Amy Poehler and Bill Hader met when he came aboard Saturday Night Live in 2005, where they worked together for nearly three seasons. In addition to Inside Out, they previously collaborated in the 2014 comedy They Came Together.
PARADE: When did you both realize you were funny?
Bill: “I grew up in Tulsa, Okla. I was maybe 5 or 6, and we drove past Oral Roberts University, and in front are these giant praying hands. My grandmother said, ‘What are those?’ And I said, ‘They’re the praying hands.’ And she was like, ‘Oh.’ And I said, ‘And at midnight, they clap.’ She didn’t laugh; I think she thought I was serious, because I said it very dry. But my mom started laughing so hard. And we got home and she told my dad and he laughed really hard and asked me, ‘You just said that, huh?’ That was a moment I realized, Oh, that was funny.”
Amy: “When I was a little kid, being funny got you attention. But I don’t remember being particularly funny. I was precocious, though. I was voted third runner-up for Most Casual at my high school. I don’t know if that meant dress or attitude. I always joke that either way, there were two other people who must have wanted it less.”
Bill: “You’re pretty laid-back, Poehler. Were the other two people dead or something?”
Amy: “What you said about your parents saying ‘That’s funny’ is important, because kids can tell when parents notice that. When a parent says, ‘That was funny’ and means it, that’s the kind of encouragement that can send you on a crazy, 40-year journey—into delusion and disappointment!”
Bill: “And anguish! It never got better than that. That first laugh was the best laugh I ever got.”
PARADE: Which of you wants the last word?
Amy: “My last word is macaroni.”
Bill: “My last word is calypso. It’s also my safe word.“