A real life Rugrat

Lolita Harper

When Julia Kato is not busy being a mother to her own rugrats, she is

voicing a mother of a “Rugrat” on the big screen.

Kato plays the role of “Kira” in the Paramount Pictures movie

“Rugrats Go Wild,” which opens today nationwide.

Do you remember the sweet, patient, Japanese Reptarland employee

from the first “Rugrats” movie? Kato gave her a voice.

The Newport Beach resident first joined the “Rugrats” cast in

“Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.” Her character, Kira, married Chuckie’s

dad and became the lovable redhead’s “new mommy.”

“[Kira] is one of the complements of the show,” Kato said. “I

really like who she is. She is a good person.”

In the new film, the cast of “The Rugrats” meet up with the cast

of the “Wild Thornberries” -- another Nickelodeon show -- for hours

of adventure and laughs on a deserted island.

“When the two come together, we just all go wild,” Kato said.

Playing an animated mommy is not a big stretch for Kato, who is a

mother of a 6-year-old and an “almost 4-year-old.” She can identify

with the nurturing nature of her cartoon character and said working

in voice-overs allows her to spend more time with her own children.

“It’s a good schedule for a mom,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to be

away from them all day in a city an hour away.”

Most of her work is in Los Angeles, where Kato spends anywhere

from a few minutes to six hours in the studio. Sometimes, she spends

more time on the freeway than at work, Kato said. Another bonus is

that there is no lighting, makeup or wardrobe to worry about, she

said.

While her job allows her to spend a lot of time with her children,

her work is very last-minute and requires some schedule juggling. She

could get a call and have to be in Los Angeles in a matter of hours,

she said. Then there are hurdles such as child care and traffic to

clear.

“In some ways, its exciting, but in some ways, it’s not the best

when you have kids, but somehow I manage, and we are getting by,”

Kato said.

During the phone interview for this story, Kato popped in the

“‘Rugrats’ Decade of Diapers” -- a compilation of the best episodes

in the 10 years of the show -- to keep her children entertained for a

few minutes.

Not every child can say their mom is one of the stars of their

favorite cartoon. Kato’s children are huge “Rugrats” fans and are

proud their mom is a part of that. Kato said she is thrilled to work

on a show her children can enjoy. If her kids were in high school, it

wouldn’t be as much fun, she said.

Kato also takes her children to movie premieres and award shows,

where they get to meet other stars of children’s shows, such as Joe,

the new host of “Blues Clues.”

“That just made their night,” she said.

Kato has worked on “Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs,”

“Batman: The Animated Series,” “Married with Children,” “Max Steel”

and numerous other projects and commercials.