Prolific actress, comedian, writer, producer, director, and author Amy Poehler is one of the most powerful and popular women in Hollywood; so it's both surprising and amusing that her latest role is voicing a teenage boy. Emmy talks to Poehler about her upcoming animated series Duncanville, debuting Feb. 16 on FOX.
The award-winning official publication of the Television Academy hits newsstands Feb. 21.
Poehler is known for bringing warm, unique voices to the world of film and television. The Boston College graduate has an impressive list of projects on air, in post-production and in development through her production company, Paper Kite (comprised entirely of women), including her NBC reality competition show Making It, Hulu's Difficult People, Comedy Central's Broad City, the Emmy-winning Netflix series Russian Doll and her feature directorial debut Netflix's Wine Country.
In this month's emmy cover story, "Yes, and More Yes," Poehler describes the genesis of her latest project, Duncanville, which she co-created and executive produces with Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully (The Simpsons). The show was created to fill the gap in animated programming for teens. "We wanted a very typical American family," says Poehler, who voices two roles in the series: Duncan and his mother, Annie. Ironically, one of the most respected female forces in the industry was thrilled to give voice to a disaffected teenage boy; "I'd just get so excited about trying that kind of character."
While teens are big fans and followers of animation, few animated characters on TV capture their point of view as vividly as Duncan. "We liked the age of 15 because you can taste the freedom of adulthood; but you can only drive with your parents, and you still have to watch your little sister... stuff like that," says Mike Scully.
On Duncanville, Poehler seized the opportunity to work with best friend and former Parks and Recreation costar Rashida Jones. "These days, the talented women I call my friends are working all the time, so the only time I get to see them is when I'm actually working with them," says Poehler. Jones, Poehler's "work wife," who voices Duncan's crush, Mia, says, "Any excuse or professional reason to spend more time with Amy vastly improves the quality of my life on every level."
These days, acting and writing are taking a backseat to producing and directing for Poehler. "I still have so much to learn as a director and producer," she tells emmy. "And I, of course, have more to learn as an actor; but it's the thing I've been doing the longest, and I feel the learning curve on the other stuff is so strong—it's really intoxicating."
Additional feature highlights from the new issue include:
In "Two and Ten" emmy talks to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, the creative partners behind Quibi, a new mobile-phone-exclusive streaming service where every episode will have a running time of just under 10 minutes.
Premiering Feb. 21, Amazon's Hunters tells the story of the personal sacrifices required to stop a greater evil. In "Settling Scores," executive producer David Weil shares the inspiration for the series based on a group of Nazi hunters bringing escaped war criminals and murderers to justice.
Emmy talks with Andy Greenwald as he makes the crossover from television critic to series creator. "Desert Dispatch" features a candid conversation between Greenwald and Chris Ryan, editorial director of the website The Ringer, where he and Greenwald host the TV podcast "The Watch," about the growing pains of being a rookie showrunner.
About emmy
Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of the industry for a unique insider's view. It showcases the scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology. Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a six-time Maggie Award winner as Best Trade Publication in Communications or the Arts and has collected 52 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is available on selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single print and digital copies as well as subscriptions.
Download the press release here.
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Carla Schalman
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310.827.3169
Stephanie Goodell
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818.462.1150
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