Julia Pott tells us how she settled on the tone of her show, what it means to have plenty of Adventure Time alum by her side on this journey, and what she's learned about herself and the world of showrunning that she's excited to bring to Season 2.
Read MoreWONDER WHAT IT'S LIKE GOING TO THE OSCARS? ASK JULIA POTT
WONDER WHAT IT'S LIKE GOINGTO THE OSCARS? ASK JULIA POTT
When renowned filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt asked fellow animator and WNW Member #2791 Julia Pott to voice the character of Emily in his newest animated short World of Tomorrow, Julia didn't hesitate. "He said he wanted the woman to sound a bit like Mary Poppins and I was immediately on board." And then, on January 14th, World of Tomorrow was nominated for an Oscar. And then, as if things couldn't get better, Don invited Julia as his plus-one.
We hit the rewind button and make Julia help us live vicariously through her, every step of the way: from recording her best Mary Poppins impression at Don's home in Austin, fueled by sugary cereal and tequila, to waking up to a special Facebook post from Don with the news, to hilarious advice from her mom, to montage-worthy moments trying on dresses for Hollywood's biggest night.
We made sure to ask Julia the most important question of all: Who are you wearing? "In the end I went with a dress from a little known store called ‘Nordstrom’."
Indiewire is predicting an Oscar for World of Tomorrow. Who knows, maybe Don will cast Julia as the voice of his acceptance speech.
How did you come to be the voice of Emily in Don Hertzfeldt’s mind-bending Oscar-nominated short World of Tomorrow?
Don and I met at Sundance in 2012 when both our films were in the Animated Shorts category. I tried to keep it casual and not let on that I:
a). knew his work
b). liked it a lot.
We kept running into each other at film festivals and became real life friends. As I live in LA and he lives in Austin we communicate mainly through funny owl videos on Facebook Chat - but I think that still counts. We ended up at Sundance together again in 2013 when my short film The Event was playing and he was one of the judges (let the record show – I didn’t win). It was there that he said he wanted a British woman for his latest project because his niece, who would play the other role, was Scottish. He said he wanted the woman to sound a bit like Mary Poppins and I was immediately on board.
Had you ever done any voice work before, besides the Golden-Globe winning WNW Microsoft Commercial? Tell us about the experience.
This is my first and only voice-over experience and it was really great. We recorded it in Don’s house in Austin and he has a pool with about 5 - 10 oversized animal floaties in it at any given time. He also has all of the sugary cereals you’ve ever wanted to buy from Trader Joe’s but couldn’t justify, so staying at Don’s is like being 8 years old again. We would get up in the morning, get pumped up on sugar and go into the recording booth for the majority of the day with a mental break around lunch time when we would go get some BBQ or TexMex. If I ever had trouble with the lines I would drink some tequila. Everyone has their methods. Apparently this is mine.
Were you already familiar with Don Hertzfeldt’s work?
I was in college when Rejected was released online so I was one of the many student animators who said “my spoon is too big” way more times than was ok. I went to see him speak in London in 2009 and followed up with a casual/creepy fan email.
Where were you when Don told you he was bringing you to the Oscars? What was the first thing that came to your mind?
I woke up to a facebook post from Don with the news.
My mother rang soon after and we both freaked out. She has since called me up several times with various styling tips. My favourite being that I should walk down the red carpet with helium balloons with my name written on them in sharpie, as an homage to the movie Up because I am in the animation category.
How have you prepared for the Oscars? Most importantly: Who are you wearing?
I am not very good at grooming myself so my friend Eliza Wexelman offered to style me. We had a lot of montage-worthy moments in vintage stores and my living room trying on a variety of dresses she ‘pulled’ for me (I’m learning all the stylist lingo). In the end I went with a dress from a little known store called ‘Nordstrom’.
The other grooming-based preparations started yesterday. The day we found out about the nomination I called up a fancy hairdresser that I’ve been wanting to try for ages. They informed me that they had no appointments on the day of the Oscars so I asked them what their latest appointment was the day before. The woman said 5pm. I asked her if I slept with a hairnet on did she think the style would keep until the next day. There was a long pause and then she said ‘ok’ and I could tell from her tone she doesn’t think this is a good idea. I booked the 5pm appointment.
Has Don cast you as the voice of his acceptance speech if/when World of Tomorrow wins?
Hopefully.
Which actors and actresses are you hoping to bump into on the red carpet or in the buffet line? (Is there a buffet line? We’ve never been to the Oscars…)
I’ve been told the best celebrity spotting is in the bathroom line. My mother has advised me to ‘accidentally’ walk into the men’s bathroom instead, “just to see”.
My ultimate celebrity spots would be Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Emma Stone. I want to make Emma Stone my friend.
Are you a big movie buff? What are some of your favorites?
I tend to like movies that fall under the category of strange or romantic. I’m a big fan of Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry but my all time forever love is Nora Ephron. More specifically When Harry Met Sally. Everything I do is in an attempt to make my life more like that movie.
What was your favorite feature-length film this year? Any Oscar predictions you care to share? Is it FINALLY Leo’s year?
I loved the movie Spotlight. It made me want to watch every newspaper based movie ever made. There was something about it that was both soothing and compelling – like The West Wing…or Gilmore Girls. I was also completely in love with Room - all the praise and accolades for that bad boy are so well-deserved.
Leo’s been scooping all the awards - he has to win this right? Although I thought he should have won for Romeo + Juliet based purely on his attractiveness.
What’s next for you?
I am currently in development at Cartoon Network in a program that creates projects for potential series consideration. I also just started as a writer on Adventure Time. I’m a huge fan of the show so the whole process is a dream.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
MEET #2791 JULIA POTT
MEET #2791 JULIA POTT
Illustrator & Animator • Brooklyn
Originally from the UK but now based in Brooklyn, WNW Member #2791 Julia Pott is an illustrator and animator extraordinaire. Her award-winning films have played at festivals all over the world, including Sundance, SXSW, AFI, and Annecy. A few of her clients include J. Crew, MTV, Oreo, Toyota, and Hermes. In 2012, Julia was named an ADC Young Gun, as well as one of The 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. In her free time, she wins more awards, like the 2013 YCN Professional Award. She also writes for Huffington Post. Julia shared some of her secrets to success with us, speaking about her parents' complete support and walks around the block.
1. How long have you been freelancing?
I have been freelancing full time since I graduated from the Royal College of Art in July 2011. It was quite a strange sensation having my whole life ahead of me with no more land marks in the career world – no BA’s, no MA’s, just work forever.
2. Is there a time or place that you feel most creative/have the best ideas?
When I’m walking to work I find it easiest to come up with ideas. If I’m feeling stuck during the day I’ll walk around the block and it helps to clear the cobwebs. I THINK I’m the most creative when I’m on a plane, but when I land and go through my notebook I realise all my ideas were terrible.
3. What's your ideal Working:Not Working ratio?
I like to work flat out on a project 24/7 for weeks or months at a time and then take a week off to do nothing and spend way too much time at Pottery Barn.
4. Do your parents understand what you do?
My parents have always been hugely encouraging. They always told me that I should wake up every morning excited to go to work – even if that meant struggling for money for a while. They watch every animation and look at every drawing I do, and if they don’t understand it they’ll ask me to explain it. Not to gush too much but they’re literally the best.
5. What scene from a movie makes you laugh just thinking about it?
The scene in Mean Girls where a teary girl is talking about baking a cake out of rainbows and feelings and Damian yells from the back 'She doesn't even go here'. Every time. Sometimes when someone is giving their opinion on something when no one asked for it I quietly think in my head, 'she doesn't even go here'.
6. If you were stranded on a desert island, with your computer, what 3 websites would you take with you?
NPR.org – mainly for Radiolab. I love listening to talk radio when I’ve been working from home and I’m starting to go a bit nuts in my own company.
TED.com – another resource for soothing knowledgeable voices. Although I’ll be honest – I mainly watch the talks about Love and Aliens.
Is it cheating to say Youtube? If it is then http://www.itsnicethat.com.
7. What do you do when Not Working?
My heavy rotation non-working activities include – dancing (badly), karaoke (badly), eating Mexican food paired with margaritas (I’m good at this one), and watching whichever television show I am currently addicted to (The Sopranos). If I have a period of time off I love going on trips with friends – renting a cabin upstate or going away on an adventure.
8. Do you have a hidden talent?
I used to pull out my hair and eat it when I was 4 ... but that’s more of a worrying affliction than a talent. I was a classical pianist before I moved to New York, but I think almost all of that has fallen out of my head by now unfortunately.
9. Any tips or advice for fellow freelancers?
I personally work much better if I have a few projects on the go at once so wherever possible, say yes to every job you want to do even if you’re already working on something else at the same time.
10. What's your favorite thing on the internet this week?
I can’t stop watching this gif: http://imgur.com/OYLhOSx
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