Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ayo Edebiri Praises New Version of April O’Neil, She’s “Her Own Person”

Paramount Pictures has finally released their latest reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, and fans have been flocking to theaters to see what happens in the animated movie. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is being directed by Jeff Rowe and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Rowe recently revealed that they made sure that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem had emotion and even disclosed that there were versions of the film that included the turtles arch nemesis, Shredder. One thing that the film does include is a new version of April O’Neil, who is being voiced by Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), and the actress is praising her version of the character.

Ayo Edebiri Talks Playing New Version of April O’Neil

Edebiri recently sat down with Collider, where she had high praise for the new version of April O’Neil that she voiced in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

“I think the fact that she’s a journalist, that she’s got this friendship and this bond with them, and is such an iconic character to people, I feel like there’s just a lot of people who have so much fondness for her,” Edebiri said. “[Laughs] A lot of early first crushes. But I loved that in this iteration I felt like she had so much agency and was her own person and had her own goals and uses that or feels that in tandem with the Turtles, if that makes sense. She has her own goals, she has her own drive, she wants to crack a story, but she realizes throughout the journey of the movie also how important friendship is with these little Turtle freaks.”

What goes down in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem marks the latest movie in the long-running media franchise, and a new reboot for four turtle brothers. Seth Rogen produced the movie, and lends his voice to its huge ensemble cast. In the film, the titular heroes venture out into the real world after years of living isolated in the sewers. Though they try to be recognized as normal teenagers by their heroics, a crime syndicate with an army of mutants makes everything more difficult for them and threatens their plans for joining society. The voice cast for the film includes Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, and Brady Noon as Raphael. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem includes a slew of celebrities as well like Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Jackie Chan as Splinter, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Ice Cube as Superfly, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, and Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opens in theaters on August 2nd.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for any updates on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the future of the franchise as we learn it! 

What do you think about Ayo Edebiri’s comments? Have you seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nayhem since it hit theaters? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!