Stranger Things star Maya Hawke recalls the movie deaths that broke her heart to the core. Hawke is a new addition to the sequel to Pixar’s 2015 blockbuster hit Inside Out. During a recent interview, she revealed that only two movie deaths felt like a knife to her heart. One was Dobby’s death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One, and the other was Bing Bong in Inside Out.
Bing Bong is the forgotten imaginary friend of Riley in the film, whom Joy and Sadness encounter in the Memory Dump. In a crucial moment in the film, Bing Bong sacrifices himself to save Joy, moving even the adult viewers to tears.
Maya Hawke Recalls Bing Bong and Dobby’s Death As A ‘Knife To The Heart’
Maya Hawke plays Anxiety, the new member among the several emotions of Riley in Inside Out 2. Amy Poehler and co. returns for the sequel after almost a decade, but there’s a scene from the first movie that none of them have forgotten. During an interview with Cinemablend, the cast of the new film discussed Bing Bong’s sad death in the previous film.
In the 2015 film, Bing Bong and Joy try to escape the Memory Dump in a song-fueled wagon rocket. However, their combined weight doesn’t allow the rocket to ascend. Bing Bong sacrifices himself in the scene by jumping out of the wagon, allowing Joy to escape.
Hawke must have been a teenager when she watched Inside Out and still remembers how the scene was like putting a knife through her heart. She also recalled one other movie scene that did the same to her emotionally. She revealed being hurt by the death of Dobby in Harry Potter.
Hawke still seemed upset about the deaths, as she questioned why bad things happen to such good people. The Do Revenge actress shared with Cinemablend:
Bing Bong’s death and Dobby’s death. Like, knife to the heart. I mean, why do bad things happen to good people?
Fans hoped that Inside Out 2 would bring back the character from eternity. However, the character doesn’t return, and Riley seems to have completely forgotten him. Joy still remembers Bing Bong as she has kept an origami figurine of Bing Bong and his wagon rocket on the shelf by her bed.
Amy Poehler Says Bing Bong Is The Ultimate Sacrifice
Amy Poehler, the voice of Joy, addressed the death of the beloved character Bing Bong in the first film during the interview. Poehler shared an emotional tribute to the character, voiced by Richard King, stating that Bing Bong is the ultimate sacrifice. She shared that when the character died, the whole of America mourned.
Poehler’s comments suggested that the sequel had moved on from the death of the character. About her latest film, she shared that it was about figuring out how to keep going as a person. The Parks and Recreation star shared with Cinemablend:
Well, pour one out for Bing Bong. Bing Bong is always in our hearts. Rest in peace. But Bing Bong is the ultimate sacrifice. I mean, when Bing Bong died, you know, America mourned. But it has been 10 years, and we all have had a lot of loss.
We’ve gotta keep going. And that’s a lot of what the spirit of Pixar is, you know? Like in this sequel, we have to figure out how to keep going as a person.
Not just Maya Hawke, the deaths of Bing Bong and Dobby affected all movie lovers alike. J.K. Rowling went on to make an apology for the death of Dobby in 2018 via her X account, where she’s pretty infamous now.
Inside Out 2 was released in theaters on June 14 and has amassed $110.8 million on its debut (via The Numbers). Inside Out is available for streaming on Disney+.
