When parents try to introduce their children to Ginnifer Goodwin, she begs off.
“I find it very startling for really little kids. I don’t want to break the fourth wall,” she explains. “I want them to believe there is a walking, talking rabbit somewhere.”
That rabbit, of course, is Judy Hopps, a rookie police officer in “Zootopia” and, now, in its sequel, “Zootopia 2.”
Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, left, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from "Zootopia 2."
If people happen to recognize her just by hearing her voice, she’s fine. But the “can you guess who this is?” with kids? No.
“It’s my voice — I’m not putting on a voice,” Goodwin says. And, in many ways, voiceover acting is “the opposite of acting. It’s actually not acting at all. You’re told to show up and be present and as authentic as humanly possible. Let’s swim through these emotions and see where the scenes go.”
The job is better than Goodwin ever imagined. Because her face isn’t in an animated film, she can wander through society without being identified.
Ginnifer Goodwin attends the Disney 2025 Upfront presentation at the North Javits Center on May 13 in New York.
At Shanghai Disney, where there’s a complete “Zootopia” land, Goodwin could enjoy the attractions without anyone knowing. “I can go there and just be a tourist under the radar.”
Then, too, there are some 40 actresses who dub the film in other languages. “There are actually two Chinese actresses who play Judy Hopps, so I assume they’re the ones who are recognized for the role there.”
In China, “Zootopia” is such a hit that theme park visitors often don Judy Hopps ears, not Mickey Mouse ones.
“When the first film came out, there was a movement by this particular generation from rural China to the big cities. There were a lot of Judy Hopps moving into Zootopia and it was relatable. It’s no secret that the Zootopia skyline has some similarities with the Shanghai skyline.”
Back home, Goodwin’s two sons with husband Josh Dallas are big fans of the film.
“They have no interest in anything I’ve ever done, anything my husband’s ever done, but they are Disney nuts,” she says. When mom gets merchandise from the studio, they’re interested.
“I’m very big on ‘work is not life,’ so even though I’m obsessed with what I get to do for a living, I’m really hardcore with my kids about, ‘Don’t be sad if I have to go to work because we love what we do.’ I pray that they do something for a living that they love. I want to be an example to them of that.”
Even though she has been in a number of big projects (including “Once Upon a Time” — where she met her husband — “Big Love” and “He’s Just Not That Into You”), Goodwin has made a point of keeping the work persona out of the home.
Until “Zootopia.”
“I hung up ‘Zootopia’ art … my house is all merch,” she says with a laugh. “My husband does not know that he’s opening all kinds of merch” during the holidays.
