She got the call two days later. “You’re Lola Bunny.” The recording sessions were a revelation. Billy West (Bugs) was a mad genius, and the two of them fell into an instant rhythm. They’d play off each other, speeding up lines, tossing in improvisations. Kath fought to keep Lola from being sidelined in every scene. In one take, when Bugs tries to carry her away from danger, she stopped.
The audition room was quiet. A single microphone, a pane of one-way glass, and the faint smell of stale coffee. The casting director, Andrea, nodded at her. “Whenever you’re ready, Kath.”
The project was Space Jam . A live-action/animation hybrid starring Michael Jordan. The script had landed on her kitchen table a week ago, and her agent had been emphatic. “They want a sweetheart. A love interest for Bugs. Think… Southern charm with a hidden ace.” kath soucie lola bunny
The voice actress arrived at the Burbank studio with a slight knot in her stomach. It was 1996, and Kath Soucie was already a legend in the animation world. She’d been the plucky courage of Dexter’s mom, the sweet charm of Phil and Lil on Rugrats , and a dozen other characters who lived in the hearts of millions. But today felt different.
She stepped back to the mic. The red light blinked on. She got the call two days later
When she finished, the room applauded.
But Kath had never met a thin role she couldn’t inflate with a little oxygen. They’d play off each other, speeding up lines,
“Hold on,” she said to the director. “Lola wouldn’t just let him carry her. She’d say something.”