Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur actress Libe Barer, who plays Casey in the animated series, spoke with The Direct about her time working on the show’s new episodes.
While the story generally follows Lunella Layfayette and her partner, Devil Dinosaur, it is best not to forget Moon Girl’s best friend in the whole wide world, Casey. In all honesty, Lunella probably could not pull off what she does without her.
[ Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 2 Producers Talk Lunella Changes & Marvel Easter Eggs ]
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Actress Libe Barer on Season 2
In an exclusive interview with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’s Libe Barer, the voice of Lunella’s best friend Casey, the star spoke with The Direct’s Russ Milheim about the recently released Season 2 and what makes the series special.
The show has an incredible amount of meaningful and important stories and messages that it imparts to its audiences; it’s one of the show’s strongest qualities.
As for which hit closest to home for Barer, the actress noted how she "really love[s] the depiction of the female friendship" and how Lunella and Casey are "learning to communicate in a healthy way:"
"You know, it's interesting, well, on a more personal level, like, I think that I really love the depiction of the female friendship... and how to navigate the ups and downs... at that age, friendships are intense and very filled with emotion. And I think it's the first time that you're confronted with having your own needs in a relationship... and butting heads and learning how to communicate in a healthy way to get through conflict."
"I just rewatched 'The Belly of the Beast' episode," confirmed the star (which is one of Season 2’s new offerings), noting how she "was so sort of taken aback by how beautiful they handled that:"
" just rewatched, as the season comes out, I just rewatched 'The Belly of the Beast' episode, that's where Casey and Lunella get into a fight and then wind up in Devil's stomach. And I was like, it had been so long since we recorded it. And I was so taken aback by how beautifully they handled that and what a great example that sets for like young girls watching."
As for if that installment is her favorite episode of the show, she noted, "I think so," while also giving special mention to her Bar Mitzvah episode:
"I think so... And in the last season, I loved my Bar Mitzvah episode. That's always that'll forever [have a] special place in my heart. Yeah."
The actress even got to lend her voice to some new songs in Season 2, including "Count on Friends" and "It’s OK."
When it came to recording the music, Barer shared how the process "was so fun" and part of "such a wonderful supportive environment:"
"It was so fun. And I sort of had forgotten that they were putting us in the actual mix-tape part of it. And watching it, it made my heart soar. But recording was so fun. It's such a wonderful supportive environment, and like, I used to sing, and I haven't been doing it as--it wasn't like the path that I took, but getting to do that and in this setting was very, very special."
While recording with other talent in the recording booth sadly is no the norm, Libe Barer got some time with Diamond White, something the actress admitted "makes a difference:"
"Yeah, oh my god, it makes such a difference. It's so fun to play with Diamond in the booth. And it's funny because we started recording--the show got picked up in 2020 in the depths of the lockdown, and so, we were recording from our respective [closets]. They sent us equipment, and I converted my closet into a recording studio, but we would Zoom and... I was in New York. She was in LA."
Barer explained how she feels "you just find so much more life" when recording with other actors in person:
"And even though we were on opposite sides of the country, just getting to play together via Zoom just felt “like we were next to each other, and it was so special. And I think you just find so much more life... [and] also the creators encouraged us to ad-lib and find stuff and play. And I think that a lot of the magic that you see between Casey and Lunella comes from that very real live rapport that Diamond and I have when we record together."
As for what her most unique challenge was on the project, the actress explained that part of the difficulty of something like Moon Girl is how you simply "don’t know what things are going to look like:"
"It's interesting because I think animation is so its own thing. And it's like a total playground. It's challenging because you don't know what things are going to look like. You don't know what the other actors are going to be doing for the most part unless you're lucky enough to get to record together like Diamond and I have been."
She added when it comes to the other characters they have to interact with, "[they] don’t know what their reads are gonna be like:"
"But, you know, the other characters we interact with, we don't know what their reads are gonna be like. But it's really cool, though, and what's so exciting about it is that we get to lay the groundwork for what the animators will build on top of it. We're just like, in our little boxes, pretending that we're bouncing around the streets of New York with a dinosaur. When really we're just we're in these little boxes."
As for the future of Casey as a character, Barer admitted that she would love to see "what Casey is like on another planet:"
"So, I'm watching the show as it's coming out now, too. And it's interesting watching the things that I wasn't [in]. You know, you read the scripts, but seeing it is something different. And I was so blown away by the first episode where Lunella and the Beyonder go travel in space and time, and I feel I want Casey [to join]. I want to see what Casey is like on another planet."
For those who haven’t given Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur a chance yet, to convince those on the fence, Barer exclaimed how "there’s really nothing on TV like it" and it's a show that "sort of transcends the genre:"
"I think that there's really nothing on TV like it. I think that despite how much you are into Marvel or animation or Disney or whatever, I think that this show sort of transcends the genre, any sort of categories that it falls into. It's just like a really beautiful piece of art. And it's like funny, and the stories are great. And there are great messages, and just, each episode is such a fun, fun ride. So I think if you haven't watched it, you're missing out."
As for the possibility of a Season 3, the actress was quick to sternly mention how "[they] can’t say anything:"
"We can't say anything [laughs]. All I can say is that, I don't know if we will be lucky enough to. I hope we are. I love doing the show. I think it's so special and unique and has such powerful messages, and is also just such a fun ride. I hope we get to keep doing it and making the show for a long, long time."
The entire interview can be seen below:
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is now streaming on Disney+.
