Drew Barrymore gets emotional while discussing “Inside Out 2”: 'I have chills everywhere'

The daytime TV host called the first film "one of the most profound stories ever told."

Like the characters in Inside Out 2, Joy and Sadness were just a few of the emotions Drew Barrymore experienced while discussing the film on her talk show on Thursday.

The actress, her co-host Ross Mathews, and special guest Drew Afualo broke down some of the biggest headlines of the week as part of the show's recurring Drew’s News segment. This included a recent PixarPost article, which revealed that the animation studio created a focus group comprised of nine teenage girls — all similar in age to the film's protagonist Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) — that would screen the sequel every four months and provide feedback.

“I have chills everywhere,” Barrymore declared. Her voice wobbled as she added, “First of all, to listen to young girls is something that people don't do enough. And then it's just so smart because if you're gonna talk about what it's like to be a young girl, get it right and ask what it feels like to be a young girl, by young girls."

Inside Out 2 follows Riley and her emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Tony Hale), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Anger (Lewis Black), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) — as they navigate her transition from childhood into adolescence. Along the way, a collection of new emotions make themselves at home at Headquarters: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). 

Matthews noted that he wasn’t surprised that the animation studio was dedicated to making sure the sequel properly represented the teenage experience.  

“The movie was so smart, I imagine the sequel’s going to be equally smart, and these producers know what they’re doing. It’s brilliant to be asking young kids,” he said. “You know, I wish someone would’ve asked me when I was younger to be in a focus group: I had some ideas for Saved by the Bell I could’ve helped you out a little bit.”

He continued, “Kelly and Zach broke up. What was that!?”

Barrymore agreed by saying she “cannot wait” to see how Inside Out 2 continues Riley’s story. She added, "I just think it's one of the most profound stories ever told."

In addition to Riley’s new emotions, the film’s screenwriter Dave Holstein told Entertainment Weekly that theatergoers will be introduced to Riley’s belief system for the very first time. 

“It felt like the first movie was about memories, and there was something quite emotional for me in finding a way to show beliefs as we get older," he explained. "Our beliefs certainly solidify as we get older. Maybe we hadn't seen them before, not because they didn't exist, but because now is a time when beliefs start to become of a different level of importance to you.”

These core beliefs can range from the extremely serious to the very silly. “They could be things like, ‘I believe dad's beard will never go away.’ There's things that you believe with the intensity of a thousand stars at that age that don't necessarily have to be very serious,’” he said. “There are lots of things I believed at that age that I'm sure were not even true, but that certainly guided my day-to-day emotional world.”

Inside Out 2 hits theaters on June 14. 

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.