SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains mild spoilers for the new Pixar movie Hoppers. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!
In the run-up to the theatrical release of Hoppers this past weekend, one of the most talked about aspects of the new movie was a certain multi-Oscar-winning member of the cast: Meryl Streep. When the first trailer for the movie was released last year, it prominently featured Streep’s character, the butterfly known as the Insect Queen, and it was suggested that the legendary actress was going to have an important role to play.
Fast forward to audiences actually seeing the film, and it turns out that the Insect Queen is killed in her very first scene – a death that is arguably the most shocking in Pixar history.
Article continues belowI was so taken aback by the development that I felt compelled to ask about it when I participated in the Los Angeles press day for Hoppers last month and spoke with director Daniel Chong, producer Nicole Grindle, and stars Piper Curda and Bobby Moynihan (as captured in the video at the top of this article). Discussing the surprise twist with the character, Chong explained that it was always a planned part of the film, and he was worried that the small size of the part would turn Meryl Streep off when he pitched her the part. Said the filmmaker,
I was afraid that it was gonna be a dealbreaker with Meryl when we pitched her the movie. We were on Zoom initially, and I told her all about the story and I was like, 'Oh, yeah, this is the Insect Queen, she's powerful, blah, blah, blah.' And she was with all of it. She loved the beaver part. She loved the themes. And then I was like, 'But Meryl, I have to tell you, you're not gonna survive past your first sequence.'
There’s an old adage among performers that “there are no small parts, only small actors,” and it would seem that Meryl Streep abides by that philosophy. Chong may have been concerned that the small size of her role would be a turn-off, but he actually got the opposite response. He continued,
I was bracing myself thinking like she's gonna roll her eyes. Like, 'Well, this doesn't seem like a good use of my time.' But she was down; she loved it.
In Hoppers, it really is a perfectly delivered surprise. Just when it seems like the Insect Queen is ready to become the movie’s principal antagonist and have animal kind rise up against humanity – a role worthy of the great Meryl Streep – she ends up getting squished between Mabel’s robot beaver paws. Nobody could see it coming, and it’s an amazing shock that opens the door for Dave Franco’s Titus to be the big bad (and become part of Pixar history with a scary moment that will haunt the nightmares of a generation).
In reflection, Daniel Chong was greatly impressed by Meryl Streep’s appreciation of the small but excellent part, and he thinks that her casting enhances the film is multiple ways:
I mean, it speaks to the sense of humor she has. You know, she laughed through most of the pitch and she laughed at that squish, and she thought it was a really fun idea and she was down for it. So that part was really fun to kind of involve her. And also, just the thought of like, it's not just shocking that it's the Insect Queen, but it's shocking also because it's Meryl Streep, right? It's got a layered kind of shock value to it, and I think that was the fun of that moment.
I couldn’t agree more.
Hoppers is now playing in theaters everywhere.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
