Originally published at: The hilariously mellifluous Scott Grimes | Boing Boing
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It’s funny, I heard a soulful Burger King radio ad a year back and it took me a moment to recognize it was him.
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Regardless of their talents, voice actors are seemingly fated to take a back seat to “real actors” in the West forever.
So they instead accrue equal levels of fame in, I guess, in the East? Interesting, i didn’t know that.
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I know that in Japan, at least, there are voice actors that are much more mainstream-famous than anyone I can think of in the US. I don’t follow it enough to who they are, or why this is so though.
I do think it is true that it is different here in the US. The Simpsons is one of the longest running, most successful shows in television history, but I bet that if you walked up to random people on the street they could easily name 10 characters on the show but not a single voice actor.
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Since I live in “the West,” I don’t need splaining about how voice actors are basically unknowns here (unless it’s some already famous actor doing say, an animated Disney flick).
That’s interesting about Japan, though, and I wonder how that kind of fame works.
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Yep. Hamill, IIRC, voiced the Fire Lord in the English sub of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Which is hilarious. (Also: The BEST Joker.)
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I think there are a lot of very talented singers in the acting pool.
I always like it when a sci-fi TV series I’m engaged in has one of their corny non-canon “operatic” episodes, where some rogue magic spell or errant technology causes everyone to burst forth in song throughout the episode. It really showcases a lot of the talent that we forget about, talent that usually stays hidden behind their day-jobs as actors.
Plus, a bit of silliness helps remind everyone that it’s all about the entertainment, and not to take it so seriously.
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I’ve actually wanted to write something about Japanese voice actors for a WHILE now.
Insha’Allah, I’ll do one next month with you in mind.
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I forget the exact context, but there’s one episode where it cuts to Steve finishing up the chorus to a song. Upon looking it up, it was this song
Anyone seem familiar?
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I didn’t know he was a voice actor but he was really funny as the helmsman on The Orville.
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If you haven’t watched the documentary I Know That Voice you should. They definitely cover the topic of voice actors having musical ears well.
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I’ve been meaning to watch that for ages now. I should track it down.
To be fair, you could probably cover 10 characters with any one voice actor for The Simpsons.
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You’re right about Hamill playing the Fire Lord, but the English-language version of Avatar isn’t a dub, it’s the original version of the show. There’s a strong Japanese influence to the animation style, but it’s American. (Well, inasmuch as any cartoon is. Like most American-produced cartoons, the actual animation work is done in South Korea.)
Speaking of voice actors not getting respect, I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent news that John DiMaggio is holding out for more pay before he’ll agree to return for the new, Hulu-produced revival of Futurama, and Hulu is trying to recast Bender. A few articles on the subject (several of them featuring, yes, Mark Hamill):
Why original Futurama star John DiMaggio won’t voice Bender in the Hulu revival… for now (Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly)
‘Bendergate’ Could Be a Turning Point for Animation (Miles Klee, Mel Magazine)
Mark Hamill Clarifies He Won’t Audition For Bender If DiMaggio Doesn’t Return In Futurama (Eddie Makuch, GameSpot)
Mark Hamill, Tara Strong & more voice support for Futurama’s John DiMaggio as ‘Bendergate’ rages on (Josh Weiss, SyFy Wire)
Futurama, Content Machines, and the Art of Survival (Angela Watercutter, Wired)
And speaking of John DiMaggio, he produced and narrated I Know That Voice, the fantastic documentary on voice actors, and has been trying to get it made into a series for years now. He’s not just one of the best voice actors in the business, he’s also one of the best advocates for the profession.
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