Passionate and fiery, Merida is a headstrong teenager of royal upbringing who is struggling to take control of her own destiny. She feels most at home in the outdoors honing her impressive athletic skills as an archer and swordfighter, and racing across the magnificent Highland countryside with her faithful horse, Angus. With a spirit as vibrant as her untamed hair, Merida also has a softness of heart, especially when it comes to her wee triplet brothers.
So thinking of Merida we asked voice actress Kelly MacDonald: How did you channel your inner teenager?
Kelly MacDonald: To be honest I didn’t — I didn’t really think about it when I first went in and to — to, you know, when I first went in it wasn’t really like an audition situation. They asked me to go in and read a couple of pages. I kinda thought, “I’ll go in and do that.” I hadn’t really thought about the fact she was a teenager. It was when I got there they told me all about the character.
And then I suddenly was in front of a microphone going — and I didn’t quite know what I was gonna do. I think the dialogue just really helped because, you know, smost of her dialogue is directed to her mom in a very obnoxious teenage way. And so it kind of — as soon as I started saying the word “mom” [LAUGHS] I was like right back to being a teenager. Which is what happens when I go home as well. So yeah.
I’m looking forward to my mother seeing the film. I think she’ll be a nervous wreck when she comes out.
So make sure you go check out Kely MacDonald as Merida in BRAVE in THEATERS NOW!!!!
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