The absolute highlight of Boston Comic Con this past weekend was meeting Felicia Day. And so far the best episode of Season 7—if not the series—has been The Perfect Pear, which is the episode she guest starred in as Pear Butter. This was a story that the show had been holding off on telling, but the fandom had been clamoring about for about seven years. And her performance as Applejack's mother was incredible. Her character's relationship with Grand Pear (William Shatner) absolutely rang true.
And then there was the song… my God. I have not cried that hard during a cartoon for a very, very long time. And it was about a little pony falling in love with another little pony name Bright Mac. But her delivery of that song… there was no doubt in my mind that there was true love on the screen.
Meeting Ms. Day at the con was a true delight for Kaethela and I. When it turned out she was as excited to meet us as we were to meet her, we were over the moon. Then she brought up the possibility of being interviewed by the site.
You could have knocked the both of us over with a feather. It was absolutely incredible, and truly made both mine and Kaethela's weekend!
After the break, you'll be able to find the full interview I conducted with Felicia. Be sure to check it out!
The Illustrious Q: Hello Felicia. Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed by Equestria Daily. I have to say it is a true honor and privilege to interview you for the site.
So, to get the ball rolling, how did you discover My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?
Felicia Day: I discovered the show when I kept seeing everyone talk about "Bronies". I think it was at DragonCon many years back, I was fascinated and a bit excited because as a kid I LOVED my ponies.
TIQ: Following up on that, who is your favorite character on the show?
FD: I kind of love Fluttershy because of her love of animals.
TIQ: Have you already seen the episode? If so, what did you think?
FD: I saw it and I loved it more than anything. I teared up actually, which is hard to do when you're actually IN the show. The song was so pretty I DM'd Jim and asked him, "Is that REALLY me singing?!" It was haha.
TIQ: The first time I heard the song you sang in the episode was at New York Toy Fair. The production had gotten as far as the storyboard animatic when the footage was shown but the emotional impact of the moment was already crystal clear. Was there anything you specific you had to do to prepare for this performance?
FD: There was a scratch track they sent in with someone else singing the tune, and she had SUCH a beautiful voice I was intimidated! But I worked with my voice coach and tried to forget how the other woman sang it so I could put my own stamp on it. Luckily the recording process was so fun I forgot to be intimidated and just had fun.
TIQ: While this episode was absolutely beautiful, and answered a few of the questions surrounding Applejack's parents, had a moral lesson that hasn't really been touched upon in children's television. Specifically the tragedy of what happened between Pear Butter and her father Grand Pear. Point in fact, the last lines your character had in the episode was this very argument.
Though it wasn't stated in the episode, it's implied rather heavily that the last time those two ever saw each other was on her wedding day. What do you think about that?
FD: I think it's really sad but as they say, family is what you make it. It's hard enough learning who you are in the world, to be rejected because of it is devastating and unfair. I have a baby girl and my job in life is to introducer her to everything so she can truly discover who she is. And I will support that no matter what. If someone can't do that for their own baby...well, that's tragic. But you can't live another life to make other people happy.
TIQ: Having been a veteran of The Guild, Adventure Time, MST3K: The Return, and Star Wars: Detours, can you please tell us some of the differences you've found when preparing for either a voice role or live action role?
FD: Every job is unique, some require no prep, some an awful lot. I think just finding the joy in each role is the key, making sure I feel relaxed and comfortable and am having fun because I think that's when I do my best work.
TIQ: I know the show's director Jim Miller likes to reach out personally when booking guest talent, so was becoming a guest star on the show a similar experience for you or was it something different entirely?
FD: Nope! Twitter was how I got the job! I love Twitter, haha!
TIQ: What were some of the unique challenges which came with preparing for the role of Pear Butter?
FD: The accent and really making sure everyone felt the emotion behind her estrangement from her own family. Being caught between two kinds of love like that is hard and I wanted to represent that authentically.
TIQ: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has the bulk of its voice work recorded in Vancouver, however the show has been known to be very accommodating with their stars schedules. For instance, Tara Strong, the actress behind Twilight Sparkle, records all her dialogue in LA. What was the recording experience for you when you guest starred on the show? Did you fly up to Vancouver and work with the rest of the cast on the show or did you end up recording your lines in the states?
FD: I recorded in LA and I was very pregnant at the time, so thankfully they worked around my schedule and I popped in and did the record in the nick of time!
TIQ: When did you find out you would be guest starring opposite Captain James T. Kirk... I mean William Shatner?
FD: I didn't find out until the day I recorded! It blew my mind!
TIQ: What was it like working with him?
FD: I didn't get to record with him in the room, so my only experience is seeing the episode back, and it was so thrilling! Bucket list item checked!
TIQ: What is the major take away you got from recording the episode?
FD: That the show is not just a cartoon that entertains, it has meaning underneath and I can't wait to show it to my own little girl when she's old enough.
TIQ: Would you be willing to guest star on the show again?
FD: Of course! I'd love to do anything with the show again!
I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but fellow MST3K alum Patton Oswalt was a guest start on Season 6 of My Little Pony. Did you have a chance to talk with him about your shared experiences guest starring on the show either before or after your recording session?
FD: I didn't know so I didn't ask him, but that's cool I will have to search out his episode!
TIQ: Much like some of the larger fandoms in the world, the My Little Pony fanbase, and Bronies especially, host their own fan conventions several times a year. Would you be interested in attending one of these Brony Conventions?
FD: If I have time of course!
TIQ: Is there anything else you'd like to talk about or would like to say to the readers of Equestria Daily?
FD: Thank you for embracing Pear Butter, she's a beautiful character and it means so much that she resonated with the Brony fanbase!
You can find and follow Felicia Day on twitter:
Twitter: The Illustrious Q
