Elemental Movie: Meet Voice Actress Shila Ommi as Cinder Lumen

It is fun. It is funny and it is stunning to watch. What’s up everybody? This is Fred rachani. We have right here on the line a very special guest at returning guest the incredibly talented actress Shila Ommi. You may know her from Tehran on Apple TV plus and now she stars in the brand new Disney Pixar animated film Elemental in theaters June 16th Sheila. It’s so great to have you back on under even better circumstances. How’s everything going? Wonderful, Fred. It’s so wonderful to be back on with you it is great. So, let’s just Dive Right In, right? We’ve been seeing these trailers we’ve showed some highlights you play Cinder Lumen from understand firetown’s resident Matchmaker who has a natural gift to match make anybody except their daughter tell us how you got involved and what this whole process was like, oh my God, Fred.

I still have to pinch myself every day. I feel so blessed. And so honored that Peter son, who is the incredible if any Pixar Animation that you’ve seen in the past 20 25 years Peter has had something to do with it. So, this is a story that he co-wrote and it’s Loosely based on his own experience of being a son of immigrant parents and I was so honored that he came to me. And he asked if I would voice for a character Cinder that is based on his mom and I’m just I still can’t believe it even though it’s done and I’ve seen the film and I’m amazed still can’t believe it.

God bless. His mom her soul. And then so Peter is the son of Korean immigrants. So his mom is Korean, but this story is about elements that live there are these four classic elements fire water air and Earth and they live in this city called element City and the fire element was the last element to come in. And so that’s who I play so it’s Cinder and Bernie are the parents of this beautiful Fireball. Played by Leah Lewis Ember is her name and she is quick-witted and she’s smart and she’s funny and she’s got a bit of a temper, which is I think maybe the reason why her mom’s Cinder is having a hard time finding a match for her.

I wouldn’t be surprised she tries to be calm as a candle, but she misses Mark sometimes you’re an incredibly talented actress, but what adjustments did you personally have to make to not only prepare for this specific role, but also the added pressure of, you know, playing based on somebody’s mother here’s the thing as to Peter’s credit. He is so lovely and he’s so gentle. He’s just such a beautiful gentle director that at no point. Like if I had anxiety and believe me. I had anxiety about it, but the moment that you start working with him. He’s so gentle and lovely that it just all the anxiety went away and this the thing is that about this.

So, it’s Loosely based on his mom the people from firetown speak a different language. They speak fire-ish, which was created by a brilliant linguist for Elementals. So it’s a whole new language. How you say I love you in fire-ish is I love you. And so, it was so lovely to collaborate with Peter about. Okay, so if this is the language that these characters speak. When they speak, English, what would their accents be like, so that was something really fun to develop together and to come up with. I don’t know is it crackly is there like do you like the consonants that you hit. So I don’t know.

I hope we did a good job. They just I was just amazed seeing the film with every other voice over artist on this show. Oh my God, the woman who plays Amber. What a voice of this Moody raspy. It just goes down when she’s emotional. It’s just so beautiful the man who plays way the mama do ate. Oh my God, what a beautiful man. What a beautiful voice Bernie who plays my husband Bernie is played by Ronnie Del Carmen who is an amazing animator. He’s one of those Wizards that has been at Pixar for 20 years and a storyboard artist and like all of his storyboards.

I’ve heard are just full of emotions. So someone like that does the character of Bernie the fiery patriarch of the family? I mean, it’s just amazing Catherine O’Hara. Oh my God, Wendy McLennan Covey. Oh, like it’s just yeah, wow. What a cat that is an amazing cat you give me goosebumps just hearing you describe it. I just need you like to narrate my life from now on that’s yeah, that sounds sounds awesome and the music. Oh my God, the music on this movie Thomas Newman you feel like you’re sitting in a sounds meditation by a master. It’s just incredible. It’s visually stunning. It’s an audio Journey.

I’m sorry. I’ll stop I’m so proud of it. I’m so honored you should be proud of that. I love that. And I could ask you too because you mentioned the amazing cast. So in terms of the recording process. Not asking you to give away how completely the sausage is made or anything, but were you in the room with your fellow cast members. Did you do voice over separately and was your preparation as an actress different from what it would be on screen considering it’s mostly focused on your voice. So here’s the thing this speaks to the Brilliance of Peterson as a director that. No. We were not in the same booth together, but Peter guided us.

And so he knew exactly what he’s looking for he knew what everyone’s supposed to sound like the energy of their voice. So it was Peter that orchestrated it to make it seem as though. We’re all in a same space in element City talking to each other. So, here’s the thing. I have been doing voiceover for many many years, but because this is no. Normal voice over I went and I spent a lot of money on this voice coach in New York on zoom and so I had about a dozen voice lessons just to get prepared because I wanted to be I wanted to do as good a job as possible number one because Peter had given me this incredible honor to voice for a character.

That’s you know, based on his mom, but also that it’s Disney and Pixar. So, of course, I was gonna I needed to have my a game and you certainly did. And that’s a great lesson for a lot of actors, no matter how long you’ve been in the game you’re you can always learn something you always improve. So that’s a great lesson. You’re certainly leading by example now I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least ask you about everything going on in Iran. I know you’ve participated a lot of activism and everything. Are there any organizations you’re affiliated with or worked with that you can shout out that are doing a great job.

Here’s the thing I am and thank you so much for asking about Iran bless. You I am in awe of the women of Iran and this new generation. That is putting themselves in danger in order to create a future for Iran that’s better for everyone and that said I bow to anyone on this planet who is putting themselves in danger to bring a better life for others woman life freedom. God bless them may this new movement go on. So thank you for asking and my heart just aches for what’s going on in Iran. Well said. Well said. Well on a much lighter note and everything.

When it came to the processes of this film and everything. What would you say without giving too much away about the character, what would you say is your favorite aspect of her is that? This is the first time I’ve ever played a character that is one thousand percent me. She’s totally me. She’s a Matchmaker, I’m a Matchmaker. I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I am I meddle in all of my friends and Family’s lives. I but for love. I swear to God. I’m not nosy I’m metal, but I want people to get together. I want people to fall in love and so I get a lot of my friends get upset with me.

Because of what I do because unlike Cinder who’s an amazing Matchmaker and has had a wonderful track record. I have made zero matches, but I don’t stop trying. That’s what counts, right? It’s yeah. And I remember you brought up an interesting fact in our last chat well, a couple interesting facts. You love animals. You’re big on you’re big on anthropology. So, I would assume that you were into science growing up. So maybe you know what do you know a little bit about elements going into this I did. I actually was really good at organic chemistry. So I knew about and you know, and it’s interesting you say that because I feel like this story has a message and the message is that regardless of how different we are from each other coming together.

We become better versions of ourselves we become better. Coming together. We have a lot more similarities than differences. Than we know and it’s in coming together that you realize that and you become a better person, but, you know, I was thinking today. How in organic chemistry. This is the same thing about elements and about you know that you have you could take one element like hydrogen let’s say. And forget organic chemistry just regular chemistry hydrogen and it’s incredible. And it’s amazing. And it’s got this one electron and then you take an oxygen that’s with these two valence electrons and you put them together. And you’ve got water and therefore, you can have life on the planet.

So it’s like, yes, we’re amazing as individuals elements. But when we come together. We that Alchemy is really special and I feel like that’s what life is all about. Well said. Before I let you go, obviously we want to end on a high note about Elemento, but just real quickly, your thoughts on Tehran season two seem to get a lot of positive reviews. So I checked it out we talked about it last year. Fantastic stuff A year later, how are you feeling about the series and the work that you’ve put in it’s so good. It is so good. I’m so excited I feel so honored that this team has me play with them.

Season threes really really it’s gonna be really good. That’s all I can tell you all right. Hey, you’ve done a fantastic job up to this point and your Chemistry going close and the whole cast real really good stuff. I hope people definitely check it out. You could currently stream it right now Tehran an Apple TV plus. But of course, we are here to talk about Elemental you’ve given us so many gems. We can’t wait to watch the film June 16th, I’ll get shattered around a high note here. Why should people watch Elemental. Oh my God, it is fun. It is funny and it is stunning to watch.

And I really hope that. That people watch it on the big screen because it is made for the big screen. It’s an experience you’re gonna have so much fun so much fun visually superb and the soundscape of the music melts your heart. It’s so good. It’s so good. Awesome. Well, sure. Thank you so much for your time. Before I let you go, where can we find you online and of course, we know Elemental June 16th, but anywhere else. You’re allowed to talk about where we can find you next? There is I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but there is a Netflix show called chaos with a K that was created by the brilliant writer Charlie covel.

And I don’t have any dates, but it’s going to be coming out sometime next year.