Big Mouth’s Ayo Edebiri Shares Approach to Missy In Season 4

Big Mouth‘s Missy has a new voice actress, and Ayo Edebiri is sharing how she’s approaching the character in these new episodes. Jenny Slate was the voice of the young girl for the entire run up until now. But, Edebiri stepped in and is taking on double duty as both writer and performer. She spoke to A.V. Club about striking a balance and her role on Apple TV’s Dickinson. Animation is still in the middle of a boom and that doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Big Mouth is one of those programs that just seems to print publicity, and things are becoming a bit more nuanced this season with their cast of characters. This season sees Missy grapple with her heritage a bit more, and the other characters understanding their place in the world differently. It’s a high-wire act, and this all can’t be easy.

“Not really. I think you get hired to bring yourself, your sensibilities, and your sense of humor to the room. And then my job as a writer is to go, ‘Okay, I know who I am. What’s your vision and how can I bring that to your [show]?’ That’s always been my favorite part of writing, that really cool collaborative process that you get to have by just being in a room with each other and making each other laugh,” she explained. “And I also think that feeling comes along with time because I’ve definitely been in positions where I’m so anxious.”

“Even at the beginning when I first started with the Big Mouth group, I was terrified. I was like, “Why did they hire me? Will I be able to do this? Am I funny? Do I remember how a joke works? Maybe not today.” So I definitely think that feeling is confidence—now I’m nervous to say the word “confidence” [Laughs.]—and it grows with time and as you are in rooms with people who are affirming you and reminding you that they hired you for a reason,” Edebiri added.

The comedian also told the L.A. Times that she sent in an audition tape on a whim. When this summer’s discussions about Black voice actors portraying characters of color began, Edebiri couldn’t have dreamed that she would be stepping aboard the project in this capacity. “After the announcement was made, the search [for a new voice actor] started happening,” Edebiri recalled. “And a few days after I got an email that was like, ‘Do you want to send a tape for this?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, I think I will.’”

Have you checked out the new season of Big Mouth yet? Let us know down in the comments!