Emotions ran wild as the much-anticipated animated flick Inside Out 2 finally premiered in Philippine cinemas. After only a couple of days, it's reported that the Pixar movie has already grossed over P450 million in local box office sales.
In the sequel, the core roster of emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear—are joined by Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui as the main character Riley enters her teenage years.
As it turns out, there have also been some slight tweaks with the voice actors behind these characters. The sassy Disgust, for one, is now voiced by Filipino-American actress Liza Lapira.
Fil-Am Actress Liza Lapira on Voicing Disgust in "Inside Out 2"
In the original 2015 film, Disgust was voiced by American actress and comedian Mindy Kaling. In January 2023, she revealed to The Wrap that she would no longer be voicing the character for the upcoming second installment. "I had a great time working on Inside Out and am sure Inside Out 2 will be great. But I'm not working on it," she was quoted saying.
While no explicit reasons have been provided to explain her departure, producer Mark Nielsen did tell LADBible: "It's been nine years since that first film, and you try to get their original cast back together, but it doesn't always work out."
With this vacancy, tenured TV actress Liza Lapira decided to audition for the role. In an interview with GMA News, she said that she was inclined to play the emotion given her crucial role in the life of a teenager like Riley.
"When I think about [teenagers], I think the first emotion that they go to is disgust. Like, 'That's not good enough for me. I don't want to go to that high school. I don't want to wear that. Those people aren't good enough.' So, the project itself informs my character," she shared. "I saw the first Inside Out, and I thought [that] Disgust would be the one that knows the most [about a teenager.]"
Liza was raised in the States but both of her parents were born in Baguio. She says that she's "due to go back" home after years of not visiting due to her work schedule.
Her career took off in the 2000s when she portrayed recurring characters in titles such as Law and Order, Grey's Anatomy, and Sex and the City. One of her most recognizable works was playing Liz in the 2011 rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love. Presently, she stars alongside Queen Latifah in the crime drama The Equalizer as vigilante Melody "Mel" Bayani.
Having been in show business for more than 20 years now, Liza feels honored to take part in the Inside Out franchise. Even if she's only a voice in the movie, she acknowledges the importance of representation in her line of work.
"Representation is just a mirror of the world that we live in now. So, the pretend world just needs to catch up to the real world. And to be part of that change, that movement towards that is an honor, it's a privilege," she tells GMA News. "It's an added bonus to my job that I can see little kids who look like me feel happy or inspired or seen. It's a gift that I didn't know that I would get to have."
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