and the ground’s not cold

I had the best time ever when I recorded Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go.
I got there a few minutes ahead of my call, because it’s the first time I’ve ever worked for Walt Disney Feature Animation, and there was a ton of paperwork to fill out.
Filling out the forms was a challenge, because I kept losing my focus when I’d hear the voice of Brain, as in “Pinky and the” come out of the guy sitting across from me. Then there was the jaw-droopingly beautiful Tia Carrere, who positively floated into the lobby to work on Lilo and Stitch.
The fact is, the lobby at that studio was filled with a “who’s who” of voice talent, and I was just stunned that I got to be around them.
I got my forms filled out, signed in for the session, and sat there, breathing deeply and repeating to myself, over and over again, “Don’t go fanboy. Don’t go fanboy. Don’t go fanboy. Don’t go fanboy.”
By the time I was called into my session, I was (more or less) calmed down. Well, as calm as one would expect, given the circumstances.
I walked down a long hallway, and into the recording studio. It looked just like you’d expect: Two engineers sat at a huge desk covered with dials and faders, a producer sat on a small couch, and another producer sat near him at a table covered with pages from the script, character drawings, and a sweating can of Diet Coke. The whole room is dominated by a large glass window that looks into the sound booth, which is empty except for a music stand, headphones, and microphone.
When I walked in, I shook hands with the producers, who introduced me to the actor who had just finished. You wouldn’t know his name, but you’d sure know his voice! He said to me, “It’s great to meet you! I’ve been seeing your name all over town.”
“In a good way?” I said.
“Yeah! You’re on voice sheets all over the place. What have you been working on?”
“Well, I’m Aqualad on Teen Titans . . . ”
He snapped his fingers. “Yes! That’s it! I was just over there. Man, they love you!”
I had to bite down on my lip to prevent a Howard Dean Scream from escaping. I smiled, and hoped nobody noticed my trembling hands.
“That is so cool!”
One of the producers said, “Did you see the Master of Games episode that was just on?”
“Oh, you mean the one where Aqualad gets punked by Speedy?” I said with a laugh. “No, I was out at a show the night it was on. But I think they’re sending me a tape.”
He laughed along with me. “That was my episode.”
Uh-oh. Did I just piss him off?
I tried to save it with a joke. “Why you gotta be hating on Aqualad?”
“It was part of setting up Speedy,” he said, “but I tried to make Aqualad as scary and tough and cool as possible.”
“Rock.” I said, and threw a little, mini-goat by my waist. I noticed that my pinky was still shaking, so I put it down quickly.
“Well, I’ve got to get out of here,” the actor said. “It was great to meet you!”
“You too,” I said.
The producer called me over to his table, and showed me the character sketches. He gave me a run down on the show, and then he said, “I really like your voice, so just do whatever you want to do with this.”
“Really? Cool!!”
“Yeah. When Disney asked me who I wanted to play this role, I told them to get you, because I knew you as Aqualad.”
This is where I would have done a backflip, just like Todd Bridges on Diff’rent Strokes, if I was able to do that sort of thing. See, until he said that, I didn’t know why I’d gotten this job. I thought it may have been because I used to be on Star Trek, or because I was a minor celebrity, or something like that. Those are okay reasons to get a job, I guess, but he just told me that I earned this job because of my work on Teen Titans,and that’s the greatest feeling in the world.
“Gosh, thanks, man. That’s so cool! I hope I don’t disappoint you.”
The session director, a young woman who immediately puts me at ease, tells me that they’re ready, so I walk into the booth.
When the door closes behind me, it’s like I’m standing in the Cone of Silence. The only sound I hear besides the ringing in my ears is the excited pounding in my heart. On the other side of the glass, I watch the director press a button on top of what looks like a garage door opener. Her mouth moves as she looks at her script. A moment passes, and she looks up at me, expectantly.
I realize that, in my excitement, I’ve forgotten to put on my headphones. Whoops.
“I guess I can hear you better with these on,” I say with a laugh, and they laugh back.
The producer and director talk a little bit about the character, and give me incredible creative freedom to play around with different voices.
This is the most amazing thing in the world. I can feel their confidence in me, and it creates twice as much confidence in myself. I feel like I can do no wrong, so I clench my hands into fists, grit my teeth, tense up my whole body, and deliver some lines into the mic in this voice that I think sounds kind of cool.
“Hold on, Wil.” She says, and turns to the producer. Her thumb slips off the “talk” button, and all now I can see them talking, but I can’t hear a thing they’re saying. Judging by their body language, they’re happy. There’s a lot of nodding and smiling.
Wow. This rules!
I watch as the director nods vigorously, and thumbs the “talk” button. “That’s fantastic, Wil,” she says, “Let’s record this.”
What? I hit it on my first try? Really?! Cool!
This is the same thing that happens when I work on Titans: all the people involved, from the producers to the director to the actors, are super supportive, and encourage a creative environment, so I feel comfortable taking huge risks and playing characters that I’d never try on my own. I know it probably seems like it would always be like this, and maybe it is in the voice over world, but for the past several years, the bulk of my on-camera “acting” has been in auditions where that supportive, creative environment simply doesn’t exist.
We roll tape, and start recording. After most of my lines, I watch through the glass as the producers and the director talk with each other. I can tell that they’re happy with what I’m doing, and my spirits just soar. I totally haven’t let them down, and a few times, the producer talks to me himself. “That’s just awesome, Wil,” he says, “That was really, really cool.”
Man, I wish I could do that backflip. This is really fun.
I only have 17 lines in this show, plus some crowd voices, a few random kids, and stuff like that, so I’m finished in less than an hour. When I take my headphones off, and step back into the Cone of Silence, I understand why so many people work so hard to make it into the voice acting world, and how lucky I am to be here.
When I walk out of the recording booth, one of the producers, who has been sitting on the far side of the room with a sketchpad, (either looking at character models to see if the voice I’m doing matches up, or sketching character models based on my voice — I’m not sure) jumps up and meets me at the door. He extends his hand, and tells me how much he liked what I did, and says, several times, “We’re going to have you back. We’re going to work with you again.”
I try to remain professional, but I can’t completely contain my enthusiasm. I tell them how much fun I had, and that I hope to come back for more shows in the future. They all assure me that I will.

114 thoughts on “and the ground’s not cold”

  1. Wow, that’s so awesome, Wil. I’m very happy for you.
    Of course, when I think of Wil Wheaton Voice Actor I think:
    “I’m not even afraid of..of..The Great Owl!”
    Which is my all time favorite animated movies.

  3. Seems this show will be a reunion of sorts…
    I just found this info on coreyfeldman.com:
    Corey has just begun a new Disney animated series called “Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force, Go!” The series will also star Mark Hammil (Star Wars) & Tom McKinney (the voice of Sponge Bob SquarePants). The series will be used to launch a new channel in September created by Fox & Disney, called Jetix!

  4. Congrats, and thanks for sharing your experience with us. I was always curious about voice-overs , and I now I have a much better idea about how they work!

  6. Dude! This so rocks! Sure, you’re working for the machine that is Disney, but still, you’re working! And it’s good stuff, too!
    And we can all trace this back to The Secret of NIMH. One of your first major voice roles, so to speak. It’s all coming around now, and noone deserves it more than you!
    And hey, now that you have a recent body of work to be proud of, you don’t have to feel like you’re pandering when you call Sean… Hint hint…

  10. I was just thinking, Wil, with all the twists and turns, and ups and downs, that your life seems to take, when you write your final autobiography it’ll be classified as an epic. Joseph Campbell could have used you as an example, dude.

  17. Dude: I have a new favorite villain (after Mojo Jojo): Skurg! I’m happy for you.
    Hey…and update us on how D&D is going.

  19. Congrats on the big job hon, and kudos to you for nailing it on the first try. If you meet Mark Hamill please PLEASE let us know! Or just let me know…:) And thanks for a little insider info on how it’s done, partially answered one of my questions in one of my last comments.

  20. \m/ RAWKING! That’s awesome! Congratulations…hang on while I do a backflip for you!….pause….crickets chirp….okay, I have to go now, Ambulence is here to take me to the hospital.
    Good Job!

  21. Wil, when you’re done enjoying a wonderful hour of work, don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for Yet Another Beautiful Blog Entry.
    Then of course you can go back to enjoying a wonderful hour of work.
    Or you could practice your backflip. You may need it one day.

  23. That is so cool Wil, congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember the old Ketchup commercial, good things come to those who wait, or as I like to say are patient!

  24. Wil, you’ve managed once again to bring us right into the same room as you through one of your entries. i am so impressed with the way you write about life. by the way congrats on all the good stuff thats come your way lately not only with the vo stuff but with the family stuff too. one other thing i always did love secret of nimh and bought it for my kids the first time i came across it. just about worn out now from being watched so much. brook

  25. I am happy and excited for you Wil because you
    are happy and excited. Sounds as if you have
    found a juicy gig.
    Congrats
    Colleen

  27. Hey Guys
    FYI – If you live in the UK the show should be airing on the newly relaunched Fox Kids Channel (renamed Jetix) on the SKY Digital system later on this year.
    Enjoy!
    and well done Wil,
    Chris.

  28. You realize, of course, that with you and Mark Hamill working on the same show, this will ultimately end up starting another Star Wars vs. Star Trek War.
    SWSTW-II
    (And now you have to watch Comic Book: The Movie, because you are going to end up running into Mark Hamill, and he is going to want to know if you have seen it.)

  29. Kick ass, that must be one hell of a rush to do that and also have so many people loving what you do. Congratulations.
    Capt.

  30. That is so great that everything went so well 🙂 You are the best Wil and I look forward to getting to hear your voice in “Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go.”

  31. I’m just going to rather pointlessly add my own congratulations 🙂 I wasn’t so happy and pleased when *I* got a job 🙂

  33. You got to work with Maurice LaMarche!! Oh, Jesus, I’ve been in love with that guy since he was Jeremy Hawke. That’s freakin’ awesome that you’ll both be in the same show.
    (And you TOTALLY underestimate your fellow nerds if you think that none of them would recognize his name, especially considering his work on Futurama and The Critic.)

  34. Very Cool, Wil!! I would love to do voice acting back of all the great anime’s I’ve seen…but I doubt I’ll get to ’cause of my lack of experence.
    Anyway, way to go!!!
    P.S. Aqualad is very very cool!!! Go Titans!!

  35. Your getting your name out there for VO work, did
    you know that is so very hard? You probably do, but I just had to say it anyways. *Cracks knuckles and looks around for tv and movie producers*, now we have the voice, all we need is to see you on tv and movie. Seriously though, great work, and cheers, to much more success.

  36. hey wil,
    that is sooo cool! you totally sound like a natural at this! i’m so happy it all went well for you! i can’t wait to see it!!!
    congratulations!
    take care
    rach

  37. I can totally relate to the Cone of Silence routine. I had the same experience last week when I auditioned to be a reader for the non-profit I work for (we record audio books that are sent to the disabled; anyone who’s interested can check out our web site (it’s still a work in progress but a helluva lot better than what we used to have!). The worst part was I took my purse in with me (hey, it’s a woman thing), and my cell went off — fortunately it was before the audition started.
    Anyway, to make a long story short, I totally nailed it. (insert pat on back here) Still waiting to see when my regular reading stint will be; may just start out as a fill-in for when a reader cancels or is a no-show.
    Okay, so this is all about me and not about you, Wil — but I think you prove a point; no matter what insignificant thing you do in life, always put your best effort into it, because you never know when it might be noticed by someone with real authority. Heck, that’s how I got my current job in the first place!
    Glad to hear things are going well…so, how goes the planning of the D&D campaign??? *grin*

  38. “I had to bite down on my lip to prevent a Howard Dean Scream from escaping.” Oooh, that was so hilarious. Congratulations!

  40. It would be so awesome if we could all have as much fun at our jobs.
    I am super happy for you, Wil. Rock on! \m/

  42. Awesome Stuff, Wil!
    You must have been stoked nailing it like that! I know you will get more gigs like that after knocking ’em dead.
    I have to find out when Aqua Teen is going to be aired up here in Canada. At some point soon I hope.
    Cheers,
    Mike

  43. Wil said:
    repeating to myself, over and over again, “Don’t go fanboy. Don’t go fanboy. Don’t go fanboy. Don’t go fanboy.”
    Did you ever wonder how many other people in the room are saying “Don’t go fanboy…”?

  44. it’s nice to see how honestly hard working you are at doing what you love; even more to see you succeed at it; and most comforting to see that even people who have succeeded at various levels in their career still have moments of anxious hope and fear and struggles with geekdom.
    thanks, it’s fabulous that you’re doing what you have such passion for [and doing it well], and hopefully you know that you give us [working at it] creatives some motivation and inspiration.
    cheers,
    andi tron

  45. I bet it’s nice to have lines and speaking parts that you can put emphasis and strong heartfelt emotion behind, and be encouraged to do so, instead of having to do a timid, barely audible “boy” voice, which usually ended in the character you were playing being told to “SHUT UP WESLEY!” by other people who got to put emphasis and strong heartfelt emotion behind.
    Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against Patrick or Brent or Micheal, LaVar, Frakes, or even Colm, Marina or Gates. In fact they are all some of my favorite performers..but man, it’s good to see YOU getting the spotlight for a change, and having a blast to boot!
    Rawk on!

  46. BRAIN: Pinky, Are You Pondering What I’m Pondering?
    PINKY: Uh, I think so, Brain, but burlap chafes me so.
    (See link for more ponderings.)

  47. Ok I am totally living vicariously through you right now. RAWK! \m/
    Seriously man, the way you wrote this, I felt like I was you and I was so excited and happy and proud and I am so happy for oyu.
    I see a theme. Every entry I’m leaving a comment telling you I’m happy for you. I think that’s a pretty cool theme.

  48. WOW!!! YEEHARR! That’s fantastic, Wil! Sounds like it’s all going a dream, every aspect of this job is perfect so far!
    Your enthusiasm just leaps off the screen in your writing, too, I just realised I’ve got this big happy bursting feeling inside of me, all excited just from reading about how you felt – thanks for doing such a good job of including me, too.
    Lis from Aus 🙂

  50. Hey now, I would have recognised Mike Erwin (I probably spell that wrong however) if only from his role in Hulk as young Bruce Banner.

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