The Voice of Amy Landecker

Amy Landecker joins the pod today. In addition to her countless live-action roles she’s best known in the voice-acting world for her roles in “Batman: The Long Halloween,” “Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia” and “The Croods: Family Tree.” 

Amy joins Christy and Will as they discuss their own personal origin stories and how they found their ways into the VO-world. They discuss the pros and cons of acting vs. voice-acting…The famous people she attended school with…who she gets confused for…and some other secrets regarding a very famous A-Lister. 

If you’re hoping to be a voice that’s heard one day, this episode is a must hear.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, Christie, Hey will, how are you? I'm so good?
Are you centered? You seem centered? I'm glad because you
don't have a green screen behind me, and we can
do anything with us that we want. We could animate
this background. I think we could. I like I like
the inflection too. We can animate this background, which is
different than animating the background, which is don't anna hate, Okay,

(00:20):
don't anna hate on the green series? I think so.
But hit us up at all of our different socials,
which again I don't know the addresses. I don't know
social media stuff. Where what is our social stuff? It's
just I hear voices, podcasts and talk. Yeah, so hit
us up and let us know, um respectfully. Please what
we should have on the green screen behind Christie. I

(00:41):
think that would be great. I have a green screen
as well. I always make mine look like the same
booth with books in the back. Just consistency is all. Yeah,
that's the best way to do it. How are you
doing good? How are you? I'm good? I feel like
I feel like it's really lame because we went from
going to comic constant other like week after week for
a good two months, and then it's now now we don't.

(01:04):
We don't talk, we don't write, We just podcast. I
know it's the best, isn't it. It's no, I like you.
I did get I did get feedback from another podcast
that like, um, well, my other podcast, and they were
like they were like, oh, so you're like a theater
kid and I was like, well, yeah, what else? Yeah,

(01:25):
as opposed to what I don't get what that means.
Oh man, we had a great show last week, um
Dietrich Bader. Yeah, how good was There are so many
like life lessony things, but specifically in the life of
an entertainer and an actor that we're so helpful, uh
that we're really pretty amazing. So uh yeah, we we've

(01:48):
talked about and it's so funny because it seems like
it's so um, I don't know, it's it seems like
it is so kind of like a self promoting when
we have talked about our amazing, incredible contest that is
coming up, the super awesome contest to become the next
big Voice actor. Um, I can say I didn't even

(02:09):
look it up. Now, I didn't write it down. But
one of the things you said, which is absolutely true,
which is one of the best ways to prepare for
the super awesome contest to become the next big voice
actor is to go back and watch some of our
old episodes. And again it sounds like we're kind of
promoting ourselves, but some most, if not all, of the

(02:29):
actors that we've had on have the greatest advice, the
greatest different kind of exercises you can use. I mean, again,
you're talking about Dietrich and just his advice on being
an actor, putting yourself into it. I was mesmerized. I'm
not gonna lie. I woke up that warning feeling a
little disillusioned with some parts of the industry, and you
always get as an actor. You always kind of go
through these different things. And after we talked to him,

(02:51):
I was like, I'm in the best business in the world.
Like he just made you feel good. You know, it
was great, he really did. He honestly, he was a
really wonderful person with a great worldview. In my opinion,
I think our business can make people jaded sometimes, but
the good thing about the community of voice actors is
that they are so lighthearted and they love what they do.

(03:14):
And I mean, I don't know, I mean, I think
our contest is amazing you know how many people come
up to us anytime we're at a comic connor like,
how can I break into this industry? And I mean,
if you're gonna be famous, you might as well be
famous doing something where all the people around you were happy. Yeah.
I love that too. Plus I just love there's it's
you know, it's not about being famous with VA, which

(03:35):
is what's so great. It's about the joy of I
mean we're talking, uh, you and I always kind of
joke and talk about how, you know, as voiceover actors,
and we've alway talked about children where I have been
very lucky in my life not to have any kids.
Umm yea. As as voiceover actors, though, we talk about
like what's it like to have Eric Bowser read you

(03:55):
a bedtime story? What's you know, what's it like to
to have these actors come on and just tell a
story to their children. I mean, it's just the coolest
thing in the world. There's that love and that joy
of the voice over industry, and it's just such a
different niche for the rest from the rest of the industry.
And it's just yes, exactly, it is growing, right, it is,

(04:16):
I mean becoming more inclusive, which is what it's needed
for a very long time. So that's that's a good
thing in that sense, it's a very very good thing, um.
And that's one that's one of the things that's been
able to allow us to do this contest. What was
what was the name of the contest? Again, Christie, Oh boy,
you do this every time where I have my guard
down and then you're like, go for it. What was it?

(04:38):
I can't remember the name? Oh, I really don't know.
I'm going to write it down next time, will and
it's going to be a post it and I'm never
going to make this mistake. You're gonna be crowning the
winner and and you're gonna be like, thank you so
much for joining the what was it called? Today? For
us today it's the super awesome contest to become the
next big voice actor. Super awesome contest to become the

(05:00):
next big voice over actor, just voice actor. I thought,
I don't think we added over and I think we
probably should have. I don't know. I like I like it.
And they can follow us and all of our announcements
about the contest that are coming up, um, you know,
on socials and of course, like he said, like, listen
to other episodes to brush up on your skills, because

(05:20):
big things are coming. And there's a number of reasons
why we are not getting into the actual specifics of
what's happening because we're working I know, but that's the
thing you gotta understand. We are working out some things
that are so okay, so I don't want to build
it up too much, but they're so unbelievably awesome that
you're gonna love it. So today we have an amazing guest.

(05:41):
It's Amy Landecker. That's right. She plays Ugga on The
Crewes Family Tree, and season two is now streaming on
Peacock and Hulu. Amy Landecker, We're super excited to have
you here on your voins. It's fun to be here.
Thank you for joining us. Thank you so much for
joining us. I don't know if you're you've been told this,
but you are here for our Golden Girls. At episode
where that's all we're gonna be talking about. Is the eighties? Really? No?

(06:03):
No one mentioned it to me. No, I'm kidding. That
would be the worst, isn't it if you just weren't
prepared to do whatever. It's like, we're gonna be talking
about season three A magnum p. I are you ready?
I est finished. Such an incredible coincidence, I just finished,
how are you good? I meant to like dry my
hair and be a little more presentable, but the day

(06:24):
got away from me. So you're getting like, I feel
like this is my detective look from your honor. But
it doesn't matter. This is a voiceover, isn't it wonderful?
Does it affect your performance when you know you're just
doing voice over and all you have to concentrate on
is pormance so free? I mean, it's weird. I'm a
weird on camera actor because I actually try to do

(06:47):
it like I'm doing voiceover. Like I go into hair
and makeup, and then for the rest of the day
that I shoot. I have this really strange ritual where
I never look at myself the entire day, So I
won't if I go to the baths, so I won't look.
If I'm in my trailer, I don't look because I
don't actually want to think about it, because I think
I started in voice over and I learned and theater,

(07:10):
which is a much freer form too, because you know,
like a camera drilling down on you and you know,
people always like you have no like you have no
vanity or ego in your work. I'm like, because I'll
look terrible and not care. But I really think that
came from starting in voiceover in theater and wanting to
keep that freedom. I don't want to like limit myself
worrying about I mean, the times I'm the most dysfunctional

(07:33):
in this business is like red carpet stuff, where I'm
just like, because I do come from the tradition of
like blah blah blah blah lah. You know, like just
like yeah, like use your hands, use your voice, be
whatever you and you have no limits. So I feel
really lucky for that because I feel like it's helped
me not fall into some of the traps of the
on camera world. Although you know, certainly I'm susceptible like

(07:55):
anybody else, but um, I try to remember that my
roots and how much I enjoy that freedom, you know. Interesting.
So it's a balance for sure, I mean, because because
like you know, you do like to, you know, put
some makeup on and walk the carpet now and then.
But for sure, but it's like pressure. Sometimes it just
feels nice to take that away completely and voiceover always

(08:17):
takes it away, you know, I always takes Yeah, well,
people always like fun. I'm like, let me ask you,
let me ask do you like having your picture taken?
Do you like like in most nine of people. No,
nobody's like, oh my god, I love having a picture
taking me. It's right, those are the same. It's a

(08:40):
very rare person who I think enjoys all of it.
But you know, I mean, it looks really good from
the couch at home. That's what I realized. I was like, No,
it's actually much more fun to watch than it is
to do it, you know, because it's stressful. But voiceover
is always it's a performance. And I you know, my
dad's a diss jockey. I don't know if you guys
need that in Chicago. So I very very very very

(09:02):
very Uh. He's in the Rocketell Hall of Fame museum.
He's been a ward. He's in the Hall of Fame. Uh.
He was inducted let John Record Decker. So he was
on w LS. Oh yeah, so like he's yeah, so
I grew up around microphones as my point and kind
of like, yeah, well, I mean he he had to

(09:23):
get into that with the middle name of well I know,
and that's really his middle name. But here's the creature.
But the craziest thing is his first radio job. They
told him to change his name to Scott Walker because
they said, you'll never work in this business with John Records.
Land Decker is your name, which is so weird because
that's what got him into like Ripley's believe it or
not at first because of his middle name, but he

(09:44):
like not only was his middle name Records, because my
great grandfather's last name was Records, so he was just
given his grandfather's last names the middle name. But he
also would pretend by the way, I'm so distracted by
how beautiful Christie is. I'm like, well, there's an on
camera and like right there at the hair, not not
really not it goes away, it goes away. It's just green.

(10:08):
Is that what it is? Oh? Yes, you know that's
what most people, I would say, makes them more beautiful,
is like a big green screen in the back. Now, um,
first of all, you're right, most most most of our
guests say exactly after like, oh my god, I'm so
mesmerized by Christie and Will I can see why you
picked so I get that character. He's back very good

(10:29):
looking person on a microphone. Very but I but he
was he pretended he was a disc jockey at his
closet as a kid, like he always wanted. So I
grew up actually reading like I would literally view in
the bathroom and take in a Veno bottle and be like,

(10:50):
I would make ads like protecting hydrate sunscreen, and that's
what I did. Really, so you're doing, you're starting, I don't,
I'm I have know And then I mean, that's what
I did before animation. For a good fifteen years in view,
I was just commercial for until I move to l A.
And I always wanted to do animation because of course

(11:10):
that's the creative side of it. But I'm also not
a natural, you know. It's so funny. I watched the
crews and I see these like insanely gifted voiceover actors
who can do like a thousand things that is not
my that is not my gift. But and I'm so
in awe of them. And I think that's why it
took me a while to get into animation, because it's

(11:31):
sort of off shot more from my on camera career
that I started to get to shoot, which don't feel
really really lucky about but no, I was always like
the voice of Hallmark or Simbalta or like, you know,
just very serious, like you know, very emotional. That's huge.
I mean it was. It was incredible. I loved every
second of it and I felt very very There's nothing

(11:53):
that makes you feel like you don't belong in a
room like standing next to Dee Brad. Yeah, exactly. You know,
it's like you walk in going, oh, I think I'm
pretty cool with this and you're like, oh man, I
have no idea what I'm doing. Gifts are It's extraordinary. Really,
it's kind of extraordinary. It's insane. It really started the
crudes in COVID in Quarantine. That's when we first started recording,

(12:16):
when you weren't leaving the house, right when we were
all like afraid to open a box from Amazon. So
we did like our we did this where we met
on Zoom. I mean, I got to watch everybody do
their performances for the first like six episodes, and it
was pretty intimidating. I was like, oh my god, so
so talented, so funny, and normally you don't really have

(12:39):
access to that process at all. It's just you alone.
So it was cool, I have a So wait, let's
I want to go back origin story time we're doing.
We got to do your origin story. So you're from
Chicago and you said you started on stage, so other
than doing what most kids do, which is sitting in
the bathroom and doing ad read too machine bottle um.
Totally normal. By the way, again, to other voice over actors,

(13:02):
it's like, yeah, okay, right, that's true. Did yeah, did
you know that that entertainment was something that you always
wanted to do? You know? I really I did. I did.
Like I was my my sister and I used to
like write plays and perform them at um at like
for our parents, and we were really little. And then
in high school I ended up going to this small

(13:22):
private school in Chicago called Francis Parker, which oddly was
not a performance or at school, but we had a
lot of um, wonderful actors and so much so that
Jeane Siskel, when he was still alive and was a
big film critic, came to visit our school to find out,
like what was it about this theater program because we
were in a performance school, but we had like um,
Billy Zane came from our school and Daryl Hannah, and

(13:45):
this was when those movies were like huge, like splash.
And then from my class alone was, um, I mean,
I make a living at it. This guy Paul Adelstein
who's on prison Break and who's a very you know,
he's on camera all the time. I don't know what
else he's been doing. But and Tim Griffin, who's another
actor from Chicago that I just did a movie with
Searching Too, and um r I P and H was

(14:08):
in our class, um and just so tragically but we
were a very um we we did tons of plays,
all all four of us. Um I was interesting, you know,
all the plays. And I went to college thinking, I
will be honest with you, speaking of looks, I um,
I didn't think I was like the look of an

(14:28):
actress on camera at the time when I was in
high school, and so it never really like occurred to
me that I could make a living at acting. And
I went to University Wisconsin and I was going to
be a broadcaster. So that and I think because of
my dad and I loved sports and I love Chicago sports,
and I thought I'd be a female sportscaster, which I
think is actually a really great idea. I think it
would have amazing career path, but I did end up

(14:51):
um getting a crush on an acting teacher in college
who told me to join the acting program, so of course,
to be near him, I joined the acting program and
started have inadvertently falling into it. And then when I
got out of college, my sister started a theater company
with some friends from New York and they asked me
to do a show with them, and I just got
these insane reviews and I was like, oh, I guess

(15:13):
I I like I candased. And at the same time
Amy Brenneman, who now I've become friends with and I
get mistaken for all the time, oddly enough, was on
NYPD Blue and people started to say to me, you
look just like this actress on NYPD Blue. And the
irony that, like, twenty five years later, I would live
in l A and many times people will come to
me be like I love you on The Leftovers or

(15:35):
they'll tell her I love you on Transparent and we're like,
I'm not that Amy. So weird, so weird, But she
sort of was like an inspiration, like, oh, maybe I
could do that. You know, she's from our neck of
the woods. Amy Brennaman, I believe is a Connecticut native.
She really and I think her mom was a judge,
which is why she did and both my parents are

(15:56):
Connecticut lawyers. Are you're kidding? Yeah, she's really like brilliant, Like, yes,
what is it about Chicago that is just in the
water there where everyone is so freaking talented? Well, I think,
I mean, it's it is weird. I was talking to
someone about the theater scene there too, like nobody. I
think the weather first of all, like you're locked inside

(16:18):
like most of the year, and there's no other I
think there's a real like working class attitude about acting
that actually makes people like very grounded and very realistic,
like step in Wold Theater was obviously like this massive
influence on even the way people act now on camera
in general, like that really rock and roll, like rooted naturalism.

(16:41):
And I think because we knew, I mean it was
funny because I actually so. I did a play with
Michael Shannon, who has been nominated for million Oscars and
is a big Chicago guy Boardwalk Empire and stuff. I
did a play with him at the Red Organt Theater
and an agent came and I did a bunch of
voices in it, and she said, um, have you ever
thought about doing voiceover? So actually got into voiceover from

(17:01):
literally a play that I did. I didn't realize too
that they really the only way to make money as
an actor in Chicago, in a living wage is to
either do on camera commercials or voiceover because there are
no there's not enough film work, that's not enough TV work.
You're never gonna be you know, it's you're not gonna
make a living maybe now with all the Chicago p
D shows, but maybe that's one or two people who

(17:22):
get that contract. So there were but there are all
these ad agencies. You know, there's j Walter Thompson, there's
Leo Burnett. All these ad agencies are based in Chicago.
So it allowed like theater people in Second City and
those kinds of actors to stay. I wasn't going to
leave Chicago. I left because of play took me to
New York. I. I was just going to live there
and do voiceover and have make a great living and

(17:43):
do theater and be creatively fulfilled. Um so it just
has it doesn't. As soon as I worked in New York,
I was like, Oh, everyone's in New York is not everyone,
but there's definitely a sense when you're in New York
there's way more pressure because there's like way more money involved,
and there's and there's a sense that you might get
something from it, or you're also working on cameras, so

(18:04):
you're you're always like one ft out the door to
leave to do something. Like Chicago, there's nothing else to do,
you know, you're just there to do the play. And
I think that it makes for some of the best
acting I've ever seen, Honestly. I also think Chicago has
a real emphasis on improv Yes, that's true. And and
and improv is is one of the most important facets

(18:26):
of any style of acting. I don't care if you
are a voice over actor, if you're on stage, if
you're a dramatic actor, just being able to instantly think
on your feet and work and reacting stuck, yeah, that
you're listening, it's really It makes a huge difference. And
there is such an emphasis on that with Second City
and everything else. It's there and and and Stephen Wolf

(18:47):
has like an improvisatory like you were saying, even in Trauma,
there's we've all either taken classes at Second City or
we've we get such a such a vibe in Chicago.
You're right that that energy can be used even if
you're not actually changing the words every time, but you're
you're creatively improvising, like emotionally improvising. You're being open to
it being different every night, and that that's not true

(19:10):
everywhere else. I feel like people can't. And Amy, you
said that you don't do like a thousand voices, but
that's not I mean, I don't. I would, I would.
Maybe it's not de Badley Baker like that that talent
that he has, right, But I think that you're also
a testament to being rooted in all of that educational

(19:30):
you know, development and all of that beautiful technique work
over those years, really though, because because I I definitely struggled, um,
you know, when we were doing Kimpossible and other things
where you have to enrich the voices that you do
with so much subtext in the choices that you make
in the voice that there's a lot more that goes

(19:52):
into it that makes you a good voice actor rather
than you know what I'm saying. So you don't need
to do a thousand voices to be a good voice actor. No,
I agree. That's one of the things is people think
that being a great voice actor means doing a thousand voices,
and then a lot of us can't. I mean that
is it to to sit next to a John DiMaggio
or a d. Bradley Baker or a Terror Strong and

(20:12):
watch them do fifteen voices? That's they're amazing at that,
That's why they are who they are. Most people can't
do that. I have several questions following up on a
couple of things you said. The first is because I
can't get this out of my head. Searching too Is

(20:35):
that t o O? Or searching too? As the second
searching I think it's yeah, I'm going to make sure
see this is my My husband always has a joke
like if only we had a device when I'm like, what,
I just want to meet I say the same thing
to my wife. But I love the fact that are
you googling you as well, because I want to make

(20:56):
sure I get this right. So searching one, I just
want to make sure it's it was. It was actually
a huge hit. I know obviously you haven't heard of
it because you're asking me what searching too is? Well, no,
that's how money If that was Searching also, but there's
literally like there is a sequel, although not totally related.
Um and but Searching One, and I am now I

(21:18):
am going to look up my own movie to tell you,
Oh wow, I started this. Well, I don't have like
a huge part in it or anything. Um but I'm fine.
It's good Nia. It's it's Nia long and Ken long
and Storm read and so I play the best anyway.
I'm not even gonna say what. I'm like her Mom's

(21:38):
best friend and all both of that and the first
one are found footage. They're all found footage. So it's
like like the and I've done. Yeah, I did another
found footage and I can't remember the name of it.
Oh god, you got to google another film you're in,
Like I want to say Paranor World too, But that's

(22:00):
not it. That's where let's pretend it is. Let's pretend
what was it? But it was really fun. I had
a great time. But I know this this one is
like I just think that there's some that are more
like I really felt like the first I watched Searching
One before I said yes to Searching Too, because I

(22:21):
did not know about Searching One, which I will say
I think it was a Sundance movie, so it wasn't
didn't have high expectations. So then the fact that it
made as much money as it did, they were like,
we need to do a sequel. So but it works
really really well, Like I I felt like they really
pulled it off and and hopefully this one does too.
It was so weird because Tim Griffin and I and
our graduating class at Francis Parker there was about sixty kids,

(22:43):
so it's not a really big class, and We're like
walking down all at the at our fitting and I'm like,
what the hell are you doing here? And We've been
cast in this movie together. And we had our our
thirty five year high school reunion this year too, and
we were like there at the reunion, I'm like, we
just did this movie together. It's very it's very small.

(23:05):
I tell people that I start in a whole bunch
of never found footage, Like I mean, oh, I did
eleven movies last year. They just have never been able
to find any of the footage. Did you just make
that up? Or is that really that's improx really funny?

(23:27):
Never found footage? I ever found footage films. I was
very good in several. Um. My other question for you
is you're a huge Chicago sports fan, but you go
to school in Wisconsin on Wisconsin fight. Um yeah, well okay,

(23:47):
first of all, Wisconsin, I'm not a huge Chicago college
sports fan. Okay, you're a pro. You're it's you're the
Bulls and the Blackhawks. And I don't have a real
investment in any Chica, in any Alchanic colleges. Like I mean,
not that I don't want Northwestern to win or whatever, like,

(24:08):
but I'm not if anything. My my both of my
um grandparents were professors at University of Michigan, and so
I grew up with like go blue, big time, like
it was all about what did they what did they teach?
My one was a sociology profession professor and one was architecture. Um. Yeah,

(24:30):
and my my one project dolmanac. Sy, I did look
it up, project Dolmanac. You did not paranormal to um my,
So my great my grandfather, well here's all my my
tribute about my family. My great grandfather on my mom's
side was Joseph my Welch, who prosecuted McCarthy. So I
came from a very like cool like American history story

(24:54):
of a Republican who was really decent um and and
not that they can exist now, but it was at
a time when it was. He did some really amazing things.
And then my my my dad's family was like the
Democrats of vann Arbor. So there were these two families
and they all they loved each other and they got along.
They were completely opposite politically. Um, but my my dad's

(25:18):
dad was blind. Uh. He lost his eyesight at like
age thirty through something that now we could easily fix,
and he still became a professor. He was a German Jew.
He left during World War Two. He escaped because University
of Michigan sponsored him to come over here. He was
a really bright, brilliant guy who would would not have
survived if he stayed in Berlin, so they smuggled him

(25:42):
out and he became a professor and the head of
the sociology department and wrote textbooks blind. So I come
from very brilliant. I am luckily. I always say, I'm
just dumb enough to be happier than a lot of
people my family. I'm not as luckily, not as smart
as all the really smart hard thinkers. But anyway, they
that's my I thought it was always interesting that my

(26:02):
dad became a disc jockey with a blind parent, and
it was something that like he could relate to. How
did I get on my family? Where did I go? Oh, Michigan.
But that's great, Yeah, we're talking about it was a
big turn. So so I was really into University of Michigan.
But I didn't want to go to University Mission because
my grandparents were there. And I didn't want to go
to University of Illinois because it was too close to him.

(26:23):
And I wanted to go to a Big ten school
because I was really into football. I was a huge
football fan. Oddly, Wisconsin sucked when I went to University Wisconsin.
We were like the world. I hated the games. It
was completely unpleasant. I didn't realize, but that was how
that now really funny as my husband now, Bradley Whitford

(26:44):
is Fromasonsin and his ex wife went to University Wisconsin.
So I think he's also a Connecticut boy. Is he is? He?
Bradley isn't Bradley Whitford Connecticut boy? I believe he is
from where he's also, you know, it might just be
his character in Western was, yes, but that's not that's
not Can I ask you a question, has your has

(27:05):
your husband ever done his impression of a throwing up
cat for you? I actually, you know Bradley, okay, because
it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen, because
I was in a movie with his ex wife and
he yeah, Jane played my mom and no, Jane played
my mom. She's she's wonderful, and and he came and

(27:27):
she and he did his impression of the throwing up cat,
and it's one of the funniest things. I think. I
wish he was here. You know why he's not here.
He just too literally no joke, took the cat to
the vet stop it because the cats throwing up. He
does this thing. It's literally really really visually, he's like gross,

(27:49):
it's just like backing up. He's like backing up as
he's trying to do. It's it's a physicality. So do
you so? Bradley also is a voice actor. That's so
I will tell you here's what I want to say
about the business that's so weird. First of all, yes,
he does animation and he's wonderful, but he also is
like one of the best, most iconic voices I've ever heard,

(28:10):
and he drives him crazy because he never he's not
invested in the way you need to, and he like
never gets commercial voice over. And we watched John ham
on like every damn commercial and I just want to say, like,
somebody hired my husband, like if I had, if I
had product the animation he gets. But like you know,
he should be like the voice of a car, like

(28:32):
he has this, he has reallything right. Fortunately, you know
he was the bad guy in Revenge of the Nerds.
Well that's that's when you're the bad guy, and Revenge
of the Nerds too, it's over at that point. I'm

(28:53):
friends with Ted McGinley. It was the same thing bad
guy in Revenge of the Nerds. One is he a
bad guy in Marvel? In that Marvel? What if? Is
he a bad guy in that he's in Marvel's What if?
My husband is Yeah, why do your husband Colonel Flynn?
He's Colonel Flynn. He and I were in Paranormal three together,

(29:14):
did you I think? I think with the Marvel thing,
if I'm remembering correctly, we were having dinner with Patton
Oswald and we had to ask Patton what the canon
was of the Marvel story. For yeah, we knew everything
because we didn't know. And by the way, so that

(29:35):
man works so much that like, well, we'll get invited
this is no joke and that sounds terrible, but he'll
get invited to like a premiere and we can't remember
what movie it is that that happened more than once
where we're like, wait, which one for what? It's like
that sounds that's how much she's doing. Great if you yeah,
if you're If you're not an actor, it's great. If
you're an actor, you want to like punch him in

(29:55):
the face. Like we're not going on discuss all right,
so wait, let me ask you a question. Let me
ask you a question other than reading the voiceover copy
in making up the ads in your bathroom growing up?
Did you grow up an animation fan? Did you like
cartoons and watch cartoons when you were Absolutely? But I
wouldn't say, like, I mean, it wasn't anything I ever

(30:18):
sort of envisioned myself doing. It wasn't really until I
got into voiceover. There were these two camps, right, It
was always like are you commercial animation? And I was like, well,
I'm I'm commercial for sure, right, But then I would
like it was always like almost on camera work was
that like dream animation became that where it's like, well,
I want to do the thing where you actually like
play a part, you know, and you actually get to

(30:40):
be creative. But I mean, I loved I grew up
on you know, Bugs Bunny. I grew up on Saturday
morning cartoons. I mean, I'm so old that there were
only Saturday morning cartoons. So I didn't have like the
breath that people have now, like now it's like, oh
my god, it's unbelievable what's out there. But it wasn't. No.
I mean. The funny thing was, as I had the

(31:00):
fantasy of being a commercial voice over, my dad's friend
quit being a disc jockey because he became the voice
of Heinz Ketchup. And I found out money he made
doing Ketchup, and I was like, that's the job I want.
And even still to this day, there's something about the
bang for your buck on commercial voice over that is

(31:21):
unparalleled in any other area. It's like a ridiculous the
less work you do, the less you say. We used
always say, the less words, the more money you're gonna make,
Like you know, it was crazy and and and I
got these. I finally got into animation, and I was like, like,
The Crues is really my first if I'm if I'm
not mistaken, like my first like ongoing series regular voiceover

(31:44):
animation job. I mean I've done like guest stars, I've
done like recurrings, but it was the first time I
really got to play a character for a series. And
it has been. I mean, I've said it like the
funnest job of all jobs that I've ever had. Easy,
isn't it ridiculous? Can't be, but it can't be like
the other jobs. It does it and now is a shock.

(32:08):
Like I thought, well, if you had an animated series.
I remember when I booked like the Commen Brothers movie,
um a serious man, and my friends were like, well,
you don't have to worry about money anymore. I was like,
I think I made like like there's a per second
of something that you're going to make a lot of money.
And then and I always thought, well, if I had
a series regular on an anime and show, But it

(32:30):
doesn't work like that, like I mean, unless you're doing
the Simpsons and you're in like your sep you know,
yeah seven try seven. Yeah, it's yeah, that's and people
don't also realize there's different stages of even animation, so
like that you get the the primetime animation is much
different than daytime animation, which is much different than eleven

(32:51):
Men and animation which is much different. So this is
a perfect time, Amy to let you in on what
we're doing as well, and you can tell everybody out
there how important being the awesome uh you know, voice
of different products is and doing commercial reads. Because we
have announced here at I Hear Voices that um, we
are doing the super awesome contest to become the next

(33:12):
big voice actor and literally the title and we are
will be launching in the next month or two, but
we are allowed to promote it right now, at least
parts of it. And the first the first prize that
we got to announce to people is the winner wins
a one year contract with a voiceover Agence, So one
amongst amongst other things. Oh, there's amazing things coming up

(33:35):
that we can announce. But one of the things we
talked about is everybody thinks that we're just gonna have
you become the contestants are just gonna have to come
and do a whole bunch of funny voices and what
we're trying to explain to people is no, we we're
looking for somebody who's well rounded. So there might be
a level or two of our contest. That's just so

(33:56):
it's And now, I mean, can you tell us, as
you're approaching how different is it to approach a group
of ads you're going to read as opposed to a
character that you're going to develop for animation. I think
when I'm doing AD reads, I'm so much more focused
on who I'm talking to, like as opposed to like
in a in an animated series. I'm more like I'm

(34:18):
in my character, I'm in dialogue. I'm but like AD
is like intention So who who is my audience? And
what am I what? What? What is the main message
of what I'm trying to say here? And I would say,
like the most successful ad campaign that I was a
part of was definitely Simbalta, which was one of the

(34:38):
early days of antidepressants, and it was this whole new
genre of commercial where we were trying to talk to
people who had like mental health issues and to and
I'm trying to communicate in a compassionate and an empathetic
way and get into the state and you can't judge.
I mean I had a friend who tried to do
commercial voice already just couldn't do it because he judged

(34:59):
it left and right. Like you have to just go
in and know, like, yes, it's an ad for something,
but it needs to be treated and performed in a
way that you're really you're communicating something to somebody for
a purpose, whether to heal them, to inspire them, to
help them. But it's very other directed as opposed to

(35:20):
like and I think one of the big mistakes people
make is they like think about how does this how
does my voice sound? Whereas actually an animation that's kind
of more important a lot, like especially when I'm playing,
like we always are dropping it like drop it, drop it,
because I like, I need to stay in a certain
zone to not sound like hope, you know, like I
need to to differentiate myself. I make sure asked, Yeah,

(35:42):
But when it's me in the spot, I mean, yes,
my voice quality matters, but it's the intention behind it
that's going to create the quality of the voice. So
I would treat it like uh much more a monologue
in a scene and think about who is that other
person in the scene with you? Is it your best friend.
Is it a it? Is it? You know? I mean
I think it's going to really influence is it your father?

(36:04):
Is it? It influences the way that you interpret the copy.
And I also think there's in copy if you really
take your time reading it, there's so many clues to
what's important to the copywriter and to the client that
you can tap into, Like they have very carefully constructed
the language, and so try to find the clues of
like what is the main message of this? You know

(36:25):
what am I what is the most important thing to this?
And um, yeah, it can be fun. It's like a puzzle,
you know, I think it it people. The other thing
I'm sure you guys get this all the time is
when you do voice over, everyone thinks like, oh, I
have a good voice, I could do voice over, And
it really is not about that. Yes, that's a wonderful thing,
but there's a lot of people with good voices. That's

(36:46):
not what's causing someone to be a good voiceover person.
It's like that you know how to perform in a
in a medium that's a small microphone, right, so you're
not using your body as much. I mean, it's funny.
I always talk with my arms. But like, I to
be very careful when I do animation because I start
to jump or you know, and they're like, you have
to stay on the mic, you know, like you know,

(37:07):
all right, Yeah, I'm like, it's yeah exactly, So you
have to. You know, there's a skill set to being
able to perform in a small space like that and
making it you know, real and intimate. So but yeah,
ad copy has just as much potential I think for
performance as animation is just a different focus. That's great advice. Yeah,

(37:29):
And and I you know, we keep trying to to
reiterate everybody, it's not voiceover. You're a voiceover actor. You
can't forget to reacting part, which is the most important
part of anything you're doing. You are an actor. I
say it's my husband all the time because when he
I would help him with auditions sometimes and you know,
it's like he's thinking about how his voice sounds because

(37:51):
that's because he thinks I'm doing voice over now, Like no, no, no,
do the same thing you're doing a camera. It's just
you need to do it in this amount of space.
But you're gonna do the same You're gonna use that
same part of your brain. You know, Um, I don't
think about it because he was also yeah, well yeah, exactly.
So he's so apparently evil and incompetent at the root
of thing. That's what I found when pretty much. I

(38:15):
wonder if your dad knew Steve Downs We had him on.
Remember Steve was a disk job. Steve totally rings a bell.
So I have he does he have the voice of
of Halo? Oh wow, Oh, I'm sure they do, and
he was I'm sure they do. The names. Yeah, yeah,

(38:37):
Now I have a question, and I never really have
asked this now when we know that animation folks like
all sort of like are very the camaraderie is very
is very vibrant. But what about commercial? Yeah, you absolutely,
I'm still really close to I have really good commercial
voiceover friends in Chicago, and I have really good voice
over commercial friends in New York. I don't have him

(38:57):
as much in l A because we don't although he
used to when we would go to the agency to read.
I feel like everything has changed. Oh, I those are
some of my best friends in the world. Was I
have like a total crew in New York because you're
going especially when you're all in the same you know
you're all in the same category. And it's so different

(39:19):
than on camera because I feel like you're on camera,
there's such a bigger level of competition. It's such a
weirder energy, like people don't you're also way more nervous,
Like nobody's talking to each other. It's totally neronic, whereas voiceover,
you read your script, you're ready to go and you
just get to chat and everybody is just like super cool.
Most people also weren't starving or terrified like there was.

(39:42):
It was usually like people who were lucky enough and
felt lucky enough, and so we would just like run
around New York. I mean some of my favorite memories
of my life is running around Chicago, New York to
those voiceover auditions during the day and like seeing my
friends getting a cup of coffee and yeah, very much
so in UM commercial because you're just all going out
for the same thing. And I feel so terrible with

(40:03):
the way it is now. I don't think any of
us see each other anymore, and I think it's a
huge it's totally different. Is it just not going to
go back? Is it never gonna go back? Or like
what do we think? Well, it's one of those things
where you you know, you get a lot of producers
that it's kind of I call it the reality show vibe,
where it's you know, you get a bunch of people
that get together and they go, hey, we can take

(40:23):
eight people and throw them in a house and not
have to pay them as actors, not have to pay writers,
not have to pay produce. Why don't we just do that?
It's cheaper? And so you get that with voiceover now
where it's like, hey, everybody does zoom, everybody has a microphone.
Why would we rent the space? Why would we do this?
Why would we do that? So you hope it will
go back and and I think it's going to come
down frankly to some actors starting to insist, which I

(40:43):
think will be great. But until then, I think this
is going to be the norm for a little while. Okay,
so a couple more questions because I thought this was
pretty cool. What is Julia Roberts, Oh, yes, we have

(41:08):
to go there. I'm just curious if you could just
very quickly do it, Julia Robert. If you can't, I
understand it, and I'll wait to see your Julia Roberts
impression in Paranormal three priminal activity but searching to searching, searching.
I got to work with her this year, and everybody
I was on gasolet. I played her best friend from

(41:28):
her childhood, and everyone's like, are you gonna tell what
are you gonna tell? Are you gonna tell her? Did
you did? But she had no idea? She's like what
are you talking about? And I was like, well, like
when I even had to go back to my agent
and go like it's legal that I do that, right,
because they're like absolutely. I mean so basically if people

(41:50):
don't know if you're a massive movie star, like you're
so busy that if they have one line change, they're
going to find a voice double to do it, like
or and I've done like a trailer. I did a
trail her for her that was like almost all me.
She has no idea, UM, and I did like I
don't know if I got used in the final, but
I get like day residuals on like snow White or

(42:12):
some anyway, she has no idea. But I learned that
she had no idea, So I learned that I could do. UM.
I learned that I could do for Julia Roberts because
she was the voice of America Online. Okay, years ago,
I was like, America, Why she America, that's my ride
or die. By the way, I'm still not yes, I

(42:32):
am there, I will be Yeah, my mom, the three
of you. So there were all these commercials running. She'd
had twins, and so she started doing voice over and
my dad called me and said, congrats, I love the
new America A O L spots and I went, I'm
not the voice of America Online. And then I was like,

(42:53):
I gotta find out who the voices. And when I
found out it was Julia Roberts, I was like, oh
my god, I guess I sound exactly like Julia Roberts
if my dad thought that was my campaign. So I
told when I moved to l A, I told my
agents that I must sound exactly like her because my
dad thought this. So when they would have doubles casting,
I auditioned for the first one and then once they

(43:14):
kind of know you can do it, you start to
get used. So I did it. I don't It wasn't
like a ton but I'd say maybe four times and
then the last what I do is I just go
it's not very different. By the way, it's a little
more it's just a little more southern. So it's a
little like I always do like them. What does she say, Like,
I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy

(43:37):
asking him to love her. Like, so it's a little
more dry and it's it's a little more southern, but
it's hardly different, right, It's just like, but I when
I went to the trailer and I was sitting next
to my ex husband at the time, and I was like,
you're practically married to Julia Roberts because that's like that's

(43:57):
me and I couldn't believe it. Um. But anyway, she
didn't know, and I was like, okay, zip it. She's like,
what do you do? Yeah? I was like, never mind,
I don't want to talking about that's like I need
to secure it. And I didn't tell her, like, oh,
I guess I won't tell you that I did an
impersonation of you on James Cordon, so we'll just like
skip that. She's like, are you talking about are you

(44:21):
talking about scratch or something? And I was like, yeah, no,
I'm sure it was scratch. I'm sure it was Yeah,
that's it. Um Okay. So one one important last question
that we love to ask people you can be any
animated character you want the voice of whoever old knew,
whatever you want to be, who do you play? You

(44:41):
know what's so weird as Catwoman's coming to mind, which
is very odd to me. That as like, but I
guess I think that would be really fun to be
like or something like, to be like really sexy and
scary and weird sounds fun to be amazing, But that
would be awesome in my other life because I'm more

(45:03):
so so much the mom. Maybe that's what it is
to like, you know, I want to be like I
want to wear I wear the cats suit. I want
to be like, Yeah, I get that, I feel that.
And finally, what do you think we should put behind
Christie in the green screen? Yeah? I was going to ask,
what is that? What is it like? What did your

(45:25):
side later? Or No, I exactly exactly screen. By the way,
I started to see a new therapist and I was like,
his office is really nice because it's by zoom, and
I realized it was one of those backdrops and the
kind of freaked me out, like if I'm not even
allowed I can trust you? Yeah, how can I trust you?

(45:46):
I trust you? He's like in prison? He could be anywhere.
He's a solitary confinement on Zoom. Seriously, just call me
Dr three nice h What should we put behind her?
Um uh, trying to think of like like you know

(46:13):
we're gonna do I'll just wait like a Sims character.
We are just going to put on a giant poster
for paranormal activity too. That's what it's going to be.
Right behind Christie. I think I did. I think Amy
Landecker's greatest performance. I did audition for that. I don't
think I just like randomly pulled that out of my butt.
I do think I have Yeah, it happened or just

(46:37):
put would Julie, Robert's behind you and Robert's back there.
That is awesome, man, you are so talented. You're so
glad it was really for joining us, really fun. When
the when the contest kicks off and we get to
ad read stuff we'd love to have. I would love

(46:57):
to if you can. We know you're super really not
He's like, well, one of the things we'd like to
have people do is when they get farther along in
the contest, for you know, a week or so, they're
going to get it'll be you're gonna come stay with
me or something A mentor A mentor. Yes, they're going
to crash on your couch'd they're going to wake up
with Bradley Whitford and you standing over them, going, he's

(47:18):
gonna be a cat. He's gonna be a cat throwing up.
That's how he's gonna he'll He'll teach him that and
I'll do Julia Roberts impersonations. The person will be like,
love to do something like that. That sounds like that's awesome. Well,
thank you so much. Okay, thank you for joining us.
Wait before you go really quick, where can people find you? Um?

(47:40):
I am on Instagram at any Land Hecker. I really
hate it, but that is the only place seems you
need to like see me performer to bother me. Anything
you got stuff you want to put you on to
press or I'm I just start your on your season two.
So that's and I'm on a movie that I really love.

(48:00):
I'm not any massive part of it, but I promoted
all the time because I really love it, which is
I Love My Dad with Patton Oswalt. That's on demand
now that just one south By this year released theatrically
so you can get it on pay per view, and
it's a really great movie, a true story about this
kid's dad cat fished him because he wasn't talking to

(48:20):
him anymore, and he pretended he was a young woman
and he kind of fell in love with his dad.
Really weird, really creepy, really cringe um smart. So yeah,
that's it. Oh, that's great, great movie. It's really good
and Pat unbelievable in it. I mean, he's he's really good.
It's also very moving, like it's kind of it's very

(48:42):
cringe e. I have to prepare anyone, like, if you're
not in a cringe comedy, don't watch it because you're
not actually like, but if you like a good cringe,
this is like top notch cringe. Everybody loves it. They
try to say they don't, and yet they ye. And
now before you go, as Julia Roberts, can you say,
please join the super awesome contest to become the next

(49:03):
voice actor. You actually don't have to get you, she
could say, I hear voices. I want to try the
long line. Okay, you gotta feed it to do you
know it? I know, I'm sure I don't. I'm gonna
do my version. I'm going to improve it okay a
super awesome please no, please join this super awesome contest

(49:25):
to be the world's next most famous fabulous. Julia Roberts
impersonating voice over actor, Oh you're the best. Thank you
so all right, bye, thank you bye, Amy, thank you. Wow.

(49:47):
I don't even know what to say. First of all,
can we talk very briefly about the amazing advice she
just gave voice over actors about reading ads, About how
important that is, I mean, honestly huge. I as a
female voice, a person that doesn't have a thousand voices
and isn't really plugged into the game. If I were

(50:08):
to go back in, I would think that I would
probably book commercial work before I book my next like animation,
like like regular series, because I've just not been in
it for a while. But what she's saying is really
sound because it is purely intention and um, I do
think you can make a living in many different ways.

(50:31):
There's not just one way to make a living with
you think about I mean, just her advice. I it's like,
it's not about thinking about you, It's about thinking about
who you're talking to and who that's receiving the monologue.
Taking acting monologue instead of a commercial and the person
that's actually received that's totally brilliant advice, Like, regardless of

(50:51):
what the words say, that is a huge takeaway from her.
And you know, I think we could do this will
where we do the takeaways from these guests just so
that the people go back and listen to these and
sort of like take these nuggets of information with them,
you know, for our contest or whatever it is. But honestly, she's, she's, she's.
That was really fun. Well, thanks everybody for hanging out

(51:12):
with us yet again, and don't forget, we will be
announcing more about the super awesome contest to become the
next big voice actor. Oh I'm getting better at saying that.
I'm also assuming that's that's the title. We'll get there, Christie,
We'll get there. But there will be much more information
coming out about it because our amazing friends at I
Heart have made this happen. So uh, there's some incredible,

(51:33):
incredible announcements coming up. I mean truly incredible stuff. We
are just getting all of our ducks in a row,
as it were, But keep tuning in every week to
learn more about it. You can also hit us up
at the I hear Voices TikTok and I Hear Voices
on Instagram and anywhere else that you might need it.
And again, if yeah, go ahead anywhere else anywhere where

(51:53):
I am not so I won't know what you're saying,
but please please try to keep it nice because Christie
looks at this stuff. Uh, but enjoy yourselves out there
and don't forget. If you think you have what it
takes to step up to the microphone, well put your
voices where your mouth is. Thanks everybody, by I Hear
Voices as hosted by Wilfred l and Christy Carlson Romano.
Executive produced by Wilfredell, Brendan Rooney, Amy Sugarman and Vicky

(52:14):
Ernst Chang. Our executive in charge of production is Danielle Romo,
Our producer is Lorraine Vera Wez, and our editor slash
engineer is Brian Burton. And that was my announcer voice.
Some side effects of listening to I Hear Voices are
sore abs from hilarity falling down the Coco melon rabbit hole,
sneezing due to mass nostalgia, and hugs follow I Hear
Voices wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don't miss
any of the amazing voices. Be sure to follow us

(52:36):
on Instagram and TikTok at I Hear Voices podcast. To
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