Phil LaMarr Quotes

I guess the biggest challenge to doing any kind of animation voice work is that you only have your voice to tell the story.

A lot people ask me, 'How do I become a voice actor?' and, well, first of all, drop the 'voice' because you don't know what mechanics you'll have to employ. If you can just focus on the acting, then the rest will come.

For 'Barnyard,' I did the voice of a 'chick,' which was really a blast because I had to manipulate my voice to another pitch.

I did take some voiceover classes. I always loved the idea of doing a voice for a cartoon character. I just voiced the character of Suzi X in the upcoming 'The Haunted World of El Superbeasto.'

Originally when I went off to work on 'The Lord of The Rings' I got a call from my agent saying that I was just going to do a voice. But I couldn't really approach it like that. To get Gollum's voice I had to play the character.

I've not been called on to do a lot of accent work.

I started out doing improvised voices when I started working in a program where I read for kids in schools. I had some kids and they asked me if I would mind doing it. I was very happy to do it. That's where I got my training before I went to the public. I did that for several years. It was actually the best vocal training I could have had.

It's an interesting and demanding art to do voices. I have been told so many times that I have a distinctive voice, but of course, I don't hear my own voice as others do, so I don't know.

I was always talking in weird voices from the time I was two. I guess I just found a way to keep doing it! I did get a degree in theater and took some voice-over classes... but most of it is just the same stuff I was doing as a kid!

When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. You're not doing the voice on the finished product. You're doing the voice long before.

I have to admit that I was a little nervous when I showed up for my first official 'Wreck-It Ralph' recording session.

I've been very successful doing voices in movies. I did Olive, the Other Reindeer, with Drew Barrymore, and I did Cats and Dogs. My children came to some of the sessions.

I know now that I want to do more voice-over projects. They really have the ability to transport you into the world of whatever movie it is you are working on.

I've only used my own voice about four times on film.

My dad had such a cool job. When you're a voiceover actor, it's a whole different skill - you're bringing these huge, larger-than-life monsters and characters to life. And, also, you have to learn accents.

My very first professional job was a cartoon, doing voices for the Mr. T cartoon in high school.

It's just different discipline, just doing the voice over. I guess I've done about 5 or 6 audio books in the past and I do the animated voice for a show called Fatherhood on Nickelodeon.

Voice acting is very creative, especially 'Star Wars' voice acting, because there's so much you have to imagine.

In 'Finding Nemo,' all of the voices were recorded separate - so I would be in a sound booth in a studio by myself reading the lines with just the director. Basically, you can just come in, and it doesn't matter what you are wearing or what you look like; it is all about how your voice sounds.

Doing voiceovers is so great because even though many people would think it's just your voice, you really do use all your physicality. I've done everything from playing a butterfly to Alice in Wonderland when she's 10 feet tall, so it allows you to be an actor and build new characters.

I did a voice for Odo, but people don't recognize you by your voice.

I really love voice over work, because it lets you go crazy and have fun. You literally can go anywhere with it!

When I am in the sound booth, I am trying to convey as much as I can through just my voice.

I've auditioned for animation stuff for a long time; that's a tough field to crack into. I don't think I have the strongest voice. I don't have a theater-trained voice or a radio voice, but I think I make good character choices.

I look at some of the old villains in the Disney movies. If you really listen, you can hear some of the villains or some of the supporting characters, they use the voices over and over because they were so versatile in the way that they performed on voiceovers.