Nothing brings Amy Poehler more joy than making people laugh.
That, of course, made her the perfect person to voice Joy in Disney•Pixar's Inside Out. The movie is largely based in Headquarters, the control center inside 11-year-old Riley's mind, where five emotions work round the clock. Joy protects Riley's optimistic spirit, Fear (Bill Hader) heads up safety, Anger (Lewis Black) ensures all is fair, and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) prevents Riley from getting poisoned, be it physically or socially. The fifth emotion, Sadness (Phyllis Smith), isn't exactly sure what her role in Riley's life is—and frankly, neither is anyone else.
E! News sat down with Poehler in L.A. Saturday, where she dished about her character. "It was truly very physical for an animated thing, because you kind of can't do her sitting down. You have to move around and jump around," she said. "She does a lot of action in the film, so you end up kind of reenacting that."
After seeing the film, the actress admitted she related to feelings of joy, sadness and anger. "Fear and disgust don't enter my life as much," she said. Poehler then joked, "I'm looking forward to visiting those in my 60s and 70s."
The actress and mother of two said the film reminded her that "time goes by fast" and that her boys won't be boys forever. "I'm going to have to re-watch the film again as an instructional video," Poehler half-joked.
The movie has laughs, but it has plenty of heart, too. It's particularly eye-opening for parents, Poehler said. "Your instinct is to be like, 'It's OK! It's OK! It's OK!' And it's not OK. Sometimes your kid's having a tough day. Sometimes you're really sad. So if you sit down next to them, just like Sadness does in the movie and you say, 'I'm sorry that that happened. That must have been really sad. I'm sorry that you're really sad,' it's really wild what happens because your kids feel and they release it."
According to the actress, Inside Out appeals to a broad audience.
"This is the first time I've said this but I actually think this movie is a good date movie," Poehler told E! News. "Because I think you could go on a date and then you could talk about your feelings afterward." As she joked to Will Marfuggi, "A woman's very vulnerable after she cries. It's a good time to swoop in."
"If there's any takeaway, it's take your ladies to Inside Out. She will cry. Take her to a nice dinner and you will close that deal. I guarantee it," the 43-year-old star said.
Poehler added, "Disney wanted me to tell you that."
Inside Out is in theaters June 19.