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We Talk To Pixar’s Elemental Leads & Director About Emotions, Immigration, & More
Pixar’s Elemental is part fantastical cityscape involving elemental beings, immigration life subtext, and a romance sparking between a fire and water person, and how that ends up working. You can thank actors Leah Lewis (Ember) and Mamoudou Athie (Wade) who brought both opposing characters to life with their voicework, and also director Peter Sohn for crafting this tale which is partly based on his own life as a kid from Korean immigrant parents settling in America.
Here’s what we asked the three of them in an interview leading up to the release of the film:
Peter Sohn: You know, I recently got to see the film in its full 3D glory. I think the details that were exposed in the 3D have been really exciting for me. Like, Ember’s fire in 3D is a whole new thing because she’s transparent. but when she moves her head, all those transparencies start to parallax and give you a depth that we didn’t see when we were working in the 2D version. I would say, yeah, check it out in 3D. You’ll be really mesmerized by the effects that we have on these characters.It really is exciting to be seen.
Peter: I always look for empathy and appeal just in the voice and in how I can connect to it. But then, of course, you’re just looking for what you need or you’re hoping that the character needs. And then also another electric X-factor layer, knowing that, oh, they’ll be able to take this character further than we ever could imagine. And for Ember, I had serendipitously discovered Leah in a movie called The Half of It. And in watching it, I wasn’t watching it to find Ember. I was just, you know, really curious about the movie. And she sort of exploded on the screen with this sort of fierceness for in her sort of, you know, understanding her identity and her relationships in the way that this was written. But then there was also a tenderness in her performance when it came to her father that really then started linking me into Ember.
And as I, you know, finished watching the movie, I started looking her up, and I found all these YouTube videos of Leah doing a lot of really fun stuff in her house. And I don’t know what you were doing in the hotel room, but you were singing, you know, I find it wonderful. You were singing a Patsy Cline song.
Leah Lewis: Oh, you might not have released that. She put that on YouTube without my permission.
Peter: But you had this smoky voice that reminded me of the element. And so it sort of filled those two boxes of like, you know, connecting to the performance and then finding the elemental side of it. And the same with Mamadou. Again, just, you know, I’m finding interesting movies to watch and I found this show on Netflix called, I mean, this film called Uncorked. And again, just watching it because I was curious about the film, and I saw Mamadou play with this character, switching from, he’s this wine salesman, and he went from selling wine to this young customer, but then flirting, and then moving back and forth effortlessly through this, and just brought me to that fluid, sort of go with the flow guy.
And then this other piece of a show called, Oh Jerome No, which had this, the emotional side of it, where I was connecting to Mamadou’s crying. We had listened to a lot of crying and most of the time it’s one note and it’s really ear-piercing and you’re kind of like done after like the first four seconds of it. But for some reason, Mamadou had a way of inviting you with each different version of crying that he was doing that was scene required, but he was making it all authentic and real. And I was like, my God, we got to talk to these two. And that’s how we found them.
Leah: So the behind-the-scenes work, Mamadou and I actually never even worked together, so I feel like it was Peter kind of doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work with us separately. I mean to get into the world of Ember, Peter was just so generous in the way that he was like, just be you, but do that like times 10. And we’ll figure out like what parts of your voice we can use that are brand new that he hadn’t even really thought of. For me though, if we’re really getting technical with it, a lot of water, a lot of sleep, a lot of rest. And also Peter being like, don’t blow yourself out within the first five minutes.
Like it was definitely like a long haul every time I did a session for four hours. But I think just being willing to be silly and be vulnerable and be as sad as possible, all the different range of emotions, like, just keeping my heart completely open for wherever Ember needed to go. Because, you know, in these four-hour sessions, we are doing a bunch of different scenes that range from angry to sad to happy to, you know, we’re falling in love and now we’re talking to our family. So I think it was just kind of remaining very open and on my toes. But Ember was already there thanks to Peter and then him just being so inviting with my own personality. So it was actually quite easy. I wish I worked more with Mamoudou in the booth, though.That would have been really cool.
Mamadou Athie: That would have been cool, dude, yeah. Well, I, yeah, that’s been fun. But, you know, we got to work Pete, and Pete’s an amazing voice actor. And, yes, I kind of concur with everything you just said. Water, sleep, all that stuff. And functionally, in terms of, like, building the character, it was so well-defined that when I met with Pete for the first time, I know this maybe sounds some kind of way, but honestly, I was like, I know who this guy is. I know who this guy is for sure. I really, I just, I love him. And I had a wonderful class in school that really changed my life called clown class, not like a Barnum and Bailey clown, but more of like the French kind of style. And it just really helped me access parts of myself that I felt ashamed of or was just embarrassed by or like, oh, you know, you’ll put yourself in a bad position. It really helped me just become a less self-conscious actor. And so it kind of just made those sessions like a form of very fun but serious play. And so just kind of just the investigative nature of it, just like, okay, hold on, wait, hold on. I just realized something here. And getting to do that back and forth with Pete and Denise and them allowing the space, it was a really great conversation in terms of creating the character and who he was so that was really good.
Leah: I think, this is such a privilege to have, but like I was very similar to the character already. I do think there were certain times where I disagreed with how explosive she was, but I was also like, she’s on a journey here, you know, she has to start somewhere and then go somewhere else. But, you know, for me, I think it was very interesting because a lot of the stuff mirrored a lot of real life emotions and things that I have gone through. And it was actually even more kind of the opposite of like, OK, how can we pull more of that in? You know, there were times when, you know, Ember was getting very vulnerable. And Peter would kind of turn the lights down low and just be like, just take a second. Cause I also think he understood like, when you’re bringing your real life experience into something, it can be very, very tender work, but to also do it in a way that fits the character.
You know, as Leah, I was sitting there thinking of my parents and all their sacrifices and just in the moments where Ember was small, like times that I felt small and I was reduced to like sobbing so much so that even Peter was like, okay, so I love what you’re doing but I don’t think she needs to be sobbing like that much. She’s not like as that open of a book and it was funny because I’m like, okay, where do I draw the line now because I did feel so similar to Ember but there were moments too where I was like, oh, I’m getting a little weighty right now instead of Ember, who was a bit more guarded and shut down until, you know, she opens up more throughout the film. But yeah, it was definitely a fine line to ride, but it was really cool getting to step out of my own element as Leah and be as explosive, be as tiny and vulnerable, and just so dynamic the way that she was, because I don’t really get to go through all those dynamics in my regular life, so it was a thrill to try and do that.
Mamadou: That’s funny, I feel similarly, like I’m telling you guys, like I spoke with Pete and I was like, I know who this guy is so well, like it was something very, like it just felt like, it just felt like I had to play this part, like I really felt like that, I can’t say anything else aside from that. That and I didn’t want to complicate it too much because I think Wade is very intentionally simple, very intentionally I’m going to live my life like this and that’s what he, and I try to find simplicity in my life because the world is complicated enough and I think we kind of share that kind of same motor of like okay, what makes me comfortable, what is, how do I want to live my life, what is the best version of me? I think Wade is better at it.
But like I certainly try. But also when something is very well-written, when something is very clear and defined, all you have to do is follow the blueprint in front of you and fill it. And that was the gift of playing this part because it wasn’t like, oh, I have to figure this out or that. It was like, oh, no, the road map is very clear. I just have to do a little bit of work of like what is the afternoon scene, what is the I’m saying this to get this. After that, it’s just like, you know, play. And we had four or five hours in the booth to do it every time. So it was just, you know, it was right there, to be honest.
Peter: The average Pixar character has about 4,000 controls, which sounds like a lot, right? But both Ember and Wade were close to double that, to 10,000, meaning you needed this control to try to get them to move like the element while there was an effect going on top of it. And there are so many layers of effects going on with these characters that they kept multiplying the challenges in every direction that we would go.
For example, fire, you can’t put shadow under fire. And so already there would be issues per scene, per shot, where you were just trying to make sure that the eye was going in the right direction. How busy is the fire? Can we read her face, the landscape of those emotions? Would you just be staring at the roiling? And for water, you know, yeah, Denise is right. That became the monster because, yeah, fire, no shadow. So she remained essentially the same in every shot, but water requires these ingredients to feel like water.
So she remained essentially the same in every shot, but water requires these ingredients to feel like water. If you slowed down the bubbles, all of a sudden the water would look like jello. If you slowed down the bubbles, all of a sudden the water would look like jello. If you remove the highlights, water would look like a ghost. And then so in every sequence, in every shot, if water was in the basement, there would be no light. You couldn’t see the character. And all of a sudden, when you’re on the rooftop next to Ember, the sunlight would just blow him out. And he would just be this white, bright thing. And it was just every shot was about control and a challenge.
Mamadou: Yeah, yeah, 100%. That’s the thing that I, I mean, that’s the thing. That’s one of the huge things that I connected with Pete about like my family. You know, we came here when I was a baby, I was five months old, my dad was a diplomat. And, you know, he had two master’s degrees that he couldn’t take with him and had to completely start afresh. And as an adult, I understood that was a sacrifice when I was a kid, but as an adult, I have a fuller understanding of what it is to build a life for yourself. But I cannot imagine having to start all over for the sake of your family. But they did it, and they did it without question. They did it for us, and I think Pete and I shared that sense of gratitude, a feeling of a debt that, you know, but also in the making of this film and just talking about it and talking with my parents about it, it’s not so much a debt anymore, it feels more of like a, you know, like, how do you say, like a gift. I mean, you know, it’s more of like, you have to pay it forward. You pay it forward in celebrating your own life and trying your best and really backing yourself, putting faith in yourself, the faith that they put in you. In any case, those were some of the things that I really connected with Pete about. It was cool to have my parents there, meet Pete and everybody at Pixar and watch the movie. This is their favourite movie of mine, by a mile, by a long shot. So it was really cool they just keep texting me about it. It’s almost annoying, but I love it. They will not stop texting me, y’all.
Leah: I love what Mamadou just said about it being a gift because I think when I talk to my parents, you know, they gave me the gift of giving their 135% when it came to supporting me and my sister. And then the gift back is just living your life to the absolute fullest and really working on yourself as a human being to feel fulfilled and feel confident. You know, I felt really close to Peter’s story just in general and the fact that he could be so honest and vulnerable and, you know, make it in such digestible way through Pixar, but I think like I just related to Ember specifically on so many different levels. I mean her journey of having to kind of work through some of her anger and frustration and actually turn it into something that’s really creative, you know, like I think sometimes, especially when we’re younger we all have these qualities that we struggle with but once we get to refine them more and we meet more waves that come in and out of our life like we actually get to use it for good but you know the familial aspect that she has, being so loyal to her family and recognizing their sacrifice for her, I think, you know, growing up as an adoptee from Shanghai, China, I grew up in a Caucasian household, but like, my mother and father were so supportive from a very, very early age at six and seven of me wanting to pursue acting and singing.
And I think that’s crazy that they actually believed me back then. And you know, they’ve been so supportive of my sister and her path. And it was a family effort. It wasn’t just my mom and my dad. It was my sister and my grandma who all put their best foot forward and kind of rearranged their life to help me kind of grasp this dream. And you know, my father, he’s 84 and my mom is 72. And they’ll probably really be upset that I just shared that with you guys, but that’s okay. In the same way that Ember is kind of realizing her parents as they grow up too, and she kind of wants to step into their shoes. Like, and I haven’t really talked about this whole time in interviews, but I’m deeply protective of my parents. And especially as they grow older too, like I just, I want to do as much as I possibly can for them.
And it’s just like, it’s such a tender thing that even talking about it, which is probably why I haven’t talked about it during this whole tour and these interviews are because it is something that just kind of rips me open in the most vulnerable of ways and I just love them so much, you know, even getting teary-eyed thinking about it. But the fact that that sacrifice for her doesn’t just completely go overhead, you know, that’s never gone over my head either. And it’s produced a lot of expectations that she’s even placed on herself. But by the end of the film, you know, she kind of reveals to her parents, like, I actually have a different dream. And I know for a fact, like, other than entertainment, there have been things with my family that I’ve been like, actually, I kind of feel this way about something. And my parents have just been like, okay, well, you know what, like, we love you anyway. And that’s one of the biggest gifts that I could have gotten from them. And like, when I watch this film, it’s just like, it’s just, it rings so true for me. So, you know, all of this has been really special and to play her and yeah, I’m done talking.
In a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy are about to discover something elemental: How much they actually have in common. Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” releases June 16, 2023. Concept art by Sohn. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Mamadou: Well, I, I remember I, well, I was talking to Pete at Cannes, when we were at Cannes about this play I did that made me realize why I really wanted to be an actor. It’s called The Visit. I’m not going to expound upon it too much, but it’s a great play. But it really – the conversations that I had after the play’s production with people in the street randomly made me realize, oh, this can be really useful. Like this is not just like playing dress-up or whatever. This can really – be conversations that really mean something to me. I can do this until I’m 80 because it’s not silly. It’s something really important, changing a perspective. So there’s that with this movie. I think there’s something about opening up young hearts and even older hearts. Every frame of this movie, though, I knew it since I met Pete. I’m so happy that he wanted me to do this movie. I’m so grateful because every frame of this movie is, the love is so palpable.
You can feel like there’s, I was telling Pete, like there’s no cut corners on this movie. You might have run out of time, but like there’s that and the other, but there’s never anything that isn’t done to 100,000, 10%. Like it’s, that’s not even a number, but like it’s like fully committed to being as fully realized as possible. And it starts with love. I feel like the love that you get, and also you can count on Pixar to make you laugh, you know, I think this movie is hilarious. It’s really fun, but the heart, you can always count on Pixar for the heart. So, you know, go, go see the movie and you’ll, you’ll get what you’re looking for.
Leah: You know the part that we keep quiet the part that maybe that we’re afraid of and like, you know? Whether a weight in your life exists or not getting to let that part of yourself really really shine and also just kind of piggybacking off of what everyone else said to like The kind of gratitude for the people in your life, whether it’s your family, your chosen family, your partner, your best friend, all the people that got you to where you are today because, at the end of the day, we are composed of all the different people that we’ve come across and that have affected us in our life. And I think that definitely shows, all these characters are definitely different by the end as a result of mingling with each other, whether they like it or not.
Peter : You know, this whole film’s been about connection and if an audience member comes out of this film inspired by the world and the characters to connect with somebody, that would mean the world. You know, it’s so funny what empathy is. Empathy doesn’t exist without a little bravery. It’s so funny. It’s such a weird thing that, you know, and that, you know, coming, you know, trying to connect, you know, just taking that little step of bravery and reaching out with empathy. That’d be amazing. And so if it inspires anyone to connect, I’m a happy man.
Pixar’s Elemental will be out in Malaysian cinemas right now. It’s already out now in Singapore and some parts of Southeast Asia.
This image released by Disney/Pixar Studios shows characters Gale, center left, Ember, center, and Wade, right, in a scene from “Elemental.” (Disney/Pixar via AP)
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