American comedians Amy Poehler and Bill Hader revealed what they were like as children at the premiere of their new animated movie set inside the mind of an 11-year-old.

Disney Pixar’s Inside Out takes place inside the head of a young girl, with her five core emotions of Joy, Fear, Sadness, Anger and Disgust taking on the lead roles of the film.

Speaking on the purple carpet at the Los Angeles premiere at the El Capitan Theatre, the Saturday Night Live alumni shared tales of their own neuroses at that age.

Parks And Recreation star Amy, 43, voices Joy in the film. She said: “I think I was like her, very open but still quite young and not quite ready to leave childhood behind.”

Mindy Kaling, and from left, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith
Mindy Kaling, and from left, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith are seen at the Los Angeles premiere of “Inside Out” (Dan Steinberg/Invision)

However for Bill, who lends his voice to Fear, it was a time of anxiety: “I went between being incredibly shy and then being kind of extroverted and excitable.

“I just remember saying to myself ‘just relax’, I was so pent up. I never grew out of it, I tell myself to relax every morning.”

Bill Hader
Bill Hader talks about his new movie (Richard Shotwell/AP)

The Superbad actor has voiced numerous animated characters in projects ranging from South Park to Monsters University, but said he finds the process exhausting: “We are a small part of it.

“It’s really the animators and the writers and director but you do those sessions and it lays you out, it makes you so tired by the end of it. I would make sure I had nothing to do afterwards because I would just be asleep.”

However, he added the work earns him kudos with his three daughters: “I have young kids so they like the toys right now, I do get brownie points.”

Inside Out will be released in the UK on July 24.