced an Animated Character before?

Jamie: Oh I mean nothing on this caliber. You know, once you’ve done a Disney Animation Film, it’s like kind of the top of the top, you know what I mean? You’re good. But I did do a Cartoon for a different Network and it was a half hour, and like everyone got fired, like the cast, the writers, everyone. That was kind of the worst experience.

Did you like having a strong Female Movie character?

Jamie: Absolutely, I mean, you know, talking further on stereotypes, what I love about this film is that there is no stereotype. You know, it kind of breaks all of those boundaries in terms of you know, being a Nerd, and being not cool, like this is the absolute opposite of that. And in terms of strong female Characters, like Honey Lemon and Go Go are so different from each other and yet they both represent strength in its, in their own way. And you know, what Disney’s great about is not like a Cookie Cutter example of like this is a strong woman. It’s, you know, they both come in different shapes and sizes, and different shades and what not.

What did you wear? I know when you talk to some Actors but did you wear heavy shoes to get into these Characters? Did you do something like that?

Genesis: What’s weird is that I did the audition exactly like Honey Lemon and I hadn’t seen the Character at all. I took a very bold Fashion Choice. I did Socks in Heels and I did like an Undershirt and then a Dress over it. And I don’t do that like at all but I wasn’t, I don’t know why I went like that and then I saw Honey Lemon and the way she dressed and then this is freaky. I couldn’t have land it better.

About getting the role

Jamie said Disney called her in to read for a new project called Moana and she read for the voice of the Character Milano. It was a big Table Read and all the big wigs were there, like John Lassiter, everyone from Disney, including the Creative Team of the Project. And then John Lasseter asked her to read for the part of Gogo Tomago. And the rest is history.

Did you add your own personality to the Characters?

Jamie: I think the interesting thing when you add a voice to it, personality to it because it really does come alive. And if you look at each Character and compare them to the person that’s playing them, like they embody that — that Character, like Genesis to me is Honey Lemon, you know. It’s, you know, her own personal attributes are what kind of gives this Character life, and I think that’s what they did with Casting. They wanted the Characters to kind of represent the Actors that are playing them.

Did you have time to play around with them?

Jamie: Oh I wish. In terms of Adrenaline Junkie and being sassy and you know, I do feel like I embody those Characteristics. Again like Genesis is just Honey Lemon, happy, perky, awesome, smart woman.

Genesis: Thank you. Awe.

It was a pleasure hanging out with Gogo and Honey Lemon also known as Genesis and Jamie. They were sweet and beautiful young ladies who whole-heartedly enjoy the art of animation and they were humbled and honored to be a part of Big Hero 6.

Set in a fictional metropolis called San Fransokyo (a cross-between San Francisco and Tokyo), a young robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada and his robot Baymax uncover a criminal plot and pull together a team of inexperienced crime-fighters, including Wasabi, Honey Lemon, GoGo Tomago, and Fred to solve the mystery surrounding the crime.

Personality

Honey is described as being as sweet as her namesake. Sunny, out-going, and humorously photogenic, Honey loves to take photos of herself or grab her friends for a group photo whenever she goes places or experiences something interesting; luckily, she loves life and seems to find most things interesting. Eternally optimistic and bright, Honey is the team member who keeps everyone smiling, and her sympathy towards other people’s issues can help relieve moments of fear or tension within the group.

While her silly quirks and clothing may lead people to believe otherwise, Honey is tremendously intelligent, attending the most prestigious technology university in San Fransokyo. Her knowledge of chemistry is innate and thorough enough for her to calculate and input types and amounts of chemical substances on her purse at incredible speeds, without even looking at the typepad. She also has an unexpected love of danger, and experiencing suprising and sudden events usually does not slow her down (or keep her from photographing the moment). This can be demonstrated by the fact that she is always mixing volatile substances through the potent purse, unfazed by the dangers of doing so during active battle. honeylemon

Gogo Tomago

Compared to her teammates, GoGo is tough and extreme, making up for her lack of conversation with bluntness and sarcasm. A straightforward athlete, GoGo lives for the speed and thrill and is willing to take up any challenge. Thanks to her athleticism, GoGo is resourceful and adaptive with and without the use of powers. Unlike most of the team when it came to facing Yokai, GoGo was able to hold on her own longer and providing enough support for her teammates to launch counterattacks. However, because of her fierce attitude, GoGo is not the most approachable person to be around nor is she willing to accept limits, and at most she can be highly opinionated. Even those closest to her can have a hard time to get her to open up.

Despite her stinginess, GoGo is a strong-willed woman who would do anything to protect her friends. When in the face of danger or if her friends are in trouble, Gogo GoGo can become very serious and puts their lives over any obstacle that comes in her way. She is able to take control of a situation even when the odds are against her, making her a natural leader when needed be. She demonstrates this when escaping from imminent threat from Yokai with her friends, recklessly but skillfully driving the car while utilizing San Fransokyo’s street systems to find shortcuts and maneuvers to avoid the microbots.