Julia Sweeny voices the character Ms. Squibbles in the animated comedy Monsters University, the follow up to Monsters Inc. (2011). In the film set 10 years before its predecessor, Mike and Sulley help each other master the techniques of scaring while enrolled at Monsters University.

Sweeny, a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the early 90s, didn’t need any inspiration for voicing her character. “I came up with it by using my own voice. Well, it’s funny because I’ve always—even when I was on Saturday Night Live I always did a lot of—you know like middle aged woman voice,” Sweeny told Uinterview in an exclusive video interview.

With a bestselling book just released If It’s Not One Thing It’s Your Mother, Sweeny won’t be appearing in a film for her next project. “And it’s actually a kind of big hit in England I guess so I’m going off to promote it,” she told Uinterview. “And then after that I have another book I’m going to write, so I’m mostly writing now.”

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Q: Where do you come up with the voice for your character Ms. Squibbles? - Uinterview

I came up with it by using my own voice [laughs]. I'€™m not talented enough to really come up with a different voice €”no. Umm, well its funny because I've always - even when I was on Saturday Night Live I always did a lot of, you know, ”like middle aged woman voices, and now I am a middle aged woman. So I have aged into my voice [laughs].

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Q: There are so many great actors voicing characters in the movie. Did you get to interact with any of them? - Uinterview

I did not get to interact with any of those people but um, Dan Scanlon the director he was really—animated himself and I played off of him and that was really exciting so that I think it gave, at least I think I gave a good performance because of him. And it all seems to go together, I mean like it all does seem to work so it’s the magic of technology.

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Q: What’s your favorite line in the movie? And did you get to ad lib any of your lines? - Uinterview

Oh… well sometimes I don’t know if it’s really an ad lib but like there’s a lot of cheering going on cause there’s a lot of you know competition, and I’m the mom in stands going, ‘Go hunnie you can do it’ and they would just record me saying every variation of ‘Come on you can do it’ and I guess in there I probably made up a few things and I think some of it ended up in the film [laughs].

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Q: Do you think there is a message to the film? - Uinterview

Oh, interesting well I don'€™t wanna - €”I feel like the message is in the plot which I don'€™t want to give away but I would say overall without giving anything away is that there are many ways, there are many ways to becoming successful in life and its not always just the straight path that you've always heard is the right way.

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Q: You've been very public about your battle with cancer. What'€™s your advice for someone dealing with cancer? - Uinterview

Ugh, it sucks. Except that well, I guess the advice would be one day at a time like we all should be doing anyway whether you have cancer or not. There's a lot of good technology now like a lot of stuff since I had cancer 15 years ago has you know €”like a lot of medicine has been developed so there'€™s a lot good there'€™s a lot more people living now with cancer then there was, so there'€™s a lot of hope with that. And I would say keep the good family members close, and the family members you cant stand - don'™t let them be close. That'€™s my advice.

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Q: What are you working on next? - Uinterview

Well, I wrote this book called, If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother, which is a memoir of raising my daughter and it’s out now and I’m doing a lot publicity for that and it’s actually kind of a big hit in England, I guess. So I’m going off to England to promote it. And then, after that, I have another book I’m going to write, so I’m mostly writing.