Now Rudolph is bringing her improv and character actor skills to "The Angry Birds Movie" as Matilda, the birds' anger management coach.
In our chat with Rudolph, she told us all about Matilda's secret bird power, why her kids are going to love the movie, and her favorite moments from filming.
Moviefone: What made you want to play the role of Matilda?
Maya Rudolph: It was two-fold. They told me the cast, so I knew it was going to be great, and it was a lot of people I admire -- some I had actually worked with. Then the part was just so fun. This hippy-dippy, crunchy-but-also-uptight anger-management coach. It's very much in my wheelhouse. I think I've written that character a million times. I don't know if I've actually performed her, but I've certainly written her.
You pointed out that the movie has a stellar cast, did you guys get to spend any time together?
No time spent together at all. But I think it really helps when the people you know you're doing a scene with in the movie are people whose voices you know really well. Keegan-Michael Key is a perfect example of someone I just think is incredible, but I've never worked with him. But I can imagine what he might bring and you go from there. And then, of course, Jason [Sudeikis]; I know his voice so well. At the point I was brought in, Jason had recorded quite a bit, so that was really helpful. He was not there, but his spirit was.
What do you think your kids and kids everywhere are going to love most about this movie?
First of all, my kids have played "Angry Birds" and I think to see it fully formed like this is so exciting. They're happy with just the non-verbal Angry Birds. They don't have any idea that they are going to be walking, talking origin story versions of the two-dimensional ones that they know. So they're going to be blown away. But [the movie] is really funny and it's entertaining.
How did your background as a character actor prepare you for taking on this role?
It really is just a concentrated version of what I started doing -- working with other actors and improvising -- but focusing solely on one element of it. You truly get to be anyone or anything, which is so fun and liberating. I happen to be a character actor who always felt like I wanted to play that person or that person, and I just always assumed I could morph into someone, and I don't know if the audience ever said "You don't look like that person at all." But I just genuinely believed I could play someone if I could find a way to morph into them. But this way, you don't have to put on Spanx or makeup or wigs. You can just be a chicken.
What was your favorite moment from filming?
When I had to come up with a word that I got to say when I got shot of the slingshot. That was really exciting; it was like a game.
Where do you see Matilda after everything has settled down?
I feel like she has a great relationship with Red (Sudeikis) by the end, and I feel like it softens her up a little bit, so I'd like to see where that goes. Scramble some eggs.
What was your reaction when you found out Matilda's power was to have eggs that exploded out of her butt?
I was thrilled, because in playing the game, you know that everyone's got something. And I didn't know what mine was. My kids were like "What do you do?" and I told them "She doesn't really do anything, she just talks to the birds about their anger." So I found out about the egg shooting later in the process, which was very, very exciting.
"The Angry Birds Movie" flies into theaters Friday, May 20th.
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