Watch CBS News

'You Don't Talk Down To Kids': Kimiko Glenn On Nickelodeon's 'Baby Shark's Big Show' & 'Orange Is The New Black'

(CBS Local)-- Kimiko Glenn is one of the most prolific voice actors in Hollywood right now. She plays Baby Shark in the hit Nickelodeon series "Baby Shark's Big Show," has done voice work in big shows like "BoJack Horseman" and "DuckTales" and now has a starring role in "My Little Pony: A New Generation" as Izzy Moonbow.

It's been seven years since Glenn first became a household name in Hollywood for her role in "Orange is the New Black" as Brook Soso. CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith recently caught up with the actor to discuss her latest voice acting work, why the Baby Shark series was such a hit in season one and what the lasting impact of "Orange is the New Black" is. The actor's latest film "My Little Pony: A New Generation" is available to stream now on Netflix.

"I play Baby Shark and I am always thinking what is the child psychology of this all," said Glenn. "How do you talk to kids? What I think is really cool is you don't talk down to them. They're not adults yet, so you can't necessarily treat them like adults, but you can present really important, deeper concepts to them and have them understand and have them be communicated. If it's a story, anyone can get into it. Anyone can have empathy for a character and understand why. I'm most mostly noticing the braveness and boldness of adults taking on certain concepts and presenting them to kids."

Glenn says her friends with kids are always texting her videos of their children watching "Baby Shark's Big Show" on Nickelodeon. The series has already been renewed for a second season and Glenn enjoys how the show is targeted for young kids, but explores big concepts. The actor has always enjoyed work with a deeper meaning and that was certainly the case when she joined "Orange Is The New Black" in season two.

"That show did incredible things for diversity in television and it proved that it was interesting to people and that there was a market for it," said Glenn. "Same for women in television and the trans community got a spotlight and finally got a voice in a way that they never had before. People were finally interested in prison reform and really understand that these are people. We pretend that they are out of sight and out of mind, but these are real people that are getting affected by the way they are being treated. It really did a lot. It also started off the whole Netflix and streaming movement because it also proved that people will watch these things on this level and not on television."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.