Filming The Emoji Movie gave Maya Rudolph a chance to dial into her dark side. Her symbol, the grinning Smiler, serves as president of fictitious Textopolis in the animated flick (out July 28), and despite appearances, “she’s a passiveaggressive maniac,” says the 44-year-old. “Knowing I was the villain, I thought, ‘Oh no! My kids are going to be so disappointed.’ But, for some reason, when you’re playing a character that smiles, people just go with it. Like, ‘She’s evil, but she’s kind of pretty!’ I was able to do the dirty stuff.” The mom of Pearl, 11, Lucille, 7, Jack, 6, and Minnie, 3 (with director Paul Thomas Anderson), gets animated with Us.
Q: Did you base Smiler off anyone in particular?
MR She reminded me of a homecoming queen.…
