Zaren Healey White and Alyse Stuart

-What are your characters?

Zaren: I’m Rocket Raccoon
Alyse: I am Groot
Zaren: From Guardians of the Galaxy

-Why did you choose Rocket?
Zaren: I like Rocket because I’m really into animals, like really into animals, so I volunteer at the bird and small animals rescue. I have currently two rabbits, two guinea pigs, revolving door of other fosters. I have pet rats I’m babysitting right now. So, when I saw a small animal super hero I just loved that. Anything in that spectrum of foxes, squirrels, raccoons,…small mammal realm. A super hero space fighting raccoon is just perfect for me.

-What do you like about Groot?
Alyse: I really like that he doesn’t speak. He only has that one sentence “I am Groot” but in one sentence you can say a lot. That’s what I like about Groot. You always know what that character is thinking, what they’re feeling even when they are just saying “I am Groot” because of their actions so I like that about Groot because I talk all the time. So it’s a little lesson to me that maybe I can say more with not speaking; then just filling up space with my voice. Well a friend was saying ‘You have to fill up all spaces, all awkward silences’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, I can’t help myself, sorry”

Zaren: The other thing that I think is cool about Groot and Rocket is that they do so much in the movie, the lore, the canon of Guardians of the Galaxy. They do a lot but they both have limitations. Like Rocket is very small, Rocket starts off as an outlaw and sort of becomes good. He’s called a rodent, he’s underestimated and of course Groot can’t verbalize and not smart enough but Groot is so power and he has so much empathy and they’re such a good team together.

Alyse: They bring out the best parts of each other.