Hoppers, Pixar's latest offering, is a little eccentric.
It tells the story of Mabel, a 19-year-old animal enthusiast whose mind is transferred into a robotic beaver in order to stop a construction company from destroying the local habitat. Inadvertently, while doing this, she starts an animal uprising against humans.
Mabel is voiced by Piper Curda. The 29-year-old actress has worked with Disney in the past, having played Kennedy in A.N.T. Farm and Alyssa in Teen Beach 2 — but it's fair to say that, in the leading role, Hoppers is her big break.
As she prepared for the premiere of Hoppers, Curda took out her camera to impart her advice on viewers, and it's fair to say that it strongly resonated.
In the TikTok clip, which has amassed 123,300 views, Curda began by explaining how she has struggled with acting the past few years — especially due to COVID and the SAG-AFTRA strikes. As a result, she picked up retail jobs and spoke about her experiences on TikTok.
In turn, Curda claims that she actually got an audition for Hoppers for "being myself" after the right people watched her TikToks. For her, it felt like a "crazy happenstance" and "inspiring moment" because she wasn’t actually looking to gain anything.
What happened next?
This led her to the second part of her story. While she and co-star Bobby Moynihan were in Disneyland (specifically Carsland), she ran into her old Allbirds boss, which, for her, felt like a "cosmic" way of telling her that she's where she's supposed to be.
Curda added that while she wasn't ashamed of working retail, she was disappointed by it. She had her Hoppers audition while at Allbirds, and noted how she felt "inspired" by moments like these as they reminded her that she was meant to be, and that everything happens for a reason.
Ultimately, the actress said that she wanted to tell this story to "encourage" people who aren't where they'd like to be right now.
Curda didn't immediately respond to The Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment.
What did commenters say?
Commenters were appreciative of the message. "As someone currently grinding it out as a barista while auditioning, this is inspiring as hell," one wrote. "Gonna share this with all my fellow food service/retail actor baddies, congrats on Hoppers!"
"I think there’s something about putting your pride aside and working in retail," a second added. "I also feel like many actors look down on other actors who work as baristas or in retail, and most of them do come from money. You did what you needed to survive, and look where it got you!! Many more roles are coming to you."
While a third noted: "Tbh. That’s the fun thing of life to me. That it’s a journey. That it’s never just one straight line. There are paths, and there may seem like dead ends, but they always turn, and it’s constantly changing. And I at least am at the point in my life where I’m like 'Let’s see where this journey takes me!'"
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