Singer-actor Meredith Anne Bull plays the spritely young fairy Dawn in Gary Rydstrom’s (“Finding Nemo”) new animated feature, “Strange Magic,” in theaters Jan. 23. She tells us all about the experience and offers inspirational advice.
On channeling Dawn.
“I used my imagination and tried to play with my inner child. Sometimes I would pretend I was talking to my 3-year-old nephew. Even if you’re just explaining what a remote is, everything with him is so interesting and exciting. I love that about Dawn: her youthfulness, her naiveté, her unguarded ambition to know and see everything around her.”
On turning into a fairy.
“They filmed all of our recording sessions so the animators could see the acting in our body language and facial expressions. Sometimes I can see myself in Dawn, which is totally weird!”
On never giving up.
“I’m 26 years old and I moved to the city when I was 16. I’ve had little things here and there, but nothing that was, like, ‘You made it.’ Even doing this movie, I’d go to work in this amazing studio and pass by Evan Rachel Wood or Alan Cumming and then go back to my waitressing job the same day! Don’t give up, but don’t invest your whole life in [making it]. I’ve had to re-evaluate and say, ‘OK, this may not work out as I’ve always dreamed, so I need to find peace and happiness in the day-to-day of working in a restaurant and still going on auditions.’ ”
On voiceover acting.
“This is my first full-length animated feature, but I used to host “Teen Cribs” on MTV, and did various commercial campaign voiceovers. All of those voiceovers come from a place where you’re still acting. So acting is a huge aspect, but it’s also a sound thing. I think that’s why voiceovers always come easy to me as a singer. It’s almost like I hear how the line is supposed to be read before I say it out loud. I think that’s been very helpful for me.”
On her Broadway ambitions.
“I grew up reading Backstage. I’ve been doing musical theater since I was 4 years old; I toured with ‘Annie’ when I was 11 and did an Off-Broadway show when I was 16. I will never, ever give up on [Broadway]. I had to for a little while because I had so many close calls and it got discouraging. I think I auditioned for ‘Spring Awakening’ eight times. I auditioned for ‘Into the Woods’ maybe six times. But that’s my world. I’m hoping people can see what I’m capable of [in ‘Strange Magic’] and maybe that will help me get my foot in the door in the future.”
On cherishing the opportunity.
“We were all so invested in this project—especially me, because it’s the biggest thing I’ve done so far. It’s such a passion project. The music is insane. It’s amazing, and I’m not just saying that. I want people know that it was created from a place of heart and love. We all brought our hearts and souls into this project.”
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