"Defying... Temperature"

Idina Menzel is best known for her roles in Broadway productions like as Maureen Johnson in Rent and its feature film adaptation, and as Elphaba in Wicked. She also has had a recurring role as the biological mother of Rachel Berry on the Fox TV series Glee.

Now the 42 year-old’s latest role is as Elsa in the Disney’s newest CGI animated film Frozen. Based on The Little Mermaid author Hans Christian Anderson’s fable The Snow Queen.

In the film, Anna, played by Kristen Bell, must find her sister Elsa, a queen with wintry powers who goes into self-exile after turning the entire kingdom into a winter wonderland. Kristof is a mountain man who helps Anna on her mission.

“Yeah, I think it is kind of fell into place that way and I feel,” Idina answers, “But the respect and support that we feel when we are recording and putting this together is the same kind of respect and support we feel for what we do from the producers and the creators, their love and admiration for theater actors and sort of permeated the whole process.

Idina was asked if it was true that she and co-star Kristen Bell were like sisters during the making of the film.

“Yeah, we’re buddies and I’m a huge fan of hers and we got to work together a little bit, probably a lot for him your normal animated film,” she replies, “We were in the studio a couple of days and worked off of each other and we sang together.”

“And our first experience together, we had to do a reading a couple years together,” Menzel adds, “We were first getting involved with the whole getting going with Frozen and had pictures up around the wall was, although the landscapes in Scandinavia and ideas of characters. We had to do “Wind Beneath My Wings” and we sang, because there was no music, well, there was no music written yet.”

It was asked if this

"Defying... Temperature"

was something the two of them came up together.

“It was Kristen’s idea.,” she claims, “We were trying to find a song that was good for both our voices that can be like a sisterly duet that had that kind of thing. And she’s good and we had this guy come over to my house who played and helped us arrange it and then they sat John Lasseter in between the two of us and we just sang. I’m really astounded by the process of making an animated film after doing this and they allowed me to kind of see behind the scenes. On other days I’d come in and go sit in their dailies and a couple of the animators showed me some of the programs they use, how it’s done these days. “

“And they had me come in another time to really, quite an honor, the whole animation department had me, and I sat in the middle of them,” Idina continues, “I thought it was going to be like three guys and it was like 70 people. And they just ask me questions about craft and singing and how I breathe when I sing and how I would move if I was this character on stage and things like that because their attention to detail is so committed and specific. And so they were interested to know that I breathe from here, not from here. So when my character sings you know, she’s not going to be doing this or whatever. I mean who knows but they care so much about that. It’s a stunning film. I’m really excited.”

Idina was asked if she ever felt that she had to hold back as her character because of her powerful vocals.

“Yes, I do all the time,” Menzel says, “Even in real life, I always struggle with allowing everyone to see how great I can be and how powerful and loud and big

"Defying... Temperature"

and not wanting to piss anybody off at the same time.

Menzel was asked if she had sisters of her own and had any advice for how they can get along with each other.

“That’s a good question,” Idina answers, “I have a younger sister. She’s 3 1/2 years younger than me. I don’t know what kind of advice I’d say, just I know that we, sometimes she feels like my older sister because she’s an oversold and she had kids before I did. And she’s always just been so smart and sensitive and I can go to her with my, when I’m feeling down about something and she always has really great words of wisdom.”

“So it’s an interesting dynamic we have because she looks up to me because I’m the older sister and that’s innate,” Menzel adds, “But I also look up to her as well. But I think, I think maybe having a sense of, of your experience of each other and what that was you know. I’m aware that my sister grew up having a lot of people talking about me all the time and my voice and this and that and how that cast a shadow. And I was very sensitive to that with her. And, and so it’s just about being empathetic.”

Menzel was also asked how important it was for Frozen to be added to the ranks of classic Disney “princess” films like Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Beauty And The Beast.

“Sure,” she says, “I mean, it was my dream to be in it you know a Disney animated film, to have a song in one, an amazing song is you know, it’s really a dream for me. I try not to look at and results of things. I just like to enjoy the process and I like to put myself in a room with people that I can learn from.”

“So to sit next to

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John Lasseter and have him come, he actually came in and was part of some of my recordings and we talked character,” Idina continues, “We had a great back-and-forth one day in the studio. And then [directors] Jennifer [Lee] and Chris [Buck] and I think that’s how you get better. You have to be willing to put yourself in with great people that might be intimidating if you’re going to learn anything.”

It was mentioned that Idina’s character Elsa is modeled after a Norwegian-style princess. She was asked whether creating the character was inspired by the country.

“Yeah,” Menzel answers, “There wasn’t as much as far as an accent or things like that. They just want us to talk the way we talk. But it was more about the beautiful landscapes that they have and film and how you walk into Disney Studios and it’s just the walls are covered. They really want to inspire their animators all day long with the most beautiful murals and photographs of that world, and being regal.”

It was asked of Menzel whether this felt like working on a Broadway play.

“Yeah,” Idina replies, “Between Glee, people are really starting to appreciate us Broadway people and what we do and our discipline and how hard we have to work. And it’s nice when other mediums give us jobs, and we may not be household names to everyone but they recognize what we can bring to the table will be something really special, so that feels good.”

Idina was asked why she has done such few films as an actress.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” Menzel says, “It’s a little bit of taking time off to be a mom. It’s not getting certain opportunities, wanting to do theater. Theater is a long commitment so for the past three years. I’ve known I wanted to do this new show that I’m doing now in DC called If/Then. It’s going to come to Broadway.

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We’re going to work it out in DC first so we don’t, you know, have critics hanging over our heads.”

“And, in so those things take a long time,” she adds, “But I’ve known I wanted to do it and they put on a time schedule so it’s hard to commit to certain things. But it’s so important to me to be a part of the process early on and originate a role, t’s a compromise that I have to make.”

Menzel was asked about her initial reaction to the character when she first read the script.

“I wasn’t concerned because I was happy to be a part of it, even if I was you know their villain or iconic villain,” Idina answers, “But I love how complicated and how surprising Elsa is and unconventional, I think.”

Idina was asked how she felt when she saw Elsa’s big moment.

“I know, that’s what everyone says,” Menzel replies, “She is. She’s just liberated, right.”

Menzel was asked if she could see her own likeness in her face.

“I don’t,” Idina says, “Some people say they see that. I you know, I don’t think any of us see ourselves the way you know, we’re not objective when we see ourselves. My husband and my friends see things in there that seem like me.

Idina was asked if her son has seen the film.

“Yeah, he saw it,” Menzel answers, “He was excited. He doesn’t like when bad things happen to me.”

Menzel was asked if there was a doll of Elsa.

“A doll, yeah, yeah, yeah,” Idina replies, “And she sings and if you push her boobies my voice comes out I recognize how lucky I am to be a part of that whole family and like I said, it was a dream for me, something I’ve always wanted. And I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to sing in one and the fact that I’ve had this stunning song seems to connect

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with people. It’s very epic. It’s an 11:00 number at 3:00.”

Idina was asked why she was concerned about whether or not she’d be able to sing in a Disney movie.

“Why was I?” Menzel says, “Oh, Disney films lately didn’t have music you know. They were going away from that. You never know where they are with trends and how they make movies.”

Menzel was asked if she knows if there will be a film adaptation of Wicked made.

“All I know is that it’s in development and that they tell Kristin Chenoweth and myself that we’re going to be too old to play the lead roles,” Idina says, “It’s Wicked’s tenth anniversary in a couple of days. So, yeah,I don’t know when they’ll make the movie. I’m just — I am proud of the legacy and how many people all over the world it’s affected and connected with and I’m proud of what my character, what she represents.”

No Disney animated film would be complete without a classic anthropomorphic character. The one for Frozen is a snowman named Olaf. Idina was asked what her favorite snowman would look like.

“I don’t get very artistic with my snowman,” Idina says, “But you know what, I haven’t sat in the snow with my son yet so you know, you find all these new things about yourself when you start doing arts and crafts and things with your kids, and he wants to go off and do something bigger like I haven’t finished college yet, Play-Doh. It’s like wait, don’t you appreciate what I’ve done?”

In the film, Elsa ends up freezing the town due to her cranky emotions. Idina was asked what makes her cranky.

When Elsa gets cranky she freezes the whole town. What things make you cranky?

“Not a lot of sleep makes me cranky,” Menzel says, “I don’t like moody people to be honest with you. So, not that I don’t get cranky, but if I

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bite someone’s head off, I tend to apologize very quickly.”

“I don’t like having to pussyfoot someone because of their moves,” she adds, “There’s people I’ve met in my life that are like that. So, but what makes me cranky? I have to think about that for a second.”