E.G. Daily and Tara Strong On Returning To Rugrats and Their Favorite Memories Together
Tommy is about to become a big brother in Paramount+’s Rugrats reboot! Kristen Maldonado of Pop Culture Planet spoke with voice actors Tara Strong and E.G. Daily about returning to the roles of our favorite baby brothers and their best memories working together.
Tommy Pickles made his debut in 1990, voiced by E.G. Daily, but it took another eight years before his brother Dil came into the picture. In the reboot, Dil makes his debut in season two. “We were baby brothers together and we became friends. Then we became sisters on Powerpuff Girls and we stayed friends. Now we get to be Tommy and Dale again all these years later,” said Daily. “I just think that's really special.”
According to Tara Strong, who voices Dil, it’s like no time has passed. “The voices [of] any show from episode one to season six [are] going to be a little bit different, but when you watch this version of the Rugrats, it's like no time has passed. The voices sound exactly the same. Everyone's maintained,” Strong told me. “It was like riding a bike when we step back into these characters and it felt so good. On my first record, I said to the director… I was like getting a little emotional, I'm like, ‘It feels good to put this diapie back on, you know?’ It's pretty seamless. Vocally, it feels […] exactly the same. The only major difference is of course now it’s CG.”
Strong revealed how she gets back into the voice of her past characters. “Once we create a character they really kind of live up in our brains and when it's their turn to come out and play they do,” she said. “We are right back into Tommy, that amazing big brother that Dilly looks up to that sometimes he annoys, but we authentically love each other so much and it just feels good. It was honestly pretty effortless, like that's just how much we love each other.”
While Strong could see why fans might be worried about the new CGI animation style, she confirms it’s top tier. “They've really done such a fantastic job. It's a beautiful looking show. The animation is really high-end. There's no skimping out. It looks amazing. It's a beautiful show that I think will capture new audiences,” she said. “Kids that grew up with the show that now have their own children will get to be nostalgic and watch. I think there's going to be something for everyone in this show.”
Daily agreed: “All I can say is every time I've seen one of the episodes of Rugrats I'm so floored by the animation that all I'm doing the whole time is like, ‘Oh my God, look at the rain! Look at the mud! Look at their little feet!”
The duo also reminisce on one of their wildest Rugrats memories — when Daily almost gave birth during a recording session! “I was in labor at a recording session. I didn’t stop working. I went to the doctor and he was like, ‘You’re not in labor,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, but I feel like I’m in labor,’” she shared about how she had to take breaks between recording to deal with contractions. “I actually had a baby that night.”
Daily continued: “You get to play these babies and do this show and then I got to have my baby and have her in the show. It’s like life and art and everything was happening all at the same time. That’s what I love about Rugrats. That’s what I love about [Tara] because I’ve known her for so long.”
All of Rugrats season 2 is streaming on Paramount+.
