What Avatar: The Last Airbender's Jessie Flower Would Say To Toph In Real Life

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" has a special place in the hearts of thousands and thousands of fans who grew up watching the Nickelodeon series and seeing the adventures of inexperienced Avatar Aang and his friends unfold. Naturally, after three seasons and 61 episodes, the audience is not alone in having built a bond with the characters — the voice actors also developed a certain sense of kinship with the individuals they helped bring to life with passion and enthusiasm.

For Michaela Jill Murphy (who was professionally known as Jessie Flower until 2016), getting into character as spunky earthbender Toph Beifong was not difficult at all (via The Illuminerdi). "[It] didn't really take much preparation because I was very much myself," Murphy said. "Anytime I would enter a session, I would be like, 'Okay, I'm going into tomboy mode. I'm super tough and stubborn, and I can take over the world.' That's the mentality I went in with, and that pretty much did the job."

Naturally, Michaela Jill Murphy built a bond with her character over the 37 episodes of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" in which she voiced her, which becomes clear through the way the actor enthusiastically speaks about Toph in interviews. In a panel at SacAnime Winter 2020, Murphy and Jack De Sena, who plays non-bender Sokka, were asked what they would say to their characters if they had the chance. With good humor, De Sena said he would tell Sokka something like "watch out for eclipses," which would have been very helpful for the gang to know early on in the series.

Murphy thought about it for a brief moment before revealing that her words to Toph would be in the form of advice: "You can be a bit of a gentler teacher. I promise that the student will learn." Murphy acknowledged that Toph's toughness is what draws many to her but feels that her teaching style often leads to miscommunication. "You can love a little bit more. Not everybody is going to close you off slash not everybody's out to get you," she concluded. Toph is indeed a bit harsh when teaching Aang, but she grows from the experience thanks to Michaela Jill Murphy's memorable performance.