"I Had No Idea That It Would Go This Far": Carolyn Lawrence Reflects On 25 Years Of Sandy Cheeks And "SpongeBob SquarePants"
by Andrew Firriolo · BuzzFeedFor over 25 years, Sandy Cheeks has brought adventure, excitement, and some of the best quotes to Bikini Bottom ("I'll be over there faster than a barefoot jackrabbit on a hot greasy griddle in the middle of August")!
Leading up to SpongeBob's 25th-anniversary special “Kreepaway Kamp" (premiering October 10 on Nickelodeon and Paramount Plus), I chatted with Carolyn Lawrence to hear about bringing Sandy to life.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
BuzzFeed: Where did the inspiration behind Sandy's voice come from?
Carolyn Lawrence: When I first auditioned, they gave me a one-sheet. It had a drawing of the character and a paragraph about her—she's a squirrel, and she's from Texas, she's a scientist, and she does karate. Then, it had a little paragraph of dialogue, and you go through and get in your own mind for your own creativity. I was thinking, obviously, she's smart. I mean, she's a scientist, right? I thought of a little Holly Hunter, some (imitates Sandy) buck teeth for the squirrel, and then the speediness of the squirrel. It just kind of all came together.
SpongeBob meets Sandy for the first time in "Tea At The Treedome."
Did you always know what Sandy's voice would sound like from the very beginning?
What's funny about me is that my characters and sounds come completely from the script and the drawings. I read a script, I see the drawing, and the character comes to me. If somebody wants something else, I can't do it. Sometimes, when other voice talent or actors audition, they'll be like, "It could be this, or it could be that," and they throw out all their ideas. I'm like, "Nope, this is what I got. It is what it is."
Sirena Irwin mentioned that the cast records together. Do you have any favorite memories of recording with the cast?
It's kind of like being in elementary school, when we're creatures of habit, and we always sit in the same seat. For years, I used to sit behind Doug [voice of Plankton] and Rodger [voice of Squidward]. It's very immature of me, but I love throwing paper clips at them and stuff. (Laughs)
It felt very much like childhood, so I used to bug them because I sat behind them. And much like in school, I liked being in the back row.
It was always fun to be in the records with everyone. I would say my favorite was when we had Ernest Borgnine [Mermaid Man] and Tim Conway [Barnacle Boy] in the booth with us. Those were my favorite sessions. Those were amazing, because those guys are hilarious. They're legends. Their friendship was palpable.
"Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, unite!"
"Tea At The Treedome" is one of my favorite episodes, and that was Sandy's first appearance. What was it like recording that first episode?
That first episode, I was terrified. I was so nervous because I felt like everybody in the cast was so much more accomplished. I was completely intimidated and just wanted to do a good job, so I was hyper-focused. I remember Stephen Hillenburg, the creator, kept telling me to slow down. When I get excited, I speed up much like a squirrel. But it was an amazing experience to be there with everybody.
Did you expect that 25 years later, you would be voicing the same character?
I had no idea that it would go this far. My whole adult life has been playing Sandy. It's wild!
Sandy invites SpongeBob over for tea and cookies, in "Tea At The Treedome."
Speaking of the first few episodes, I always thought Sandy and SpongeBob's initial relationship had the potential for a 'more than friends' storyline. That kind of went away pretty quickly. How did that shift happen in the beginning?
I think what's funny is the creator [Stephen Hillenburg] never intended that in any capacity that I know. He always wanted everybody to be friends. He didn't want their friendships and [SpongeBob's] world to be complicated with things like romance. It wasn't part of his vision. So it was funny that people felt that was there, but he never intended it. So, I don't think it dissipated. I don't think it was ever something he thought of in the first place.
That's super cool insight! What made me think about a potential 'romance' was when SpongeBob brought flowers.
Sure! But with the flowers, that's what you do, right? The first time you come to somebody's house, you bring a housewarming gift, and you bring your love and your generosity, and it was all just part of that. It wasn't romantic; it was just the proper thing.
SpongeBob tries to convince himself he doesn't need water in "Tea At The Treedome."
Continuing with season one, the show has many iconic songs, like "I Wanna Go Home" from "Texas." Do you find it difficult to sing in Sandy's voice?
No, I don't find it difficult. I also sang as Cindy Vortex from Jimmy Neutron, and I can't even explain it, but they sing differently. It's like an out-of-body experience. I think Cindy seems to have more of a vocal range than Sandy does. I love singing in general, so it doesn't matter if it's a squirrel, or it's a kid, or it's whatever. It's very fun.
Sandy sings "I Wanna Go Home" in the episode "Texas."
Do you sing in general, and do you write music?
If I could go back in time! Here's the funny thing. When I was a kid, my school had a special choir, and you had to audition to get in, and it was a big deal. I was so excited because I auditioned, and I got in. Early on, I thought, "Oh, I've got some skills. I've got some pipes!" But over the years, I kept getting criticized because my sound is unique, and then I didn't pursue it anymore.
It's funny now in animation, especially in the new movie, I've been able to sing up a storm, and it's been a blast. Looking back, I wish I would have told my younger self, you know, have a little more faith in your abilities. Don't let people tell you you can't do something.
After 25 years of voicing Sandy, what is your favorite part about her character?
There are several. I like that she can do anything. I like that she'll try anything and that she has faith in her abilities. I also like what a loyal friend she is. She's just a really good—I was going to say she's a really good human—she's a really good squirrel, and I like that. She has a lot of integrity. She's very well-rounded, and it's been an honor to play her all these years.
Sandy takes SpongeBob on an adventure in "PreHibernation Week."
One of my favorite things about Sandy is her karate skills. Do you remember how they brought that idea into the show?
I don't know why they incorporated karate specifically, but it's brilliant. That's also the funny thing about doing voice work, is the physicality of it. You're at a microphone, and people think you're just talking, but you actually have to do things. So when I'm at the mic, and we're doing karate, I always bang into things and knock things, and we have to do a new take because I biffed the mic or something.
We also always laugh because when a character says goodbye, we wave. No one can see us—it doesn't make any sense, but it's a big part of your physicality and your being that has to be brought out in your voice.
Sandy showing off her skills in "Karate Choppers."
I can just imagine you all in the recording booth waving to each other! Do you have a personal favorite episode of the series?
"The Paper" where SpongeBob and Patrick are playing with a piece of paper, and also the one where they're playing in a box ["The Idiot Box"]. I think they're similar. They both have to do with the imagination. They both have to do with finding something simple and having a blast with it and then Squidward being jealous. That theme is my favorite.
SpongeBob finds joy in a piece of paper, in the episode, "The Paper."
When you meet fans, what quote do they ask you to say the most?
(imitates Sandy) "Dirty Dan!"
"Which one of you fellers is the real Dirty Dan?!"
Sandy in "Survival of the Idiots."
SpongeBob has multiple movies, Patrick has a spin-off show, and now Sandy has a feature film. What was your reaction when first hearing about Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie?
It's funny because they were talking about it for a few years. They kept dropping hints like, "Hey, you know this is probably going to happen!" I would say for the first year, I was super excited. But then I thought, maybe it's never happening. So, by the time it actually did happen, I didn't believe them. I was a little like, are we sure? Are we really doing this? But obviously, I'm ecstatic. I'm still surprised. Part of me still doesn't even believe we did it; part of me is still stunned that it's even a thing. It's kind of surreal, but yeah, it's been a wonderful experience.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is available to stream on Netflix.
It's rare for animated shows to have 25 years on air, still getting new episodes, new movies, and new spin-off shows. What do you think is the magic that has kept SpongeBob continuing to grow?
I think it's a combination of Stephen Hillenburg's brilliance because he created a world that was timeless. He created a world that a lot of different people can relate to because all the characters are familiar. We all have a crabby neighbor. We all have the innocent friend who seems a little dense but is actually quite lovely and momentarily brilliant. I love when Patrick's brilliant out of nowhere. We all want that kind of camaraderie—that neighborhood where everybody's lovely and kind most of the time.
Then, to his credit as well, I think he did a phenomenal job putting his team together. I think his artists and his writers, his animators, and the cast that he chose just magically gelled. We just did, and I think that was part of him really understanding people. I think he could see more in us than just actors, and I think he chose us based on that.