Edna Mode is a household name, especially if you have a house with children who watch the Incredibles movies produced by Disney/Pixar. My child grew up watching The Incredibles, and the entire family enjoyed the movies. But we had no clue who the Edna Mode voice actor was.
It may surprise you that producer, writer, and director Brad Bird created the iconic voice. He performed as Edna Mode in two movies, the video game The Incredibles: When Danger Calls, and the short film Auntie Edna. He landed the role in a peculiar way.
The original casting was done internally as “scratch voices.” The role was small. Brad also provided scratch voices for Bob Parr and the villain Syndrome. Scratch voices allow the artists to create the animation for characters before the creation of the actual soundtrack.
The casting folks contacted Lily Tomlin to do the voice of Edna Mode. They recorded Brad’s voice for her to listen to so she could hear what Brad envisioned for the character. Lily Tomlin told Brad he was Edna and he should do the voice himself. So he did. In an interview with the New York Post, Brad said, “At my most confident, I feel like her. She is absolutely convinced that her way is the right way, and if you disagree … you’re just wrong!”
The Iconic “Look” Of Edna Mode
We all thought that the model for the cartoon character Edna Mode was NCIS Los Angeles actress Linda Hunt. We were wrong. Although no one in an official capacity has verified the inspiration for the cartoon character, there is speculation that costume designer Edith Head (pictured below) is the true inspiration behind Edna Mode’s appearance and demeanor.
When discussing the matter with the New York Post, Brad stated that he envisioned Edna as half-German and half-Japanese. He continued, adding, “Those are both relatively small countries that have sort of an enormous impact [and] outstanding technical products coming from them. That’s what she is: a compact person with a very large personality and influence.”
If you have seen the animated films, you can understand why Lily Tomlin recommended they use Brad. Brad Bird is the perfect Edna Mode voice and brings the character to life. Although the role is small, she is one of the most memorable characters in the franchise. If you enjoyed learning more about the voice behind the superhero costume designer, please share this.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here and here.
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