Christina Hendricks might be known for her roles on Mad Men and Firefly, but audiences will next see – or at least hear – her in Toy Story 4, set to hit theaters this weekend. In it, Hendricks voices one of the new characters being introduced to the Pixar universe in the sequel. Gabby Gabby is a classic baby doll with strawberry blonde pigtails, big blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles on her snub nose. But beneath the veneer of innocence, Gabby is a much darker and more layered character than one might expect. In fact, you could say she’s even downright creepy at times – not something one expects from a Pixar film.

I recently sat down with Hendricks at Disney’s press day for Toy Story 4 in Orlando and talked to her about what it was like to play such a fun, seemingly sinister character. I asked her if there was any reservation on her part at playing a character that seemed, on the surface, to be so off-brand for Pixar. But there was never a moment of hesitation, Hendricks explained.

“I was into it! They had offered it to me and they showed me a picture of what the character would look like,” she recounted. “Then the first day I went in, and they said, ‘Let’s show you a little clip,’ and they had the ventriloquist dolls in the antique store and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is mine!’ I was thrilled.”

For Hendricks, it was a dream come true. The part couldn’t have been more perfect for who she is inside if it had been specifically written for her, as it turns out. When I asked her about why the role resonated with her so immediately, she laughed and told me a story that underscored the fact this role had been a long time coming – since childhood, in fact:

“I literally was like, ‘Did you guys do research on me?!’ This is really strange: My whole life, I had wanted a ventriloquist doll that I would ask for every Christmas but my parents would never get it for me because they were like, ‘What? No. You’re weird.’ I wanted, like, the Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dummy, but every year I would get a baby doll. And then I finally got [a ventriloquist dummy] as an adult! My husband got me one the first year we were together. And I’m an antiquer, so it was like, ‘You guys got in my head…’ It’s really weird! But I was so excited.”

It was so surreal for her to land a role that seemed destined to be hers that it didn’t feel fully tangible until late in the game. “Every time I went in to record,” she said, “I kept thinking, Maybe they’re recording three other actresses besides me and they’ll just choose the best one. I kept thinking it was too good to be true. So I’m thrilled to be here today since it means I’m actually in the movie,” she laughed.

Gabby Gabby in Toy Story 4 (Credit: Pixar/Disney)

But, all is not what it seems with Gabby. There are layers to her character, who just wants to be whole and to find a place to belong, that really appealed to Hendricks. That an animated doll could be so well-written spoke to the actress.

“She’s a villain but not a villain,” mused Hendricks. “They make it creepy in the beginning but then you realize her goal is loving and she wants to love and be loved. And that’s why Woody helps her. It’s sweet. Children will watch it and say, ‘You might think she’s a bad person, but maybe it’s because of this or that. There’s a reason people act the way they do.'”

As for how she channeled Gabby, Hendricks drew upon her own personal experiences to play the sweetly sinister doll. Gabby’s incredible character arc reflects how Hendricks herself wants to approach life, both in the roles she chooses and in her relationships with others.

“I’m a goth! I was a goth in high school; once a goth, always a goth. I love exploring human beings and I think we’re incredibly complex. There is a dark side and a light side to everybody. It’s interesting to watch that because we can all relate to it. And so if you can approach that in a loving, understanding, and realistic way, then it becomes less dark but it’s still interesting to me.”

You can see Hendricks and her work voicing Gabby Gabby this Friday and check out Atom Tickets’ review here. Toy Stoy 4 is in theaters Friday.