If you have seen the movie Oz The Great and Powerful, you have most likely discovered a favorite character in the film, most likely China Girl, played by Joey King. Joey plays two characters in the film, a little girl in the beginning, then the adorable, and feisty, China Girl, a porcelain doll, later in the land of Oz.
We had the chance to interview this young star about her roles in the movie. She was very poised and well-spoken and a pleasure to speak with.
Q: How did you get involved with the project?
Q: Who is your best friend?
JOEY KING: I have more than one best friend. I have, uh, Emma, which is Sam’s daughter, and I have Amanda, Ariana, and Heather. I have a lot of best friends.
Q: Were any of the actresses like your mom on set?
JOEY KING: Michelle Williams is more like my mom. Michelle was really funny because she has a daughter Matilda, and she wanted to know things, like, what age I got my phone at? How old was I when I wore heels? She was more like a mom figure to me.
Photo Credit: Disney Studios
Q: Do you have a China Girl doll yet?
JOEY KING: I’m working on getting it. I’m almost there. I really want one because she’s so cute, and I think it’d be really fun to show my family.
Q: What did you think of your finished character when you saw the movie for the first time?
JOEY KING: When I saw the movie at the premier, that was the first time I’d seen it. I had only seen about 20 minutes of it before. But it was really exciting for me, because I got to play two characters. I played a little girl in a wheel chair in Kansas, and then I played China Girl in the Land of Oz. So it was really cool to see how everything came together, and how they did China Girl, ‘cause what they did was they used CGI technology, and they filmed my face, and attached my expressions onto China Girl. So it was really like I was watching myself, but as an animated character.
Q: Do you feel like it was easy getting into the character?
JOEY KING: I think that it was, there’s parts I’ve done before where it’s very difficult to get into that mode, and you have to be very, different from yourself. But I am always up for a challenge, and I love those kind of things, but this one was a little bit more close to my personality. She’s very sassy, and she had a lot of personality. She’s very energetic, and she’s a little, not that I’m saying I am. But she’s just a little bit manipulative, in a way. I pull pranks on my sister, so I can’t say that I’m not.
Q: What was your favorite part about the movie?
JOEY KING: There’s so many great parts about filming that movie, ‘cause it was just it was really exciting for me. I love the original, and I just loved everything about the script. One of my favorite parts was just getting to work with everyone, like James, Mila, Zach, and Michelle. Sam Raimi is an amazing director, an amazing person, and I love the way he works. He’s very precise, and he catches every little detail. But it makes all the difference, and that made it just feel really more natural. Like I said, Michelle’s like a mother figure to me, Mila’s like a sister to me, Zach is like a brother to me, and James is always teasing me on set, he’s like a brother to me, too. So I love them all!
Image ©Jeanne Sager, Inside Out Motherhood
Q: What advice do you have to other kids that want to get involved in acting?
JOEY KING: I’ve been doing this since I was four years old, and I’m 13 right now. It took a while to actually get where I am. It’s really exciting now that I am here because it was a lot of rejection, and a lot of auditioning, and getting so close, but not close enough. I never gave up, I am here, and that’s my advice to everyone, to never give up, because you never know when it can happen.
Q: How old were you when you watched the original Wizard of Oz?
JOEY KING: That’s a really good question. I’m not really sure. It was a while ago because I’ve watched it so many times, over and over and over again. It’s one of my favorite movies. I grew up with it… It was way before this movie. I just loved it, and I watched it over and over again. I would say I was pretty young.
Q: Did you get to hang out with the puppet much?
JOEY KING: I got to be on set a lot, which was really cool. What they did was they filmed my face in the booth, and they brought the cameras, and the puppeteer, Philip Huber was amazing. She had so many strings on her, and he knew what every one worked, and it was so cool to watch. So I got to hang out with her a lot. It was almost like she was a real person. I forgot that she was just a puppet. That was really exciting and neat.
Q: How do you balance your work with being a teenager?
JOEY KING: A lot of people ask me that, and they’re, like, how do you balance it because it must be hard doing this work. It’s actually a lot of fun for me to come here and do this kind of thing. It’s exciting for me. I love going away and filming. When I come home, I get to see my friends, and I get to hang out with them, and do fun things a lot. But this is what I love to do, and it’s basically just like being a kid, being a teenager, it’s a part of who I am, and I love it.
Q: What is it like being a role model for other kids who are watching your career?
JOEY KING: It’s kind of cool to see that kids look up to me, and how to be, and they admire my work and my personality. I think that’s really neat. I get to do these kinds of charities, and I get to share these things that I do, and let kids know that it’s fun to do these kinds of things. It’s fun to do charity, and you always have to stay involved with the world.
It’s exciting for me, and it’s also, sometimes a little bit of a challenge as well. I love letting kids know that there’s more than just sitting at home on your computer and doing things like that.
Q: Did you know any of the other actors or actresses prior to making this movie?
JOEY KING: This was the first time I had met them, working on the movie, but I knew of them very well. James in 127 Hours, and Mila, I love all her movies. And Michelle, and Rachel and Zach. So I knew who they were, and I loved meeting them, because they became like a family to me.
Q: Can you tell us about the swear jar?
JOEY KING: I did the swear jar on Oz, the Great and Powerful, but my mom was the one who put the most money in it. Everyone had to be careful. It’s kind of funny when they swear. I didn’t keep the money, I donated to Meals on Wheels, which is a charity that my grandma volunteers for, and I go and deliver with her a lot. It’s where you deliver meals to elderly people who can’t get out of their home.
Q: What was your favorite scene in the movie?
JOEY KING: My favorite scene was when is when I’m convincing Oz to let me go with him and Finley on their journey to go hunt the Wicked Witch. That scene is my favorite because you get to see this side of China Girl where she’s kind of that manipulative little girl. But she’s really, she really wants to hang out with them and go with them, go on this adventure. She’s a very adventurous little girl, and she’s an orphan. Her parents had passed away because of the Wicked Witch. I loved seeing how it all played off.
COMMENT: China Girl’s trending on Twitter
JOEY KING: It is?
COMMENT: Yes.
JOEY KING: No way!
JOEY KING: Ah! I’m so excited right now! That is so cool! I have to tell my mom!
JOEY KING: Oh, that’s so cool! Thank you’!
Joey is a big fan of Twitter, so she was really excited we were able to get #ChinaGirl to trend.
FOLLOW @JoeyKingActress!
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Q: What was the most challenging thing for you about being on set?
JOEY KING : We were almost filming this movie for six months, usually, it’s just two to three months. The most challenging things for me was that I wasn’t on set the whole time, you know? ‘I was on set the majority of the time, but when I had to go back in that little booth, it wasn’t as fun as it was being on set. But at the same time, it was kind of fun because James and everyone could hear us through our little headphones, so Zach and I were always, like, James, listen to your conscience. So, we would kind of mess with him, and got in their head. So that was fun, but it was also one of the most challenging things, ‘cause I love being on set with the other guys.
Q: When you were not doing your voices, would you run around on set and explore?
JOEY KING: Yeah. When I wasn’t at school, I was usually roaming around. The sets were the most amazing thing for me to see, they were so big, and detailed. Itt’s like, whoa! This is real! This is real life! And it was really cool for me because I loved the original movie, and the sets were very similar, but more detailed, and it was so cool for me.
Q: What was your favorite character other than your own?
JOEY KING: Definitely Finley. Finley was so cute! Finley and China Girl kinda bring a certain humor and light to it. Finley is definitely, hands down my favorite character because he’s so funny.
Q: Do you have the Finley monkey yet?
JOEY KING: I want that one, too! I don’t have it! He’s so cute! I would totally want to show him off to everyone. I’m like, yep, that’s Finley.
You can also follow @DisneyOzMovie on Twitter and Like Oz The Great and Powerful on Facebook for all of the latest news about the movie.
Disclosure: I was provided with an all expense paid trip by Disney in order to bring you this information. All opinions and experiences expressed are my own. This is accordance with Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of. Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.