Hollywood Actors Face ‘Special Challenges’ in Voice Acting

Variety has an article interviewing actors known primarily for their on-camera work who in 2009 voiced characters in animated films: Keith David (The Princess and the Frog, Coraline, Gargoyles), Jason Schwartzman (Fantastic Mr. Fox) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Mary and Max).

Now, typically, when “celebrities” are interviewed about voice acting, they generally say the same things about the differences between acting for camera and voice acting and how they like being able to show up to work in pajamas and not have to go through the on-camera rigmarole of hair and makeup and all the downtime waiting around.

Variety’s article still touches on one of those same points by prefacing the article with the sub-headline: “Actors face special challenges in animated roles.”

However, this article has a decidedly different angle.

While I’ve had gripes with Variety in the past, I have to commend them for what appears to be a marked push for the Academy to recognize voice-only performances, stating that “the actors voicing the characters are still snubbed by kudos counters”:

Despite the many challenges actors face when delivering an effective v.o. perf, not to mention a wide repertoire of past worthy candidates and 2009’s roster that includes Oscar winners, the Academy has never nominated a voice-only performance in its acting categories — the closest was in 1947 with an honorary award for James Baskett’s perf in Disney’s “Song of the South.”

Keith David says he sees “no inherent difference in recognizing voice-only and onscreen thesping — ‘good acting is good acting’ — animation ‘is a different genre, and it should be recognized as such.'”

“Great voice actors bring so much to the whole experience,” David adds. “I don’t lose the value of what I’m trying to communicate because I can’t see who I’m looking at.”

Adam Elliot, who directed the indie animated film “Mary and Max” says that “much of the film’s success depended on the voices, so hiring the right actor was key”:

“For my style of animation, I don’t have talking animals, so we have to find a way to make these blobs seem real,” Elliot explains. “I wanted an actor with an authentic New York accent, and someone who could act. I try not to differentiate between animation and live-action films in that way.”

Variety says Elliot “credits studios like Pixar for putting performance and character before anything else and observes it was a strong year for animation as a whole.”

Schwartzman, who voiced Max in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” says “some of his favorite performances during the past year have been in animated films,” and in regards to acting he adds, “There shouldn’t be too much of a divide between animation and live action.”

Variety goes on to say:

Whether or not the Academy’s acting branch will open its doors to voice-only performances — or perhaps create a separate category — David says he’s just happy to be working, especially in animation.

“There’s a wonderful freedom working in this genre,” he says. “It’s called a ‘play,’ and acting should be fun.”

Click here to read the complete article.

Update: 1.14.2010, 2:55 PM (EST) — I revised my earlier post to emphasize what was said in Variety’s article regarding the actors’ explanation of how challenging voice acting can be. I believe this is an important detail as voice acting has long been stereotyped by Hollywood actors (and even other on-camera and stage actors) as “cartoonish,” not “real acting” or the ridiculous (and frankly, insulting) assumption that voice acting is something that should somehow be relegated to animated children’s entertainment.

Voice acting is as viable and legitimate (and no less significant) as any other form of acting — it just presents a different set of challenges in acting (and microphone) techniques.

Going hand-in-hand with Variety’s article is a recent GamePro.com feature with several Hollywood actors discussing their work voicing video game characters: Shia LaBeouf (Transformers), Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Vin Diesel (Chronicles of Riddick), Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar), Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil series), Megan Fox (Transformers) and Lance Henriksen (Aliens vs. Predator).

Of note is this quote from Weaver: “As an actor I think we can enhance that experience for the player with what we do. I think at this point people haven’t taken advantage of actors (in games). We can do more than just dialogue.”

Related post: 1.02.2010 — SlateV Tests Your Ear for Celebrity Voices

Celebrity Voice Acting Round-Up: Dec-Jan Feature

I’ll be posting additions to this article through the end of January, so please keep checking back for updates.

1.28.2010 — Romano, Davison Talk ‘Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

– RIP, Zelda Rubenstein

1.27.2010 — Forbes Lists Most Trusted Celebrities

1.26.2010 — Weird Al Developing Live-Action Movie

– William Shatner to Host Annie Awards

– 1.19.2010 — Disney’s Pocahontas Irene Bedard Interviewed

– Scrubs’ Donald Faison Inspired by Robot Chicken

1.14.2010 — CVG Interviews Mark Hamill

– Hollywood Actors Face Special Challenges in Voice Acting

1.13.2010 — Ming Na Interviewed

– Voice Actors Performing at SF Sketchfest

1.12.2010 — Cast Announced for Yellow Submarine Remake

1.11.2010 — Adam West Film Among ‘Worst of Netflix’

– The Faces Behind The Simpsons

1.07.2010 — Impressionist Rich Little Becomes U.S. Citizen

1.06.2010 — Pete Docter Talks ‘Up’ Voice Casting

1.03.2010 — 37th Annual Annie Awards Nominees

1.02.2010 — SlateV Tests Your Ear for Celebrity Voices

12.30.2009 — Comedy Central Cancels Jeff Dunham Show

12.21.2009 — King of the Hill Star Brittany Murphy Dies. This article has been updated several times since it was published to include breaking news, video, photos and other information.

12.20.2009 — Pope Benedict XVI VO

12.18.2009 — Baldwin, Noth Talk ‘Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

12.17.2009 — Golden Globes Nominees Announced

12.16.2009 — Voice Actor Dopplegangers: Mike Myers

Update: 12.16.2009, 4:30 PM (EST):

– Guinness World Records has posted highlights of their “Top 100 Records of the Decade”, proclaiming Samuel L. Jackson as the “Highest Grossing Actor” of the last decade, which includes Jackson’s roles in the animated features Astro Boy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Incredibles. He also has an upcoming role as the voice of “Fear” in the computer-animated feature Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (previously reported here).

This news comes courtesy of Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch Blog, which challenges Guinness’ claim with what the blogger calls a “silly assessment of box office power” but it’s an interesting read with the *real* top grossers if you’re interested.

– Following up on my previous coverage of Spike TV’s Video Game Awards, the winners in the four voice acting-related categories are as follows…

No. I can’t post them. It’s just too disappointing. For starters, Jack Black beat Mark Hamill. If that doesn’t depress you as a voice actor fan, you don’t deserve to call yourself one.

And none of the nominees I personally voted for won, but that’s not why I’m disappointed.

The winners are depressing because they are all celebs who basically won due to their current popularity, and the fans who voted for them are too short-sighted to realize that. The categories were supposed to be based on the “best performance,” not the most popular. And even objectively, none of the winners legitimately qualified and I believe the gamers who played these games know that too. Unfortunately, this was an open poll.

If you want to read the poll results, click the link. I just can’t bring myself to type them here. And you can’t make me do it either.

– Firstshowing.net reports that Leonardo DiCaprio will voice Jack Frost in DreamWorks Animation’s The Guardians, an adaptation of the upcoming book series by author William Joyce. The plot involves “an Avengers-like assembly of imaginary icons like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny who protect children from the forces of evil.”

It’s currently slated for a 2012 release.

– From TheHollywoodNews.com:

Owen Wilson is set to play the voice of a dog in canine comedy ‘Marmaduke’.

The movie, based on a popular comic strip, will follow Marmaduke’s owners as they relocate to Florida with their Great Dane.

Other dog voices will be provided by Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, comedian Steve Coogan and [Damon and Marlon Wayans], whilst humans are played by Judy Greer, Lee Pace and William H. Macy.

‘Marmaduke’ is set for a June 2010 release.

– Here’s an unintentionally amusing excerpt I found in a local paper (The Barrow County Shopper: Entertainment Spotlight) from a feature article on Robert Zemeckis’ computer-animated adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol:

[Jim] Carrey joins a host of notable actors who have played Scrooge, including Alastair Sim, George C. Scott and Mr. Magoo, to name a few.

Funny, I didn’t realize that Mr. Magoo was considered an actor.

On a related note, while I still haven’t seen this film (but plan to, having been a fan of Carrey’s work since he first starred on the sketch comedy show In Living Color in the 90s) it’s worth noting that the supporting cast includes Cary Elwes and Robin Wright. I don’t know if “reuniting” these two was a deliberate nod to the fantasy cult classic film The Princess Bride, but either way the fans (like myself) certainly appreciated it.

I’m also curious to see this film for the performances by Ryan Ochoa, who has a recurring role as Chuck on the popular Nick tween series iCarly. IMDb credits him with 6 voices in the film, and I’m very intrigued to hear that from an actor barely into his teens being entrusted by Zemeckis with so many roles.

Originally posted 12.11.2009, 7:11 AM:

– USA Today reports that Martin Sheen (West Wing, Wall Street) will lend his voice to the video game “Mass Effect 2.” Other cast members include Shoreh Aghdashloo (Fast Forward, 24), Keith David (Gargoyles, Spawn), D.C. Douglas (Resident Evil series), Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken), Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix Trilogy, Fido) and Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Transformers Animated).

In a bit of related news, ShockTillYouDrop.com reports that Lance Henriksen has signed on to appear in the still-untitled “Aliens VS Predator” video game which is scheduled for release in February 2010:

Lance Henriksen will play Karl Bishop Weyland, a descendent of Charles Bishop Weyland (who Henriksen appeared as in AvP), the founder of the infamous Weyland-Yutani corporation from the Aliens universe. He will lend his likeness and voice to the production.

“They’ve made me look very good,” said Lance Henriksen, “This is the first time I’ve been fully represented in a game, with my voice and how I look, and the Rebellion guys have done a great job. I might score from this game!”

Additional source: Gamespot.com

– Wes Anderson talks with The National on the voice cast for “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”:

Even though he has used animation in other movies, taking on a full film using stop-motion would always be a challenge, and it has brought up a new appreciation of voice actors for Anderson. “The main thing I learned while making the movie is what the voices give the animators,” he says. “You record the voices first and the animators then animate the puppets based on those performances … their inspiration comes from those moments with the actors.”

– Jesse McCartney revealed via Twitter that he is “recording yet another Kingdom Hearts game.” Although he doesn’t say which character, he states that “first recordin [sic] was in 2005 for game 1.” (He’s technically incorrect since the 2005 game was “Kingdom Hearts II” in which McCartney voiced Roxus for the English dub.) Kindgom Hearts Insider has confirmed a few other voices for the English dub of Kingdom Hears: Birth by Sleep (as of this posting): Bret Iwan as King Mickey, Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse and Chris Sanders as Stitch. IMDb.com has a list of other cast members speculated to be involved in the game but they have not been officially announced to date.

The game is currently scheduled to release January 10th, 2010 for the PSP.

Celebrity Voice Acting Round-Up 2

Because my previous report on celebrity voice acting turned out to be so popular on this blog, I may just have to do this on a regular basis.

Here’s another summary of “celebrity” voice acting news:

– Victoria Beckham, aka “Posh Spice,” will guest star as a princess in an upcoming episode of SpongeBob Squarepants. Mirror.co.uk reports:

Posh, 34, recorded the voice-over late last year in LA. She was persuaded to take the part by youngest son Cruz, four – who is a huge fan of Spongebob.

And her performance impressed Nickelodeon bosses so much, the former Spice Girl is being lined up for more voice-over work.

A source said: “Victoria was a complete pro and finished all her takes in a day.

“She isn’t interested in becoming an actress, but voice-over work is something that appealed. She joked that she could simply rock up to the studios in a trackie and no make-up and no one would ever know.

“Scriptwriters created the role of a posh British princess especially for her and were blown away by what a natural she was. Victoria enjoyed every minute and is keen to do more. Network bosses have been in touch since, offering more work – she really does have her pick of projects.”

– Variety reports that Tobin Bell will likely reprise his role as the voice of Jigsaw for an upcoming video game from Konami based on the Saw film franchise.

– Just Jared reports: “Beyoncé will make her voiceover debut in Nickelodeon’s Wow, Wow, Wubbzy, providing the voice for Shine, lead singer of a girl group.

– Just in case you missed the most recent trailer for Pixar/Disney’s Up (opening in theaters May 29th, 2009) you can view it on the official site. The voice cast includes Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Paul Eiding, and John Ratzenberger.

– 20th Century Fox’s Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is releasing July 4th 2009. Most of the main cast members from the previous films are reprising their roles: Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Josh Peck, Seann William Scott, and Chris Wedge. Joining the cast is Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Run Fatboy Run) and child actors Joey King and Atticus Shaffer.

– Disney’s live-action/talking animal family feature G-Force (definitely NOT to be confused with the classic anime series of the same name) opens July 24th, featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage (Speckles the mole), Penelope Cruz (Juarez the guinea pig), Sam Rockwell (Darwin), Tracy Morgan (Blaster the guinea pig), and Steve Buscemi (Bucky the hamster). Will Arnett, who does quite a bit of voice acting work, has a supporting live-action role in the film.

– 411 Mania has an op-ed on celebrity involvement in video games. Nothing new, but it’s interesting to see a gamer’s POV on the subject. (Just be advised that the article linked contains adult language.)

– Another op-ed piece on celebrity voice acting: When an Oscar talks, it sounds like these actors [TampaBay.com]

– The September 18th release of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs features the voices of SNL alums Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Tracy Morgan, as well as Anna Faris (The House Bunny, Scary Movie series), James Caan (The Godfather, Las Vegas), Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead series), and Mr. T (The A-Team). [While I may not always support celebrity voice casting, having Bruce Campbell and Mr. T voicing characters in the same movie is just so unbelievably full of win.]

– The February release of THQ’s Deadly Creatures for the Nintendo Wii features the voices of Dennis Hopper and Billy Bob Thornton.

– Yahoo Movies has a new trailer for the computer-animated feature film Astro Boy, due in theaters October 23, 2009. It features the voice talents of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage [sensing a trend here? -Ed.], Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Matt Lucas, Eugene Levy, Donald Sutherland, and Bill Nighy.

– From a Nickelodeon press release for Glenn Martin, DDS, this summer’s first Nick-at-Nite animated series for adults:

A star-studded voice-over cast featuring Kevin Nealon (Weeds, Anger Management), Catherine O’Hara (For Your Consideration, Chicken Little) and Judy Greer (27 Dresses, Arrested Development) has been tapped for Nick at Nite’s upcoming stop-motion animated comedy, Glenn Martin, DDS set to premiere this Summer. The first television production to come from Michael Eisner’s Tornante Animation, Glenn Martin, DDS follows a beleaguered dentist and his family trading in the suburbs for life on the road. Crisscrossing the country, the Martins are beset by an array of colorful locals and crazy situations in locations ranging from Las Vegas to Amish Country. Many of the characters they encounter are voiced by enough instantly recognizable guest stars to fill a parking lot of RVs, including: Chrissie Hynde, Betty White, Gene Simmons, Wendie Malick and more.

Each of season one’s 20 episodes follows the life of Glenn Martin (Kevin Nealon), who yearns for a change of scenery and a deeper connection with his family. Determined to bring the family closer together, Glenn takes the Martins on a road trip to protest the destruction of a beloved childhood park. As things unravel right from the get-go, the family is forced to make the dental-mobile – replete with a giant decorative toothbrush on the roof – their new home. Glenn, Jackie and Courtney (Jackie Clarke) – an 11-year-old future corporate maven who brings along her personal assistant, Wendy (Judy Greer), a 14-year-old North Korean exile – and son, Conor (Peter Oldring), the 13-year-old hormone-addled tween who’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed–quickly learn when hitting the road that the road can sometimes hit back in unexpected ways. The Martins are accompanied on their journey by the family dog, Canine, who’s pronounced buttocks only add to the hilarity.

– The release date for Disney’s traditional, 2D animated musical, The Princess and the Frog, has been bumped up to December 11th, 2009. It includes the voice talents talents of Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), Broadway singer Jennifer Cody, Keith David (Gargoyles), Jenifer Lewis (The PJs), John Goodman (The Emperor’s New Groove), Bruno Campos (Nip/Tuck), Oprah Winfrey, and VA fan favorite Jim Cummings.

– While watching VH1’s “Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80’s” this past week, I was very surprised to hear that musician Billy Vera (whose heart-wrenching ballad “At This Moment” was a #1 radio hit in 1986) has also had a successful career as a voice-over artist. A quick Google search later, and I recognized him as the image voice for a recent Burger King ad campaign via his demos on SBVTalentAgency.com.

– Although it’s not due in theaters until 2011, there’s already been a lot of buzz about the computer-animated action-adventure, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, which is being planned as a trilogy. Steven Spielberg is directing and John Williams is scoring the film. The cast appears to be made up entirely of Britains: Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Daniel Craig (007: Quantum of Solace), Tony Curran (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean), and several others.

Previous reports: 3.31.2009 — Celebrity Voice Acting Round-Up (yee-hah.)
3.20.2009 — Forbes Ranks Animation’s A-List Actors