August 26, 2025 • 40 mins
The conversation with voice legend DEE BRADLEY BAKER continues as more memories and stories are shared, Dee gives insight into his voice acting process and shares some sage wisdom that Yoda would be proud of.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Johnny brod to here friendly neighborhood moderator for Potter Rebellion.
Here comes part two of our chat with Deep Bradley
Baker Enjoy.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
I don't know thinking about it for me, if I
was coming in, I would already it would already be
daunting to do more than one character, but I would
probably be like, can I just do it? Passes this character,
then it passes this character? You were doing scenes because
I also watched that third episode of the second season,
and I didn't realize how back to back it was
you if I mean my memory is correct, you just
(00:41):
went through it on your own, and yet no I
got it, like I can I can swap between it.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It was like, I mean, you were you were just
having a conversation with yourself a whole time. But it
was unbelievable how there was like a nuance to what
you were bringing to each character, but you were switching
in and out of it, Like I mean, the closest
seener is this Andrew Scott Uncle Vanya thing where he's
playing all the characters of buckle Van. Yeah, but he's
it's just as soon as you want to drop the
(01:05):
others picked up and it's not missing a second and
you were doing the same thing, which was it was
very cool for me to watch.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
Yeah, thanks, it's it's it's just if you see the
characters in their full specificity, then it's just like an
old television dial where you just just snap between one
and the other and they're because they're different people, and
that's that's it's, it's it's it seems more of a
magic trick with the Clones because they they look more
(01:32):
similar and they seem more similar visually as opposed to
like the Bad Batch, which you know, they look very
different and and so yeah, I mean, my the the
thing that's that that it hinges upon is that I
have to see them as different people and they have
to have a different character, a different tone, a dynamic
(01:55):
that I can just jump to whatever part of the
dynamic is is talking right now. And it's it's actually
a little a little more nuanced and trickier with just
with with Clones, with REGs as opposed to the Bad Batch,
which it's actually easier with the Bad Batch because they're
(02:17):
they're more distinct from each other. It's actually easier to
jump there.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, that's so interesting. So with that, like, how how
do you keep track of all that? Because I know
the bad batch, like you know visually, like what record
would sound like, what he what tech would sound like,
what echo would sound like? But then what the rags
as you just alluded to, because those physical similarities are
you know, they're all physically similar. How did you keep
track of all that as you're literally voicing all of
the clones?
Speaker 5 (02:42):
Well, it starts with a good script and and and
the characters, and the dynamic is there of what's playing out.
And then the thing that you learn as a voice
actor is that you're not reading words. You're playing a
movie in your mind and bringing that to life. And
so for me, the way it feels is that I'm
(03:03):
watching the movie or I'm doing different runs at scenes,
but I can see it. And because I can see it,
I can just I can jump from that character to
this other character. It's not it's not about words or
or vocal placement or anything like that, even though that's involved.
But the way it plays out for me as an
(03:24):
actor is I can see it, and and it's like
with it, it's the same with doing something like like
with an animal where they don't know what this creature
looks like or sounds like, but they can tell me
what it's doing, and I can imagine. I've got the
rest of the scene there, and so I'm it's like i'm, i'm, I'm,
I'm projecting it and then performing along with the movement
(03:48):
and the behavior and the acting that needs to that
you need to make the story live so it feels
visual to me.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, thank you to you. I feel like we haven't
given JC enough. And here's the one for JC to
come in at the end. It's a two part because
then I have the question for you DP. But the clones,
because I don't really know the origin. Were they all
cloned as the same person and then they put on
the same uniform or clearly not if you played these
(04:18):
different characters, I guess JC, let me know a low
the clones came to be that individual type of person
where they're all unique but also the same, and they Yes,
there you go, JC a little brought up. And then
with D I remember because you were just talking about
now with animals early on, I was just like Antenna's
(04:40):
up trying to be a sponge, just into everything everyone's saying.
I remember you saying, I think you were talking to
Freddy or someone and it was a downtime behind the booth.
They were talking about the scene and we were just
shooting the shit, really, and you're doing a bunch of
diff animal voices, and you said that you would go
to the zoo and like record animals and sit there
(05:01):
listening to them. Am I fully making this up? And
then you until you could recreate their sound? And I
always thought that was like the most interesting funny thing.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
Yeah, I would do that. I when I when I
finally kind of thought that this is something I want
to drill down into. After I moved to Hollywood, It's
like I wasn't like, oh, he's the he's the weird
sound guy or the animal guy. I wasn't that I
would just I like doing weird, weird stuff vocally, but
I like doing weird stuff as far as characterizations and
everything else. But but when I when I started working
(05:35):
in animation in Hollywood, it's like half my life ago,
which is like I think, over thirty years ago at
this point, I'm sixty two, almost sixty three, that I
realized that they need monsters and animals and you know,
familiars and pets and in a lot of cartoons, did
(05:57):
a few sessions, got to see what the brilliant Frank
Welker does. Fell of Colorado one. I don't know why
it is that we're both from Colorado, but I started.
I started by well, I already I always liked science biology,
watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau and Wild Kingdom and
you know, animal shows documentaries in the seventies. When I
(06:21):
was a kid, I studied a number of classes of biology.
Cell bio and invertebrate zoology were two of my favorite
classes in college. And so I like animals, and I
know a pretty good amount about animals already, and I
like improv, and Hollywood needs animals, and they need monsters.
And I love monster movies. I've seen a lot of
(06:42):
monster movies. So I started. I bought CDs. I'd go
to the zoo. I'd also watch documentaries. I'd also buy
animal sound effects CDs and just listen through them and
try to find sounds and kind of vocal behavior that
I could use that I could wield vocally as an actor,
(07:05):
not just a sound, but like something that can be
modified to sound like a sentence or an expression that
that that an actor can use, so then it's of
use to me, not just merely a sound. And but yeah,
I started I started drilling into it and and exploring
that and kind of finding you know, chambers and places,
(07:27):
essentially assembling a kind of orchestra so to speak, that
I can reference and direct. That's just kind of available now.
And I kind of fleshed that out and set that
up and hung everything on the wall inside my brain,
and it's available. So it took a while to kind
of amass that. But uh, you know, the more the
(07:52):
further along I get, it's like, oh, that's that's a
weird sound, and then inevitably it's like I can next week.
I'm using that sound already, and then it's like that's
a new thing to add to the orchestra, so I
keep adding to it.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
John, I think you asked us earlier, like and I
don't think we ever answered, just kind of went off
on a tangent. But about like our first I don't
know if you said first impressions or how how it
was when you know, we started working with Dan.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Yeah, the first interactions. I love to hear that.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
Well, I I don't know if this was like the
very first interaction but I just remember, you know, we've
talked about many times on this podcast that Taylor and
I were very new to voiceover Land, and I was
already you know, working with the likes of Vanessa and
(08:40):
Steve and Freddie, Steve being and Vanessa being like, you know,
another one of those talents who just can make any sound,
any accent, any you know. It's just it was so
not intimidating because I mean, yes, maybe a little into
beating because I'm like, what's happening? How this this is incredible,
(09:04):
but also just like so on inspiring. And then d
comes in and I tell you, like, I really truly
believe that there isn't any sound or combination of like
creature in this circumstance. Like you need someone to be
a flounder, not a grouper, not a cart but a
(09:24):
flounder that's being electrocuted underwater deep Bradley Baker can do that.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
And yeah, and then he'll.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Do it, and you're gonna go, that is what a
flounder being electrocuted underwater would sound like. That's amazing, and
it's it is true, like as just a fan of
raw talent and ability and facility, I mean it's sorry. D.
I'm like totally just hopefully I'm not making you uncomfortable
(09:52):
because I'm gushing over how you know, uh great, I
think you are, but I think you know that already.
But anyway, it's just truly uh inspiring and just also
just like mind blowing to watch, you know, D, Vanessa
and Steve just like kind of going back and forth
(10:13):
and making these crazy sounds. I think in the very
first time that you came and joined us, there was
a cricket. You guys, there was a cricket in the
studio in the booth, and it was it was like chirping,
and then it would stop, and it was chirping and
it would stop. When we were like, where the hell
is this cricket coming about? How is there a cricket
in the booth?
Speaker 7 (10:33):
It was D.
Speaker 6 (10:34):
And I'm telling you you would have no idea that
a human being was making that sound. That is when
I knew I was in the presence of grade now.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
Very useful drives drives sound engineers crazy, and I learned
never to use that. When a joke falls flat at
a table read, oh I love that turns out you don't.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Want to do that.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
I don't want to do that.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
How about you, Taylor, some of your first interactions with
d and you know, because I love the episode, it's you.
You and Tia talk a lot about how you know,
your naivete for lack of better word, into the voiceover
world and being new to Star Wars.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Really especially you, Taylor.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
You talked about you didn't really know much other than
what Dave was telling you, and a lot of that
comes off so well with like I guess the arrogance
and confidence of youth sort of thing with the way
Ezra talks to Rex, And I'd love for you to
talk a little bit about that, just like were you
just kind of letting it go the same way d
was just kind of letting it go with Daffy Duck?
Like were you just I would love to just hear
a little bit more about that because we're about to
(11:41):
get into that episode in the coming weeks for the listeners.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Yeah, I think my sort of style on life is
sort of just let it go. So that's I don't
know when that one's going to stop. But meeting d
I was blown away, Like I was saying, I remember
he was playing multiple characters in everyone else, there was
like an air like D's coming in to day, which
I was like, oh sick, I want to meet D.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
And then when he started doing this, I was blown away.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
But then you also have the personal side that's outside
of the characters, because I didn't We've said I didn't
know any characters. I was still figuring out Ezra and
so you're sort of moving through it trying to be
a sponge cheverone. But then the conversations you're having. I
just loved talking to D so much. And I remember
I had just started university. I guess that's the age
(12:27):
of was in and I was in philosophy one on
one because I was going to be my major, and
I had read I was doing it online because they
couldn't go to school, and I was like, Camu is
my favorite philosopher, Dez. I can remember this, but I
had a conversation just how sweet DEAs. I kept calling
him Camus because I haven't heard anyone say I've just.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Read about it.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
And then he's he's.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Talking about this guy.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Camu was just like this guy canvas and I'm not
connecting the dots at all, and I was like, god,
de he's a genius. And I go home to then
realize that he was so kind that he's not making
me feel like a moron to this, And I always
think about funny, it is like that people who aren't
going and hearing and having conversations doing stuff online, you
have no idea, You're just reading a thing, which long story.
(13:09):
I then am thinking younger people need more time, myself included,
to just go and imagine and go listen to things
and put together thoughts and ideas that no one else
is going to do them. If you're just if you're
just sitting on your phone all the time, it's going
to be fed to you. But having time to just
sit and be like, I wonder what that sounds like
when it's in distress and there's a hook in its
(13:31):
mouth and then we're also in space.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Like that's a good way to live life.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Because then the next thought is like, I wonder how
it's cool to be kind to someone I've never met
in this place who's living through that like one thing,
that's the next thing, and I feel like we're kind
of losing that a bit, and with d this is
all coming back around. So that's what I feel from
you so much. I feel like a humanity. That makes
sense why you are so talented and prolific in your career,
(13:56):
because they go together. And that's what I always feel
towards the and yeah, I think it's really cool.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
It was always for me. I appreciate your kind words
all of you very much, But for me, when I
was earlier in my career, the most effective and the
most efficient learning for me was to be in a
room with the Titans that I got to meet, who
(14:26):
had been doing this for decades and we're so much
further ahead in terms of you know, I think everybody
has talent, but they have confidence and an ease of
wielding what it is they have. And to see that
in a way that in one sense it's like it's
(14:48):
terrifying to see someone who is so good that it's effortless,
and it's it's it's like they have an Adam Baum
kind of power at their disp which may be it
may be different colors and different flavors of atom bomb,
or it may just be one atom bomb, but my gosh,
(15:08):
that thing. It's amazing. And and to be able to
be around that and to see that that this is
what you need to find within yourself, that this this
is what you need to to discover and to harness
and then to put out there like you're just throwing
(15:31):
it off and everyone in the room wants that for you.
Nobody is here against you, everybody is supportive, and that
your job is to find that of yourself. And that's
what becoming an actor is. That's what becoming an artist is,
is to find that within yourself. And one of the
(15:52):
best ways to to realize that is to be around
those who are further along than you or or that
are in this own specialized path and to say, oh,
it's like, man, I cannot do that. I can never
do that. But but the what they're bringing to it,
what they bring to the room when they enter, the
generosity that that's in between the takes, the energy that
(16:17):
they use to keep the fun going, the way that
they're always active, that they're always listening, that they're not
tuned out, that they're connected to this process. These are
all things that you can't learn in a class. You
can't learn it from a book. You can learn it
by being around somebody who just knows better than you.
(16:38):
Because you're young and you're innocent, and you're inexperienced, and
you just don't know that yet. That's that's one of
the great you know, privileges of my career is to
be able to have that experience, like you're talking about,
just to walk in with your talent and your abilities,
and to not be too freaked out by it, to
(17:00):
stand your ground and to do your thing, but to
be able and open to learning from those who are
a little further along. I mean, that's it's you know,
everybody's included. We're all in the session. We're all session players,
and that's that's part of what's wonderful about acting. And
I just wish that everybody who's coming online to this,
(17:20):
who aspires to it, can find ways to be around
people who are further along than you. You want to
play tennis with someone who's better than you are. That's
the only way you're going to get better at tennis.
And you want to be you know, in the room,
not threatened by it, but to learn from it.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
You know, I feel like we're at the Temple of Apollo,
you know, getting all this ancient Greek philosophy wisdom's this
is incredible and do I want to you know, step
away a little bit from I mean from the voice
acting thing and the acting thing in general, because like
U T a little too earlier, like thousands of characters
IMDb needed extra code just to do ring to be paid,
(18:00):
because that's how long your resume is. But with all
that and all these different characters you play, and how
full the investment you always are in each and every
single one, how does D take care of D? How
does D make sure he keeps check of who D is?
Because you're just talking about no thyself again going ahead
to the Temple of Apollo, and we love to talk
about mental health and self care on this podcast. We
(18:21):
want to create a safe space and if you be
so kind of, you know, give us insight in terms
of like how do you make sure D is okay?
Speaker 6 (18:28):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Even if Rex is not?
Speaker 5 (18:30):
You know right, that's well, that's an interesting Uh. That's
that's an interesting lecture in and on itself, isn't it?
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Uh? For me?
Speaker 5 (18:38):
You know, well, look, I'm I'm in the last third
of my life, best case, and so I'm paying more
attention to such things, you know, reading the Stoics, reading Nietzsche,
reading Buddhism. It's like what can I grab onto you? Here?
A lot of it comes down to I think this
is that you've got to look at yourself as an
(18:59):
artist and a human being, right, and I think your
artistry comes from you're being a human which is partially
I think kind of a spiritual thing or a psychological thing,
and partially a physical thing. You've got to take care
of yourself by getting enough sleep, You've got to eat well,
you've got to have good relationships. You've got to constantly
(19:20):
be cultivating things that you care about that that give
you fuel, and not just being an actor, but it's
things that that are creative and that bring fire and
availability of yourself to your work. And and so I
(19:41):
mean a lot of it these days is just trying
to try to teach myself how to take a nap
and how to sleep, get enough rest, and then to
eat the right foods, and then to work out, and
and then to meditate a lot I do. I do
regular meditation because a lot of a lot of my job,
the way I look at it now, is not to
(20:02):
it's not to people please, it's not to make people
like me. It's to make something that's irresistibly good and
it's so good that they have to hire me. That's
my job. So in order to do that, I have
to have a full tank in terms of my energy,
in terms of who I am, in terms of how
(20:27):
I feel about my life and myself. And so I'm
constantly feeding myself with reading. I journal a lot, I'm
following my curiosity. I'm doing things that are creative that
don't bring me money. Sometimes I'm helping out other creatives
who are working on projects and I just want to
help them out and I don't want money for it,
(20:48):
because I think it's important to remain an amateur and
to have that kind of habit, because being a creative person,
being an artist, I think, is it's as much habit
as anything. It's not an aspiration, it's not having a
good idea. It's actually making something and then making it
(21:08):
again and again and again in a way that feeds you,
that brings you enthusiasm, that brings you a kind of
of fertilized readiness that you bring with you around in
your day and not just to your work but into
your life. But when you walk into a session or
(21:29):
address an audition, which is now unfortunately in isolation, you
come not necessarily prepared for anything, but you come ready.
You come with your full self. The soil is tilled,
the worms are dug up. You've put the potting soil there,
you've thrown some seeds, you've been cultivating these others. You're
(21:50):
watering it, and you've got this readiness to bring to
whatever the project is, so that you have lots of ideas,
good ideas, and you're your focused energy available, and and
you have the energy and the connection to care enough
to do a good job. Because a lot of people
they're just especially especially now, they're distracted, they're drained, they're atomized,
(22:16):
they're isolated, they're siloed, they're alone. What we do is
we come together and we tell stories that means something
that matter, and so it has to matter to you,
and you have to have yourself available to bring to
that mission as a professional artist and as a human being.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Amen.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I love that, And I can't wait to read your
book on all that, because you know, because I would
read the heck out of that, and what you just
said is so valuable, so valid that we should all
take in.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
Thank you. I put a lot of this actually on
my website, I want to be a Voice Actor dot com,
where I go on on and on and on about
about you know, becoming a creative and becoming a voice actor,
and I have a lot of other little sprinklings of insight,
you know.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that and the
other thing I was going to say. What you were
just saying about not being an isolation remind me of
like the READYR. Kipling quote the strength of the pack
is the wolf strength of the wolf of the pack
sort of thing. You need to have your own inner strength,
but also that the strength of others will uplift your
inner strength and vice versa. But with how I want
to be a voice actor because I love that you
had this free website which is a free resource. What
(23:32):
was the genesis of you starting this? Because it's like
Captain Rex helping the other clones, you know, find their way.
You're providing this resource that sometimes people guard these secrets,
but you're like, no, no, here they are. Can you
just talk us through that a little bit, because I
I don't think anyone that comes to me because they
know I know voice actors like hey, what's your advice
of like go to I want to be a Voice
(23:53):
actor dot com or go to Boebox Studios.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Those are the two places you go to.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
And I would just love for you to shine a
light on I want to be a voice actor dot com.
I think it's so incredible and and it'd be great
for others to look at them.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
Well good, right, Well, one thing I learned doing theater
for free as an amateur theater person is that theater
is a voluntary family and that everyone's valuable and you
need everybody on the stage otherwise you're not gonna have
a show. And as a as a session voice actor,
(24:26):
it's very much a session gig, you know, like the
Wrecking Crew of that really cool documentary about those musicians.
Is that it's not an excluding ethic, it's an including
You want. You want good players up on the band
stand with you. That that not only make you look good,
(24:47):
but it makes the band look good, It makes the
music sound good. It makes you know, in our case,
the story look good. And so I want others up
on the stage with us. And if that, if that,
somebody else auditions and gets the gig and I didn't,
There's lots of other gigs out there. It's fine. I'm
more concerned with the quality of the story result and
(25:14):
the fun of the making of it. And so with
that in mind, Why would I sell good information that
would only inhibit people Because because a lot of creative
so those who are curious, maybe those who are are
completely worthy and ready and they have the talent, but
(25:35):
just don't have the knowledge. It gives a barrier to
them getting up on the stage with me. And so
it's like, then I'm not going to sell it. I'm
going to give it away. Plus I like to pontificate
and inflict my opinion on all kinds of things, so
that's fun. So I have complete control, so I'm not
(25:55):
beholden to a publisher. It's not frozen in a book.
If I write a book, I'm gonna want to rewrite
the book next month. That'd be that would suck. So
it's this book that I can continually update and and
keep adding to and it's just helping people. Like with COVID,
I was, you know, I've got a few pages on
(26:16):
how to build an inexpensive recording booth in your home,
because it's like, we got to get this going, folks.
Otherwise this career is done for a year or two
or however long this COVID lasts. So it's like I'm
going to show everybody how to do it, and I'm
going to show them. I'm going to walk them through it.
I'm gonna take pictures. I'm gonna list all the all
the items, how much they cost, where you can order it.
(26:37):
It's like, it's like I cannot take you any closer
to building it in your own closet, you know, with
my own hands. And I think in the end, a
creative person, when you find your your traction, that you
also have to find a generosity of what it is
(27:00):
you've found, because yes, it's your talent, yes you've earned it,
but yes you've been really lucky and you're very privileged
and fortunate to have all this come together for you.
So you don't need to hoard this and and you know,
meet it out for money or to say it's all
(27:22):
mine or it's all me, or it's like it doesn't
now some of it is, but not all of it.
So why not be generous? Why not why not put
out the good information that helps people? It helps those
who are curious, It helps those who who are experienced
but just want don't want to spend three hours talking
(27:43):
about what you do to get into voice acting, which
usually falls on deaf ears because most people are just
idly curious and they're not really serious. But the thing is,
you don't ever know if a person who's asking that
question has the talent, or it might be buried in there,
or or maybe they're really serious about it. You don't know.
(28:03):
I don't know. So if it's all on the website
for free, everybody's happy and I have a lot of
fun doing it, and I find it interesting, and I
just I wish there were more of that in the world.
I think creative people should have that. I mean, we're
a capitalist society, and yes, I'm a capitalist person. You know,
(28:23):
how can I not be? We all are to an extent,
But there's a generosity and a helpfulness I think, to
a creative mindset, and especially a collaborative creative mindset, which
is what we are. We're not someone who's you know,
making sculptures in the basement that we're showing to no one.
That's our precious art. It's like, no, this is collaborative art.
(28:47):
That is for the public. It's very out and open
and collaborative. And and so bring everybody in. Why not?
Why not bring everybody in?
Speaker 8 (28:56):
What?
Speaker 5 (28:57):
Why? Why? Why? Why degrade that and impede that with
a paywall, So that's I mean, money's fine, but I
just want to I just want a good movie screen
and some books, some good snacks and yeah, bottle hit
(29:23):
in someplace and I'll remember it is at some point
because I'm so old.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Do we could talk to you for hours and and
will you come back for a small because we would
love to just have you back and just keep continuing
the conversation.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
I am, I am your mister blah blah. You bring
me on and I will blah blah blah all day long.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Okay, Well, well, Powder Rebellion Presents blah blah blah with
Deeprendtley Baker coming soon. But before that, we have our
guy jac who you met in the pre recording conversation, Jac,
Do we have any fact checks today? I know Taylor
three one, but knowing you, I know school is in
session and with the desk start being built in the
background of your house, that.
Speaker 6 (30:01):
Is what we.
Speaker 7 (30:05):
Yeah. I have a few things, mostly just providing some
contexts and some facts and figures. Early on in the episode,
you guys talked about Starwars celebration and the season two
trailer of Star Wars Rebels for people like me, who
have been to many many Star Wars celebrations. Just to
anchor you a bit. That was Sowar Celebration Anaheim in
(30:25):
twenty fifteen, which happened on April sixteenth to April nineteenth,
and then Season two of Star Wars Rebels premiered on
June twentieth of that same year. Twenty fifteen, you guys
talked a lot about D's IMDb. Currently as an actor,
he has seven hundred and twenty one things listed. I
don't know if that includes the upcoming projects or not.
(30:47):
De mentioned Avatar, The Last Airbender Taylor. You were like,
that's not Blue Jim's Cameron stuff, is it? It's not. It
was a Nickelodeon cartoon that aired from two thousand and
five to two thousand and eight, currently has a live
action TV series on Netflix. Dante, who was on on
season one of our show, was a voice in that show,
(31:12):
which is where his podcast comes from, and d you
mentioned that it was a Dave Filoni show. Dave was
not the showrunner of that show, but he did direct
eight episodes of season one, including episodes one and two
of the series, and I think he didn't continue because
George hired him away from Avatar to kind of do
(31:33):
Clone Wars. Space Jam talked a lot about space Jam.
For the uninitiated, it was a two thousand and six
movie where loonis sorry, nineteen ninety six movie Apologies, where
Looney Tunes play basketball with real life basketball players like
(31:54):
Michael Jordan. Space Jam did two hundred and fifty million
dollars globally at the box office on an eighty million
dollar budget. And just a personal note, we have the
space Jam soundtrack on at my restaurant on the playlist
and whenever it comes on, half the bar, like Taylor
was saying, gets super super into it.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
I'm on the fire track of that soundtrack and they
screwed me out of royalties.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Justice for Dan.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
Look, we pay all of our BMI and ascaps, So
the the few pennies I'm sure you're not getting from us,
I can nail you. And then Taylor, the last thing
I have. Taylor, you asked about the clones. All the
clones are genetically cloned from the Bounty Hunter Django Fat
(32:51):
from Star Wars episode two.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
The clones are Django Fet.
Speaker 7 (32:56):
Yes, accept and they're all altered to like grow faster,
age faster, things like that except for Boba Fett, who
was a genetically identical to his father. And do you
can correct me on this, But in terms of why
the clones have different voices and different I think part
(33:20):
of the idea is that, like life, experience impacts who
you are as a person. In addition to like Ian
Malcolm says in Jurassic Park, life finds a way so
even a perfect clone in a laboratory setting doesn't actually
come out exactly the same as the thing that it
(33:40):
is being blown.
Speaker 5 (33:42):
From, right, and you see that like with twins for instance,
where it's like you look at those two, it's like, so,
you guys are twins because but in that case, the
way I always thought of it is that, in particular,
like with a bad Batch, that they weren't just born
with with these traits or abilities. They were they were
(34:04):
cultivated and trained into this, and I imagine that the
people that they that were most exposed to in this
training would also bend their their their vocalization uh in
in this way, or that at least that that's the
way I've always explained it to myself, because the bad
Batch is like, yeah, that's not just the same uh
(34:25):
accent or nationality or whatever you want to call it,
not I mean, which doesn't really apply because it's in
a galaxy far far away, but there's so far apart.
I just took it to their to their training and
their upbringing by different specialists that were brought into enhance
their their genetic enhancements, so to speak.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
Certainly all Mandalorians, then all clones.
Speaker 5 (34:48):
Well technically yeah, whoa.
Speaker 7 (34:52):
And then I do want to before the internet ad
adds me, because I'm sure there's going to be somebody
out there, I do want to point out that there
is one one clone that d you did not voice,
which is Omega from the Bad Batch is the only one.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Younger clones, uh Dan, Daniel Logan. Those some instances as well,
and there may be other instances, like in video games
where I didn't voice clones at all. They just hired
some other guy to do it. But you know, those
things kick around and that's that's just how it is.
Speaker 7 (35:27):
Yeah, But the big, the big one is Omega from
Bad Batch. You did everybody else pretty much in Bad Batch.
And I do want to say that Omega is, aside
from having two X chromosomes, also is an exact copy
of Boba fet with no genetic modifications or not fet
(35:48):
jango fet apologies really m Omega and bad Batch was
had no genetic modifications other than that the chemin Owens
made her a her.
Speaker 5 (36:00):
Huh as well as uh who was the kind of
turncoat clone female at the end of bad Batch She's
she was also a clone I believe. Ah, I'm sorry,
I can't remember her name. Yeah, so there's there's one
other I believe that's one other clone there, female who
(36:22):
I did not voice.
Speaker 8 (36:24):
Also, if there are seven hundred titles that De's done,
usually they get three voices per episode.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
So so we're talking over two thousand characters. Yeah, conservatively,
potentially more.
Speaker 8 (36:39):
Yeah, yeah, if it were a running series, well, additional
voices can cover at least three so per episode.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
M hm, not always, but it could be.
Speaker 8 (36:53):
So I'm saying like conservatively one thousand and probably more
like three thousand.
Speaker 6 (36:58):
But the seven hundred and twenty one tie that's just titles,
not episodes. So for Star Wars rebels alone, I've heard.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
You play a bunch of different Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
Yeah, so sprinkle me in for a lot of stuff,
SpongeBob or you know whatever it's it's by the way,
a complex carbohydrate.
Speaker 6 (37:20):
What does that sound like?
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Because that was a venture time, was what I was
referring to.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
Yeah, you're talking bonn. I'm not so complex.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
It's like if Walter Mathow was a cinnamon bun.
Speaker 6 (37:39):
But do you see how You're like, what could that
possibly sound like? And then he does it and you're like,
that is what that would sound like?
Speaker 5 (37:47):
Sweet and gooey.
Speaker 8 (37:49):
I think I may be to blame for the crickets
in our session, because every time I saw you for
a long time, I would.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Do the crickets.
Speaker 5 (37:57):
Guilty as charge.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Sorry, how many mysteries being unfolded? The bourbon, the crickets.
And this has been a very inside I just heard
a cricket, I heard it, jac anything else?
Speaker 7 (38:09):
That's all I got from here?
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Excellent, excellent, Well thank you as always, Uh do you?
Thank you again for joining us. This was such a blast, man,
and we can't wait to have you back again coming
to and blah blah blah with with Dee Bradley Baker.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
So stay tuned for that.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
I appreciate it so much. I really I had such
a it's such a thrill to work with you guys,
and it's it's always great to see you and I
really appreciate.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
Your kind words well, so love having you on.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Each week, Taylor gives us our outro and he says,
cue the music to JC. But when we have special
guests like yourself, come on, we'd like to throw that
to the special guest.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
So will you do us the honor?
Speaker 2 (38:44):
And it's up to if you want to be your
own ensemble cast like you have been throughout your career
and say hit different voices, you can no pressure. If
you want to do it as a cricket, you can
do that too, But would you do us the honor
and get us out of here and tell JC to
cue the music.
Speaker 5 (38:58):
Jac, thank you the music.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
That is incredious.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
I felt need new music for that one.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Potter Rebellion is produced in partnership with iHeart Podcasts Producing,
Hosted by Vanessa Marshall, Tia Surtcar, Taylor Gray and John
may Brody executive producer and in house star wars guru
slash fact.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Checker J C.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Reifenberg. Our music was composed by Mikey Flash. Our cover
art was created by Neil Fraser of Neil Fraser Designs.
Special thanks to Holly Frey and Aaron Kaufman over at iHeart,
Evan krask Or of Willie Morrison, Devor, Tresa Canobio, George
Lucas for creating this universe we love so much, and
of course all of our amazing listeners. Follow us on
Instagram at Potter Rebellion and Eve
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Johnny brod to here friendly neighborhood moderator for Potter Rebellion.
Here comes part two of our chat with Deep Bradley
Baker Enjoy.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
I don't know thinking about it for me, if I
was coming in, I would already it would already be
daunting to do more than one character, but I would
probably be like, can I just do it? Passes this character,
then it passes this character? You were doing scenes because
I also watched that third episode of the second season,
and I didn't realize how back to back it was
you if I mean my memory is correct, you just
(00:41):
went through it on your own, and yet no I
got it, like I can I can swap between it.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It was like, I mean, you were you were just
having a conversation with yourself a whole time. But it
was unbelievable how there was like a nuance to what
you were bringing to each character, but you were switching
in and out of it, Like I mean, the closest
seener is this Andrew Scott Uncle Vanya thing where he's
playing all the characters of buckle Van. Yeah, but he's
it's just as soon as you want to drop the
(01:05):
others picked up and it's not missing a second and
you were doing the same thing, which was it was
very cool for me to watch.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
Yeah, thanks, it's it's it's just if you see the
characters in their full specificity, then it's just like an
old television dial where you just just snap between one
and the other and they're because they're different people, and
that's that's it's, it's it's it seems more of a
magic trick with the Clones because they they look more
(01:32):
similar and they seem more similar visually as opposed to
like the Bad Batch, which you know, they look very
different and and so yeah, I mean, my the the
thing that's that that it hinges upon is that I
have to see them as different people and they have
to have a different character, a different tone, a dynamic
(01:55):
that I can just jump to whatever part of the
dynamic is is talking right now. And it's it's actually
a little a little more nuanced and trickier with just
with with Clones, with REGs as opposed to the Bad Batch,
which it's actually easier with the Bad Batch because they're
(02:17):
they're more distinct from each other. It's actually easier to
jump there.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, that's so interesting. So with that, like, how how
do you keep track of all that? Because I know
the bad batch, like you know visually, like what record
would sound like, what he what tech would sound like,
what echo would sound like? But then what the rags
as you just alluded to, because those physical similarities are
you know, they're all physically similar. How did you keep
track of all that as you're literally voicing all of
the clones?
Speaker 5 (02:42):
Well, it starts with a good script and and and
the characters, and the dynamic is there of what's playing out.
And then the thing that you learn as a voice
actor is that you're not reading words. You're playing a
movie in your mind and bringing that to life. And
so for me, the way it feels is that I'm
(03:03):
watching the movie or I'm doing different runs at scenes,
but I can see it. And because I can see it,
I can just I can jump from that character to
this other character. It's not it's not about words or
or vocal placement or anything like that, even though that's involved.
But the way it plays out for me as an
(03:24):
actor is I can see it, and and it's like
with it, it's the same with doing something like like
with an animal where they don't know what this creature
looks like or sounds like, but they can tell me
what it's doing, and I can imagine. I've got the
rest of the scene there, and so I'm it's like i'm, i'm, I'm,
I'm projecting it and then performing along with the movement
(03:48):
and the behavior and the acting that needs to that
you need to make the story live so it feels
visual to me.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, thank you to you. I feel like we haven't
given JC enough. And here's the one for JC to
come in at the end. It's a two part because
then I have the question for you DP. But the clones,
because I don't really know the origin. Were they all
cloned as the same person and then they put on
the same uniform or clearly not if you played these
(04:18):
different characters, I guess JC, let me know a low
the clones came to be that individual type of person
where they're all unique but also the same, and they Yes,
there you go, JC a little brought up. And then
with D I remember because you were just talking about
now with animals early on, I was just like Antenna's
(04:40):
up trying to be a sponge, just into everything everyone's saying.
I remember you saying, I think you were talking to
Freddy or someone and it was a downtime behind the booth.
They were talking about the scene and we were just
shooting the shit, really, and you're doing a bunch of
diff animal voices, and you said that you would go
to the zoo and like record animals and sit there
(05:01):
listening to them. Am I fully making this up? And
then you until you could recreate their sound? And I
always thought that was like the most interesting funny thing.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
Yeah, I would do that. I when I when I
finally kind of thought that this is something I want
to drill down into. After I moved to Hollywood, It's
like I wasn't like, oh, he's the he's the weird
sound guy or the animal guy. I wasn't that I
would just I like doing weird, weird stuff vocally, but
I like doing weird stuff as far as characterizations and
everything else. But but when I when I started working
(05:35):
in animation in Hollywood, it's like half my life ago,
which is like I think, over thirty years ago at
this point, I'm sixty two, almost sixty three, that I
realized that they need monsters and animals and you know,
familiars and pets and in a lot of cartoons, did
(05:57):
a few sessions, got to see what the brilliant Frank
Welker does. Fell of Colorado one. I don't know why
it is that we're both from Colorado, but I started.
I started by well, I already I always liked science biology,
watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau and Wild Kingdom and
you know, animal shows documentaries in the seventies. When I
(06:21):
was a kid, I studied a number of classes of biology.
Cell bio and invertebrate zoology were two of my favorite
classes in college. And so I like animals, and I
know a pretty good amount about animals already, and I
like improv, and Hollywood needs animals, and they need monsters.
And I love monster movies. I've seen a lot of
(06:42):
monster movies. So I started. I bought CDs. I'd go
to the zoo. I'd also watch documentaries. I'd also buy
animal sound effects CDs and just listen through them and
try to find sounds and kind of vocal behavior that
I could use that I could wield vocally as an actor,
(07:05):
not just a sound, but like something that can be
modified to sound like a sentence or an expression that
that that an actor can use, so then it's of
use to me, not just merely a sound. And but yeah,
I started I started drilling into it and and exploring
that and kind of finding you know, chambers and places,
(07:27):
essentially assembling a kind of orchestra so to speak, that
I can reference and direct. That's just kind of available now.
And I kind of fleshed that out and set that
up and hung everything on the wall inside my brain,
and it's available. So it took a while to kind
of amass that. But uh, you know, the more the
(07:52):
further along I get, it's like, oh, that's that's a
weird sound, and then inevitably it's like I can next week.
I'm using that sound already, and then it's like that's
a new thing to add to the orchestra, so I
keep adding to it.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
John, I think you asked us earlier, like and I
don't think we ever answered, just kind of went off
on a tangent. But about like our first I don't
know if you said first impressions or how how it
was when you know, we started working with Dan.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Yeah, the first interactions. I love to hear that.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
Well, I I don't know if this was like the
very first interaction but I just remember, you know, we've
talked about many times on this podcast that Taylor and
I were very new to voiceover Land, and I was
already you know, working with the likes of Vanessa and
(08:40):
Steve and Freddie, Steve being and Vanessa being like, you know,
another one of those talents who just can make any sound,
any accent, any you know. It's just it was so
not intimidating because I mean, yes, maybe a little into
beating because I'm like, what's happening? How this this is incredible,
(09:04):
but also just like so on inspiring. And then d
comes in and I tell you, like, I really truly
believe that there isn't any sound or combination of like
creature in this circumstance. Like you need someone to be
a flounder, not a grouper, not a cart but a
(09:24):
flounder that's being electrocuted underwater deep Bradley Baker can do that.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
And yeah, and then he'll.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Do it, and you're gonna go, that is what a
flounder being electrocuted underwater would sound like. That's amazing, and
it's it is true, like as just a fan of
raw talent and ability and facility, I mean it's sorry. D.
I'm like totally just hopefully I'm not making you uncomfortable
(09:52):
because I'm gushing over how you know, uh great, I
think you are, but I think you know that already.
But anyway, it's just truly uh inspiring and just also
just like mind blowing to watch, you know, D, Vanessa
and Steve just like kind of going back and forth
(10:13):
and making these crazy sounds. I think in the very
first time that you came and joined us, there was
a cricket. You guys, there was a cricket in the
studio in the booth, and it was it was like chirping,
and then it would stop, and it was chirping and
it would stop. When we were like, where the hell
is this cricket coming about? How is there a cricket
in the booth?
Speaker 7 (10:33):
It was D.
Speaker 6 (10:34):
And I'm telling you you would have no idea that
a human being was making that sound. That is when
I knew I was in the presence of grade now.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
Very useful drives drives sound engineers crazy, and I learned
never to use that. When a joke falls flat at
a table read, oh I love that turns out you don't.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Want to do that.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
I don't want to do that.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
How about you, Taylor, some of your first interactions with
d and you know, because I love the episode, it's you.
You and Tia talk a lot about how you know,
your naivete for lack of better word, into the voiceover
world and being new to Star Wars.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Really especially you, Taylor.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
You talked about you didn't really know much other than
what Dave was telling you, and a lot of that
comes off so well with like I guess the arrogance
and confidence of youth sort of thing with the way
Ezra talks to Rex, And I'd love for you to
talk a little bit about that, just like were you
just kind of letting it go the same way d
was just kind of letting it go with Daffy Duck?
Like were you just I would love to just hear
a little bit more about that because we're about to
(11:41):
get into that episode in the coming weeks for the listeners.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Yeah, I think my sort of style on life is
sort of just let it go. So that's I don't
know when that one's going to stop. But meeting d
I was blown away, Like I was saying, I remember
he was playing multiple characters in everyone else, there was
like an air like D's coming in to day, which
I was like, oh sick, I want to meet D.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
And then when he started doing this, I was blown away.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
But then you also have the personal side that's outside
of the characters, because I didn't We've said I didn't
know any characters. I was still figuring out Ezra and
so you're sort of moving through it trying to be
a sponge cheverone. But then the conversations you're having. I
just loved talking to D so much. And I remember
I had just started university. I guess that's the age
(12:27):
of was in and I was in philosophy one on
one because I was going to be my major, and
I had read I was doing it online because they
couldn't go to school, and I was like, Camu is
my favorite philosopher, Dez. I can remember this, but I
had a conversation just how sweet DEAs. I kept calling
him Camus because I haven't heard anyone say I've just.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Read about it.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
And then he's he's.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Talking about this guy.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Camu was just like this guy canvas and I'm not
connecting the dots at all, and I was like, god,
de he's a genius. And I go home to then
realize that he was so kind that he's not making
me feel like a moron to this, And I always
think about funny, it is like that people who aren't
going and hearing and having conversations doing stuff online, you
have no idea, You're just reading a thing, which long story.
(13:09):
I then am thinking younger people need more time, myself included,
to just go and imagine and go listen to things
and put together thoughts and ideas that no one else
is going to do them. If you're just if you're
just sitting on your phone all the time, it's going
to be fed to you. But having time to just
sit and be like, I wonder what that sounds like
when it's in distress and there's a hook in its
(13:31):
mouth and then we're also in space.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Like that's a good way to live life.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Because then the next thought is like, I wonder how
it's cool to be kind to someone I've never met
in this place who's living through that like one thing,
that's the next thing, and I feel like we're kind
of losing that a bit, and with d this is
all coming back around. So that's what I feel from
you so much. I feel like a humanity. That makes
sense why you are so talented and prolific in your career,
(13:56):
because they go together. And that's what I always feel
towards the and yeah, I think it's really cool.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
It was always for me. I appreciate your kind words
all of you very much, But for me, when I
was earlier in my career, the most effective and the
most efficient learning for me was to be in a
room with the Titans that I got to meet, who
(14:26):
had been doing this for decades and we're so much
further ahead in terms of you know, I think everybody
has talent, but they have confidence and an ease of
wielding what it is they have. And to see that
in a way that in one sense it's like it's
(14:48):
terrifying to see someone who is so good that it's effortless,
and it's it's it's like they have an Adam Baum
kind of power at their disp which may be it
may be different colors and different flavors of atom bomb,
or it may just be one atom bomb, but my gosh,
(15:08):
that thing. It's amazing. And and to be able to
be around that and to see that that this is
what you need to find within yourself, that this this
is what you need to to discover and to harness
and then to put out there like you're just throwing
(15:31):
it off and everyone in the room wants that for you.
Nobody is here against you, everybody is supportive, and that
your job is to find that of yourself. And that's
what becoming an actor is. That's what becoming an artist is,
is to find that within yourself. And one of the
(15:52):
best ways to to realize that is to be around
those who are further along than you or or that
are in this own specialized path and to say, oh,
it's like, man, I cannot do that. I can never
do that. But but the what they're bringing to it,
what they bring to the room when they enter, the
generosity that that's in between the takes, the energy that
(16:17):
they use to keep the fun going, the way that
they're always active, that they're always listening, that they're not
tuned out, that they're connected to this process. These are
all things that you can't learn in a class. You
can't learn it from a book. You can learn it
by being around somebody who just knows better than you.
(16:38):
Because you're young and you're innocent, and you're inexperienced, and
you just don't know that yet. That's that's one of
the great you know, privileges of my career is to
be able to have that experience, like you're talking about,
just to walk in with your talent and your abilities,
and to not be too freaked out by it, to
(17:00):
stand your ground and to do your thing, but to
be able and open to learning from those who are
a little further along. I mean, that's it's you know,
everybody's included. We're all in the session. We're all session players,
and that's that's part of what's wonderful about acting. And
I just wish that everybody who's coming online to this,
(17:20):
who aspires to it, can find ways to be around
people who are further along than you. You want to
play tennis with someone who's better than you are. That's
the only way you're going to get better at tennis.
And you want to be you know, in the room,
not threatened by it, but to learn from it.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
You know, I feel like we're at the Temple of Apollo,
you know, getting all this ancient Greek philosophy wisdom's this
is incredible and do I want to you know, step
away a little bit from I mean from the voice
acting thing and the acting thing in general, because like
U T a little too earlier, like thousands of characters
IMDb needed extra code just to do ring to be paid,
(18:00):
because that's how long your resume is. But with all
that and all these different characters you play, and how
full the investment you always are in each and every
single one, how does D take care of D? How
does D make sure he keeps check of who D is?
Because you're just talking about no thyself again going ahead
to the Temple of Apollo, and we love to talk
about mental health and self care on this podcast. We
(18:21):
want to create a safe space and if you be
so kind of, you know, give us insight in terms
of like how do you make sure D is okay?
Speaker 6 (18:28):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Even if Rex is not?
Speaker 5 (18:30):
You know right, that's well, that's an interesting Uh. That's
that's an interesting lecture in and on itself, isn't it?
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Uh? For me?
Speaker 5 (18:38):
You know, well, look, I'm I'm in the last third
of my life, best case, and so I'm paying more
attention to such things, you know, reading the Stoics, reading Nietzsche,
reading Buddhism. It's like what can I grab onto you? Here?
A lot of it comes down to I think this
is that you've got to look at yourself as an
(18:59):
artist and a human being, right, and I think your
artistry comes from you're being a human which is partially
I think kind of a spiritual thing or a psychological thing,
and partially a physical thing. You've got to take care
of yourself by getting enough sleep, You've got to eat well,
you've got to have good relationships. You've got to constantly
(19:20):
be cultivating things that you care about that that give
you fuel, and not just being an actor, but it's
things that that are creative and that bring fire and
availability of yourself to your work. And and so I
(19:41):
mean a lot of it these days is just trying
to try to teach myself how to take a nap
and how to sleep, get enough rest, and then to
eat the right foods, and then to work out, and
and then to meditate a lot I do. I do
regular meditation because a lot of a lot of my job,
the way I look at it now, is not to
(20:02):
it's not to people please, it's not to make people
like me. It's to make something that's irresistibly good and
it's so good that they have to hire me. That's
my job. So in order to do that, I have
to have a full tank in terms of my energy,
in terms of who I am, in terms of how
(20:27):
I feel about my life and myself. And so I'm
constantly feeding myself with reading. I journal a lot, I'm
following my curiosity. I'm doing things that are creative that
don't bring me money. Sometimes I'm helping out other creatives
who are working on projects and I just want to
help them out and I don't want money for it,
(20:48):
because I think it's important to remain an amateur and
to have that kind of habit, because being a creative person,
being an artist, I think, is it's as much habit
as anything. It's not an aspiration, it's not having a
good idea. It's actually making something and then making it
(21:08):
again and again and again in a way that feeds you,
that brings you enthusiasm, that brings you a kind of
of fertilized readiness that you bring with you around in
your day and not just to your work but into
your life. But when you walk into a session or
(21:29):
address an audition, which is now unfortunately in isolation, you
come not necessarily prepared for anything, but you come ready.
You come with your full self. The soil is tilled,
the worms are dug up. You've put the potting soil there,
you've thrown some seeds, you've been cultivating these others. You're
(21:50):
watering it, and you've got this readiness to bring to
whatever the project is, so that you have lots of ideas,
good ideas, and you're your focused energy available, and and
you have the energy and the connection to care enough
to do a good job. Because a lot of people
they're just especially especially now, they're distracted, they're drained, they're atomized,
(22:16):
they're isolated, they're siloed, they're alone. What we do is
we come together and we tell stories that means something
that matter, and so it has to matter to you,
and you have to have yourself available to bring to
that mission as a professional artist and as a human being.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Amen.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I love that, And I can't wait to read your
book on all that, because you know, because I would
read the heck out of that, and what you just
said is so valuable, so valid that we should all
take in.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
Thank you. I put a lot of this actually on
my website, I want to be a Voice Actor dot com,
where I go on on and on and on about
about you know, becoming a creative and becoming a voice actor,
and I have a lot of other little sprinklings of insight,
you know.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that and the
other thing I was going to say. What you were
just saying about not being an isolation remind me of
like the READYR. Kipling quote the strength of the pack
is the wolf strength of the wolf of the pack
sort of thing. You need to have your own inner strength,
but also that the strength of others will uplift your
inner strength and vice versa. But with how I want
to be a voice actor because I love that you
had this free website which is a free resource. What
(23:32):
was the genesis of you starting this? Because it's like
Captain Rex helping the other clones, you know, find their way.
You're providing this resource that sometimes people guard these secrets,
but you're like, no, no, here they are. Can you
just talk us through that a little bit, because I
I don't think anyone that comes to me because they
know I know voice actors like hey, what's your advice
of like go to I want to be a Voice
(23:53):
actor dot com or go to Boebox Studios.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Those are the two places you go to.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
And I would just love for you to shine a
light on I want to be a voice actor dot com.
I think it's so incredible and and it'd be great
for others to look at them.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
Well good, right, Well, one thing I learned doing theater
for free as an amateur theater person is that theater
is a voluntary family and that everyone's valuable and you
need everybody on the stage otherwise you're not gonna have
a show. And as a as a session voice actor,
(24:26):
it's very much a session gig, you know, like the
Wrecking Crew of that really cool documentary about those musicians.
Is that it's not an excluding ethic, it's an including
You want. You want good players up on the band
stand with you. That that not only make you look good,
(24:47):
but it makes the band look good, It makes the
music sound good. It makes you know, in our case,
the story look good. And so I want others up
on the stage with us. And if that, if that,
somebody else auditions and gets the gig and I didn't,
There's lots of other gigs out there. It's fine. I'm
more concerned with the quality of the story result and
(25:14):
the fun of the making of it. And so with
that in mind, Why would I sell good information that
would only inhibit people Because because a lot of creative
so those who are curious, maybe those who are are
completely worthy and ready and they have the talent, but
(25:35):
just don't have the knowledge. It gives a barrier to
them getting up on the stage with me. And so
it's like, then I'm not going to sell it. I'm
going to give it away. Plus I like to pontificate
and inflict my opinion on all kinds of things, so
that's fun. So I have complete control, so I'm not
(25:55):
beholden to a publisher. It's not frozen in a book.
If I write a book, I'm gonna want to rewrite
the book next month. That'd be that would suck. So
it's this book that I can continually update and and
keep adding to and it's just helping people. Like with COVID,
I was, you know, I've got a few pages on
(26:16):
how to build an inexpensive recording booth in your home,
because it's like, we got to get this going, folks.
Otherwise this career is done for a year or two
or however long this COVID lasts. So it's like I'm
going to show everybody how to do it, and I'm
going to show them. I'm going to walk them through it.
I'm gonna take pictures. I'm gonna list all the all
the items, how much they cost, where you can order it.
(26:37):
It's like, it's like I cannot take you any closer
to building it in your own closet, you know, with
my own hands. And I think in the end, a
creative person, when you find your your traction, that you
also have to find a generosity of what it is
(27:00):
you've found, because yes, it's your talent, yes you've earned it,
but yes you've been really lucky and you're very privileged
and fortunate to have all this come together for you.
So you don't need to hoard this and and you know,
meet it out for money or to say it's all
(27:22):
mine or it's all me, or it's like it doesn't
now some of it is, but not all of it.
So why not be generous? Why not why not put
out the good information that helps people? It helps those
who are curious, It helps those who who are experienced
but just want don't want to spend three hours talking
(27:43):
about what you do to get into voice acting, which
usually falls on deaf ears because most people are just
idly curious and they're not really serious. But the thing is,
you don't ever know if a person who's asking that
question has the talent, or it might be buried in there,
or or maybe they're really serious about it. You don't know.
(28:03):
I don't know. So if it's all on the website
for free, everybody's happy and I have a lot of
fun doing it, and I find it interesting, and I
just I wish there were more of that in the world.
I think creative people should have that. I mean, we're
a capitalist society, and yes, I'm a capitalist person. You know,
(28:23):
how can I not be? We all are to an extent,
But there's a generosity and a helpfulness I think, to
a creative mindset, and especially a collaborative creative mindset, which
is what we are. We're not someone who's you know,
making sculptures in the basement that we're showing to no one.
That's our precious art. It's like, no, this is collaborative art.
(28:47):
That is for the public. It's very out and open
and collaborative. And and so bring everybody in. Why not?
Why not bring everybody in?
Speaker 8 (28:56):
What?
Speaker 5 (28:57):
Why? Why? Why? Why degrade that and impede that with
a paywall, So that's I mean, money's fine, but I
just want to I just want a good movie screen
and some books, some good snacks and yeah, bottle hit
(29:23):
in someplace and I'll remember it is at some point
because I'm so old.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Do we could talk to you for hours and and
will you come back for a small because we would
love to just have you back and just keep continuing
the conversation.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
I am, I am your mister blah blah. You bring
me on and I will blah blah blah all day long.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Okay, Well, well, Powder Rebellion Presents blah blah blah with
Deeprendtley Baker coming soon. But before that, we have our
guy jac who you met in the pre recording conversation, Jac,
Do we have any fact checks today? I know Taylor
three one, but knowing you, I know school is in
session and with the desk start being built in the
background of your house, that.
Speaker 6 (30:01):
Is what we.
Speaker 7 (30:05):
Yeah. I have a few things, mostly just providing some
contexts and some facts and figures. Early on in the episode,
you guys talked about Starwars celebration and the season two
trailer of Star Wars Rebels for people like me, who
have been to many many Star Wars celebrations. Just to
anchor you a bit. That was Sowar Celebration Anaheim in
(30:25):
twenty fifteen, which happened on April sixteenth to April nineteenth,
and then Season two of Star Wars Rebels premiered on
June twentieth of that same year. Twenty fifteen, you guys
talked a lot about D's IMDb. Currently as an actor,
he has seven hundred and twenty one things listed. I
don't know if that includes the upcoming projects or not.
(30:47):
De mentioned Avatar, The Last Airbender Taylor. You were like,
that's not Blue Jim's Cameron stuff, is it? It's not. It
was a Nickelodeon cartoon that aired from two thousand and
five to two thousand and eight, currently has a live
action TV series on Netflix. Dante, who was on on
season one of our show, was a voice in that show,
(31:12):
which is where his podcast comes from, and d you
mentioned that it was a Dave Filoni show. Dave was
not the showrunner of that show, but he did direct
eight episodes of season one, including episodes one and two
of the series, and I think he didn't continue because
George hired him away from Avatar to kind of do
(31:33):
Clone Wars. Space Jam talked a lot about space Jam.
For the uninitiated, it was a two thousand and six
movie where loonis sorry, nineteen ninety six movie Apologies, where
Looney Tunes play basketball with real life basketball players like
(31:54):
Michael Jordan. Space Jam did two hundred and fifty million
dollars globally at the box office on an eighty million
dollar budget. And just a personal note, we have the
space Jam soundtrack on at my restaurant on the playlist
and whenever it comes on, half the bar, like Taylor
was saying, gets super super into it.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
I'm on the fire track of that soundtrack and they
screwed me out of royalties.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Justice for Dan.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
Look, we pay all of our BMI and ascaps, So
the the few pennies I'm sure you're not getting from us,
I can nail you. And then Taylor, the last thing
I have. Taylor, you asked about the clones. All the
clones are genetically cloned from the Bounty Hunter Django Fat
(32:51):
from Star Wars episode two.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
The clones are Django Fet.
Speaker 7 (32:56):
Yes, accept and they're all altered to like grow faster,
age faster, things like that except for Boba Fett, who
was a genetically identical to his father. And do you
can correct me on this, But in terms of why
the clones have different voices and different I think part
(33:20):
of the idea is that, like life, experience impacts who
you are as a person. In addition to like Ian
Malcolm says in Jurassic Park, life finds a way so
even a perfect clone in a laboratory setting doesn't actually
come out exactly the same as the thing that it
(33:40):
is being blown.
Speaker 5 (33:42):
From, right, and you see that like with twins for instance,
where it's like you look at those two, it's like, so,
you guys are twins because but in that case, the
way I always thought of it is that, in particular,
like with a bad Batch, that they weren't just born
with with these traits or abilities. They were they were
(34:04):
cultivated and trained into this, and I imagine that the
people that they that were most exposed to in this
training would also bend their their their vocalization uh in
in this way, or that at least that that's the
way I've always explained it to myself, because the bad
Batch is like, yeah, that's not just the same uh
(34:25):
accent or nationality or whatever you want to call it,
not I mean, which doesn't really apply because it's in
a galaxy far far away, but there's so far apart.
I just took it to their to their training and
their upbringing by different specialists that were brought into enhance
their their genetic enhancements, so to speak.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
Certainly all Mandalorians, then all clones.
Speaker 5 (34:48):
Well technically yeah, whoa.
Speaker 7 (34:52):
And then I do want to before the internet ad
adds me, because I'm sure there's going to be somebody
out there, I do want to point out that there
is one one clone that d you did not voice,
which is Omega from the Bad Batch is the only one.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Younger clones, uh Dan, Daniel Logan. Those some instances as well,
and there may be other instances, like in video games
where I didn't voice clones at all. They just hired
some other guy to do it. But you know, those
things kick around and that's that's just how it is.
Speaker 7 (35:27):
Yeah, But the big, the big one is Omega from
Bad Batch. You did everybody else pretty much in Bad Batch.
And I do want to say that Omega is, aside
from having two X chromosomes, also is an exact copy
of Boba fet with no genetic modifications or not fet
(35:48):
jango fet apologies really m Omega and bad Batch was
had no genetic modifications other than that the chemin Owens
made her a her.
Speaker 5 (36:00):
Huh as well as uh who was the kind of
turncoat clone female at the end of bad Batch She's
she was also a clone I believe. Ah, I'm sorry,
I can't remember her name. Yeah, so there's there's one
other I believe that's one other clone there, female who
(36:22):
I did not voice.
Speaker 8 (36:24):
Also, if there are seven hundred titles that De's done,
usually they get three voices per episode.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
So so we're talking over two thousand characters. Yeah, conservatively,
potentially more.
Speaker 8 (36:39):
Yeah, yeah, if it were a running series, well, additional
voices can cover at least three so per episode.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
M hm, not always, but it could be.
Speaker 8 (36:53):
So I'm saying like conservatively one thousand and probably more
like three thousand.
Speaker 6 (36:58):
But the seven hundred and twenty one tie that's just titles,
not episodes. So for Star Wars rebels alone, I've heard.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
You play a bunch of different Yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:10):
Yeah, so sprinkle me in for a lot of stuff,
SpongeBob or you know whatever it's it's by the way,
a complex carbohydrate.
Speaker 6 (37:20):
What does that sound like?
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Because that was a venture time, was what I was
referring to.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
Yeah, you're talking bonn. I'm not so complex.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
It's like if Walter Mathow was a cinnamon bun.
Speaker 6 (37:39):
But do you see how You're like, what could that
possibly sound like? And then he does it and you're like,
that is what that would sound like?
Speaker 5 (37:47):
Sweet and gooey.
Speaker 8 (37:49):
I think I may be to blame for the crickets
in our session, because every time I saw you for
a long time, I would.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Do the crickets.
Speaker 5 (37:57):
Guilty as charge.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Sorry, how many mysteries being unfolded? The bourbon, the crickets.
And this has been a very inside I just heard
a cricket, I heard it, jac anything else?
Speaker 7 (38:09):
That's all I got from here?
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Excellent, excellent, Well thank you as always, Uh do you?
Thank you again for joining us. This was such a blast, man,
and we can't wait to have you back again coming
to and blah blah blah with with Dee Bradley Baker.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
So stay tuned for that.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
I appreciate it so much. I really I had such
a it's such a thrill to work with you guys,
and it's it's always great to see you and I
really appreciate.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
Your kind words well, so love having you on.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Each week, Taylor gives us our outro and he says,
cue the music to JC. But when we have special
guests like yourself, come on, we'd like to throw that
to the special guest.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
So will you do us the honor?
Speaker 2 (38:44):
And it's up to if you want to be your
own ensemble cast like you have been throughout your career
and say hit different voices, you can no pressure. If
you want to do it as a cricket, you can
do that too, But would you do us the honor
and get us out of here and tell JC to
cue the music.
Speaker 5 (38:58):
Jac, thank you the music.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
That is incredious.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
I felt need new music for that one.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Potter Rebellion is produced in partnership with iHeart Podcasts Producing,
Hosted by Vanessa Marshall, Tia Surtcar, Taylor Gray and John
may Brody executive producer and in house star wars guru
slash fact.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Checker J C.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Reifenberg. Our music was composed by Mikey Flash. Our cover
art was created by Neil Fraser of Neil Fraser Designs.
Special thanks to Holly Frey and Aaron Kaufman over at iHeart,
Evan krask Or of Willie Morrison, Devor, Tresa Canobio, George
Lucas for creating this universe we love so much, and
of course all of our amazing listeners. Follow us on
Instagram at Potter Rebellion and Eve
Hosts And Creators
Vanessa Marshall
Taylor Gray
Tiya Sircar
Jon Lee Brody
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