Who does Amy Poehler play in ‘Inside Out 2’? Actress relates to Riley Andersen, says she had “lots of shoulder pads and funky earrings” at 13

Comedian Amy Poehler reveals she has a lot in common with 13-year-old Riley Andersen from Inside Out 2. In her Friday, June 21, 2024, interview with People, the 52-year-old actress revealed she was a mix of "anxiety and joy" as a teenager, adding:

"I definitely was a mix of anxiety and joy for sure, wrapped up in a Boston accent. And (I had) lots of shoulder pads and funky earrings."

Inside Out 2 is a sequel to the 2015 animated coming-of-age film of the same name. The premise is centered around a young girl, Riley, who has to adapt to her family relocating. It does so by showing the inner workings of Riley in the form of five personified emotions that control her thoughts and actions.

In the follow-up, Riley turns thirteen and is going through puberty, and new emotions like Anxiety and Envy are introduced. Poehler voices the emotion "Joy" in both films.

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"I felt a lot of what Riley felt" — Amy Poehler reflects on her teenage years

Amy Poehler told the publication that Riley, voiced by Kensington Tallman, is a complex kid who makes mistakes with her friends and family as she enters high school. The Parks and Recreation actress explains how the "Joy and Anxiety" battle for dominance in Riley's mind, much like they did when she was thirteen.

"I guess I felt a lot of what Riley felt in that, your head is full, very noisy. You go from just being— hopefully if you have a childhood that provides you with safety— you go from being not very self-conscious to suddenly really caring about what other people think really fast," she stated.

Amy Poehler elaborated that many questions are swirling in one's head at this age, including, "What kind of friend do you want to be? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you care about?" The former Saturday Night Live actress explained that it is universal to experience these questions, adding that they don't stop at fourteen.

She also confessed that she was "kind of a floater." According to the Urban Dictionary, a floater is someone who cannot pinpoint what group they belong to or who does not have a set group of friends.

The actress also spoke about playing Joy, comparing her role in Inside Out 2 to "raising a kid." Amy Poehler shares two teenage sons, Archie and Abel, with her ex-husband, Will Arnett.

She stated that as a mother, her roles changed, illustrating with a quote, "You kind of go from being the producer to the consultant in your kids."

"You have to really try to stop producing so hard and just being available for advice, but you have to walk alongside them a little bit more."

Explaining that she related to that when playing Joy, she continued:

"Joy has to let go, and when you're raising a kid, they're their own person. You just can't protect them from pain and you're really not even supposed to. "

Inside Out 2 was released on June 14, 2024, and is currently playing in theaters.