Here's Why Mindy Kaling's Disgust And Bill Hader's Fear Were Recast In Inside Out 2

19 June 2024, 13:58

Inside Out 2: Here's Why Disgust And Fear Were Both Recast. Picture: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo, Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP

By Sam Prance

Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader were key parts of Inside Out but neither returned for the second film.

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If you've seen Inside Out 2 and noticed that Disgust and Fear sound a little different, that's because they're actually both now voiced by completely different actors. Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader did not return to voice the characters in the sequel.

Inside Out is one of Pixar's most beloved movies. Exploring the emotions that exist inside our heads, it's a beautiful coming-of-age story with an all-star cast. Amy Poehler voices Joy, Phyllis Smith voices Sadness, Lewis Black voices Anger, Bill Hader voices Fear and Mindy Kaling voices Disgust.

Inside Out 2 has received rave reviews for capturing the energy of the original film all while introducing new characters like Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui into the mix. However, some fans have been confused why Mindy and Bill didn't reprise their roles.

With that in mind, here's what the voice actors and team behind Inside Out have said about Mindy and Bill being recast.

Why were Disgust and Fear recast in Inside Out 2?

Amy Poehler draws Joy from Inside Out from memory in 60 seconds

While their performances aren't too dissimilar from Mindy and Bill's, Disgust is now voiced by Fast & Furious star Liza Lapira, and Veep actor Tony Hale takes on the role of Fear. In January 2023, Mindy told The Wrap: "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."

Explaining what happened to Bill and Mindy, producer Mark Nielsen told 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. We love Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling. They’re always going to be part of this Pixar family."

While Mark didn't go into specifics, there has been reports that Mindy and Bill turned down Inside Out 2 over pay disputes. According to Matthew Beloni's Puck newsletter, Mindy and Bill were reportedly offered $100,000 to return while Amy Poehler was offered $5 million.

This information has not been confirmed by any of the cast members.

The cast of Inside Out 2: Amy Poehler, Tony Hale, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Ayo Edebiri and Liza Lapira. Picture: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SiriusXM

In his interview with LADbible, Mark said: "But we also love Tony Hale, who was also Forky in Toy Story 4 - and Liza Lapira. Adding them to the family has been an absolute treasure the last four years. [We’ve enjoyed] recording them and watching them really grab onto these characters."

As well as Disgust and Fear, Riley has been recast. Instead of Kaitlyn Dias, Kensington Tallman voices the role but this is likely due to Kaitlyn now being 25 in real life and Riley being just a teenager.