Amy Poehler Reflects on How Voicing Joy in Inside Out Transformed Her Perspective on Emotions and Parenting

Amy Poehler has shared how her role as Joy in the Inside Out movies has been a transformative experience. Attending the 12th Annual Bring Change to Mind Revels & Revelations gala, Poehler spoke to PEOPLE about how voicing the character has sparked deep discussions on emotions and mental health.

The actress, who voices Joy in both the 2015 animated film and its 2024 sequel, explained that the role has had a profound impact on her. "Playing a character like Joy, having big conversations about what our emotions do to us and how we’re supposed to experience them, has truly, fundamentally changed my life," Poehler, 53, said. She reflected on how much has changed over the past decade in terms of mental health awareness and the importance of having open conversations about it. "Tonight is filled with young people, and I think we have a lot to learn from them," she added.

In June, Poehler told PEOPLE she personally identified with Riley, the 13-year-old girl at the heart of Inside Out 2. Riley grapples with the confusing emotions that come with puberty, and Poehler related to her struggle. "I definitely was a mix of anxiety and joy for sure, wrapped up in a Boston accent,” she joked. She explained how, like Riley, she felt overwhelmed by the noise in her head during her teenage years, going from a carefree childhood to suddenly being very aware of others’ opinions.

Now, as a mother to two teenagers, Archie, 16, and Abel, 14, Poehler sees the challenges of adolescence through their eyes. She acknowledged that, much like Joy in the film, parents have to let go and allow their children to experience pain in order to grow. "You just can't protect them from pain," Poehler said. "You're supposed to let them kind of have all their feelings so that they can figure out who they are."

The Sisters star also shared how recording Joy’s lines sometimes led to personal revelations. “It's so deep,” she said of the experience. "It's like talking to your inner child, talking to you as a parent, talking to you as yourself, talking to the future version of you." Despite the emotional intensity, Poehler found the process incredibly rewarding. "You have to really go there, but it's really satisfying to do it.”