Lending Her Voice: Get to Know Adventure Time's Jessica DiCicco

Voiceover actress Jessica DiCicco is dominating the voiceover animation world. Having gained a cult following for her role as the feisty Flame Princess in Adventure Time, she can now be heard as Annie in Nickelodeon’s new animated series, It’s Pony, and Donald Duck’s triplet nieces (April, May, and June) on Disney Plus’ Legend of the Three Caballeros. DiCicco also earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for her role in Disney’s The Emperor’s New School, and she even uttered Lily’s first word on ABC’s hit show Modern Family. Next, DiCicco will be heard on the second season of Adult Swim’s Ballmastrz: 9009, as well as on TBS/HBO Max’s Close Enough (premiering in May). This spring, she is voicing Princess on Universal Studios Hollywood’s new ride “The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash” (she played the character in the film’s sequel as well) alongside Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, and Tiffany Haddish. Below, DiCicco dissects some of her favorite cartoon characters she’s played to date.

When did you decide to become a voiceover actress?

When I realized how much fun it truly was, I knew it was something I wanted to do all the time. There’s so much freedom in voice acting: you can be as over the top as you want to be, and you can tap into so many different parts of your personality. It’s almost therapeutic at times. One of my first auditions for an animated project was for the part of a mop, and I remember thinking, “This is so weird…and I love it.”

Who are some of your greatest influences in the industry?

The people I work with! I work with a lot of the voice actors I grew up listening to--it’s so surreal. At first, I was kind of starstruck when I walked into a session and realized I was recording with all of my childhood heroes. It was so hard to focus on my work. But I pulled it together because it was almost like I wanted to make them proud. Now, I call them my friends! Animation voice actors are truly the most talented people I’ve met, and I’m in awe every time I go to work.

What is the most challenging part of being a voiceover actress?

I’m constantly coming up with new characters. Even though I’m working on several shows, auditioning for new roles is still a huge part of my job. I always try to come up with voices and characters I’ve never done before to try and expand my repertoire. It’s so easy to fall back into what you know best, what’s easiest and comes most naturally. So I love the challenge of constantly pushing myself to expand and grow as an artist.

What is your favorite character you've voiced to date, and why?

That’s like asking a mommy to choose her favorite kid! It’s so hard to pick one. I guess it’s safe to say I love them all equally. However, a couple of them stand out because they were so exciting, like becoming the newest muppet on Muppet Babies! I play Summer Penguin, and she’s so adorable. I’m also really excited about this new HBO Max show I’m on coming out in May called Close Enough, created by JG Quintel (Regular Show). This is his first prime time show, and it's so good!

Do you get to see how your character is designed before doing the voice, or are you encouraged to envision how she appears?

Usually, we get to see the character design when we first audition for the part, which is so helpful in coming up with the voice. But sometimes, when I’m recording a show, they’ll have me do a random part like Boy #2 or Mail Lady. Those are always fun because sometimes, the voice helps inspire the way the animator draws the character. It’s so funny to hear what the other actors come up with as well. I feel like we just try to make each other laugh by doing the most random voices.

What was your favorite part of playing Flame Princess on Adventure Time?

Being on Adventure Time changed my life! It was my first time being on such a massively popular show, and I got to travel to a bunch of different cities and countries to meet fans at conventions. Also, I loved the scenes between Flame Princess and Finn--they were so heartfelt and real. That really was a special show.

What was the process like recording the voice of Annie on It's Pony?

I love this show so much. Most of Annie’s scenes are with Pony, so I record all of my scenes with Josh Zuckerman. It’s usually just us two in the booth, so it’s really fun to run our scenes. We bounce off of each other really well.

What is your endgame? What do you ultimately hope to accomplish in the future?

It used to be world domination, but then I realized that would be way too exhausting. Plus, you kind of have to be evil to actually accomplish that. It’s hard to say what the endgame will be, but for now, I hope to continue working on great shows, helping people learn and get through hard times by being a part of different projects. I also eventually want to start a foundation to help kids in a more direct, hands-on way, but I’m waiting to find the perfect cause. I’m confident that it will become very clear to me one day, and then I’ll give it my all!