Saving Bikini Bottom Interview: Carolyn Lawrence on Voicing Sandy Cheeks for 25 Years

ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie star Carolyn Lawrence about the Nickelodeon movie. She spoke about voicing the character for 25 years, what’s new in the film, and more. It is now streaming on Netflix.

“When Bikini Bottom and all its denizens are suddenly scooped out of the ocean, Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants journey to Texas to save the town from a villainous plot,” says the synopsis.

Tyler Treese: You’ve been voicing Sandy Cheeks for 25 years, and this movie gets to come out on the anniversary, which is just so wonderful. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the enduringness of Sandy and the character still being just as popular now as she’s ever been.

Carolyn Lawrence: I think it’s really exciting. It’s hard to believe 25 years in that we’re still growing, you know? I think it’s enduring because I always say it’s been such a happy place for people to land. It’s a consistently happy world that Steve Hillenburg created. Even if SpongeBob goes through his trials and tribulations, like whatever happens in his life, it always ends up in a good place. I think in today’s world, that means a lot, and I do think it doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what language you speak; you understand the humor, and you understand the love between all the characters.

The series has always been so imaginative with its animation, and this is this wonderful blend of CGI and live action. What did you like most about the story of Sandy really going to Texas and getting into Sandy’s roots as a scientist,

It was fun for me as an actress and it’s so amazing to me that we can be on something for 25 years and still be learning things about our characters, right? So when I read the script, I was like, “Oh, she does that. Oh, look at that. Wow. Oh, that outfit’s really cool.” I mean, it was just a fun journey for me to get to meet my family because I didn’t know who they were. I’m learning about it at the same time the audience is learning about it. I think that’s, that’s really cool.

The family dynamic that we get to see in the movie is really fun. Sandy’s parents are circus performers, so it’s a departure, but it also explains a lot once you see where she comes from. What did you like most about that dynamic?

Well, I think what’s funny about that is I think that it’s very relatable in real life. Let’s say you have your friend and you’re like, “Wow, my friend kind of is weird in this area.” Then you meet the parents, and you’re like, “Oh, that’s why they’re like that.” It’s the context of it. I also love the idea that I think it’s very relatable that she, uh, she wanted to do something different than her family wanted her to do.

I think the beauty of it is that they acknowledge that they really want her to stay and be who they want her to be, but they love her anyway. They understand her passion for science, and they’re gonna support her regardless. You know, her mom says something about “it’s okay that she does what she wants to do as long as she stays right here,” and I think a lot of parents feel that way, but we also want our kids to fly and fully be who they are. I think that’s a beautiful message.

You get to play off Wanda Sykes doing an evil scientist. That had to be so much fun to play off of.

It’s so fun. She’s amazing. I mean, what an honor. It’s so cool to even have her in our movie. I can’t believe it.

Did you get to visit any of the live-action sets in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie?

No, I didn’t get to visit the live-action sets, but it was really fun because our phenomenal director, Liza [Johnson], she would call me, right? So we would talk when she was in Texas, she would call me and let me know how the shoot was going and let me know what was happening. She did a really good job of helping me to feel connected to everything, even though I wasn’t able to physically be there. That meant a lot.

I love that this series is just all positive because my other favorite show that you’re in, Moral Orel, is just the exact opposite. So it’s very fun to see you in these shows that are drastically different.

Yes. I get to live out both sides of my personality, right? Dino Stamatopoulos, who created Moral Oral. We go way back. We were friends when we were young in Chicago. So, that was a wonderful thing to get to work on as well, and you’re right, they couldn’t be more opposite.

Thanks to Carolyn Lawrence for taking the time to talk about The Sandy Cheeks Movie, which is now on Netflix.