Yankees' Girardi, daughter lend voices to film

Kevin Kernan
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The look in Joe Girardi’s eyes said it all as he sat in a recording studio in Manhattan this past week, watching and listening intently as his daughter Serena read her lines for the part she plays in the upcoming animated feature film “Henry & Me.”

This was a proud parent seeing his seventh-grade daughter accomplish a goal. This is the side of Girardi you don’t see when he is perched along the rail of the dugout at Yankee Stadium, but in many ways this is the Girardi the Yankees know so well behind clubhouse doors, the one who is pushing his players to be the best they can be on the field.

N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

SAY WHAT? Yankees manager Joe Girardi and his daughter Serena do voice-over work for the film “Henry & Me,” which will be released in May.

This question is posed to Serena’s character Sissy, an angel: “Do you miss your parents?”

“Every day,’’ Serena responds soulfully.

A few minutes later Serena excitedly cheers on the main character of the film, Jack. As the director tries to get the most out of her for the scene, he wants to make sure she yells with emotion.

“Remember, Jack, we’re all rooting for you!” Girardi says with a smile, “Oh, she can yell.’’

Girardi then offers a father’s tip to bring a bit more emotion to the scene: “Just tell her she’s got tickets to Justin Bieber.’’

Girardi wears many caps as manager of the Yankees, as they transition from an older club to a younger one while still trying to make it to the pinstripe goal of winning a World Series, like they did in 2009 under Girardi. But clearly, being a parent to Serena, Dante and Lena is one of the complete joys in his life.

After the film work is done for the day, Girardi tells the Post, “This is her passion. This has been a great experience for my daughter.’’

The film has been promoted on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard, including one of Serena’s scenes.

“It gave me a little tear in my eye, hearing her voice,’’ Girardi says in a quiet voice.

Notables in the film, which is based on Ray Negron’s children’s book series, include Richard Gere, Chazz Palminteri, Danny Aiello, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, Hank Steinbrenner, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera. The story is about a youngster who is battling cancer and his journey through a baseball dream world as he meets different Yankees legends. The film will make its premier in May.

Girardi has some lines in the film, too.

“I had to do my lines a lot more times than Serena did, and I’ve been on TV,” he says. “But she was comfortable right from the get-go.’’

This is not just a father-daughter outing. Serena has serious aspirations to become an actress.

“This is really fun. This is what I really want to do,’’ she says.