Theres always been something that screamed cartoon about that potty-mouthed pixie, Sarah Silverman.
Even at her most outrageous, the edgy comics disarming, Betty Boop/Betty Rubble voice intentionally softens that edge.
Silvermans demeanor and material, in which, as the Los Angeles Times and many others have proclaimed, almost nothings off limits race, religion, sex and celebrity can be jaw-dropping.
Think of her stand-up documentary Jesus is Magic, her sexualized political ads and what she once sang to ex-boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel that she was doing to Matt Damon.
But coming from a voice built for baby talk, she gets away with it.
Her most outrageous stunt yet may be her first-ever turn as an animated character in a Disney film. Shes voiced more adult animation The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, Bobs Burgers.
But Wreck-It Ralph, last weekends No. 1 movie at the box office, is a Disney toon in which she plays a sassy, sugary exiled video game imp named Vanellope Von Schweetz. And if Vanellope has a certain Silverman edge, the comic-turned-actress says thats Disneys doing.
We reached her in Los Angeles.
Q. So who called whom? Did you approach Disney or did they pitch you?
Disney called me. They did. I have NO idea why. I was like, Do they only know me from Monk or Yo Gabba Gabba or something? I was thrilled. Everybody loves Disney. And when I thought of it, the filthiest comedian working as I was coming up was Eddie Murphy. And hes found a home with Disney. So if he can do it, why not me?
I mean, I have the perfect voice for animation, and a great face for radio! Ha ha! Ive always had a voice, a pretty distinctive one pleasing or displeasing, depending on who you are. When I hear it, Im like Eeeewwww, its so nasal. But early on, I got a voice-over agent, and Id go to voice-over auditions constantly commercials. I never got booked. Never. Then people started hiring me for being me and I started getting all this cartoon work.
A lot of people are asking me about this choice, and Im like, Do you think Im going to sneak (expletive deleted) into their cartoon? No. Im an adult. Theres more than one side of me and I can certainly curb myself if they give me a script. Come on!
Q. Well, youve provided so little evidence, up to now, that you are in fact able to curb yourself.
Yeah, I know. Disneys really smart releasing this in an election year when Im at my most tippy-top polarizing self! But theyre still cool about it.
Q. Anything about Vanellope that you could identify with, as a character?
I feel so close to her. Yes, shes a her. Shes an Everywoman obnoxious and precocious and annoying at first. Shes this little tough girl. When people are tough, its because theyre protecting this fragile interior. She was this little rejected girl covering it with being a tough guy. A lot of people can relate to that. I know I could.
Q. And there are these Sarah Silverman touches to her lines. A video game character with a learning disorder, she says she has pixlexia.
I love that! Id love to take credit for it, but thats in the script. We improvised and came up with alternative lines. Milk My Duds. But stuff like Why did the hero flush the toilet? Cuz it was his duty? Straight out of the script. And I loved it.
Q: So is going Disney the sign that this is the beginning of a mellower Sarah Silverman? (She turns 42 in December).
This comes out sandwiched between a filthy political video and a movie (Take This Waltz) that Im nude in. So sure. Im getting a lot mellower.















