VAM 093 | Interview with Phil LaMarr, Part 1
Welcome to episode 93 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
Today, I have a very special treat for my listeners!
Welcome to the first part of my interview with the amazingly versatile voice actor Phil LaMarr.
Phil’s roles in animation run the gamut from Hermes Conrad in Futurama, to the John Stewart Green Lantern in Justice League, to Kit Fisto in Star Wars: Clone Wars to the title character in Samurai Jack. I’m so grateful to Phil for taking the time to share with us his unique perspective on voice acting.
In this first episode, we focus on his very early career. Phil talks with me about some of the challenges he faced after college when he made his first serious attempts to break into the entertainment business as an actor. While he did not feel like he made much progress initially, it turns out the challenges and frustrations he faced ended up helping him focus his attention on what he truly wanted to achieve and on what it would take to accomplish his goals.
But I’ll let Phil tell you about that.
Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #93 Here (MP3)
16 Responses to “VAM 093 | Interview with Phil LaMarr, Part 1”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- VAM 094 | Interview with Phil LaMarr, Part 2 | Voice Acting Mastery: Become a Master Voice Actor in the World of Voice Over - […] the previous episode, Phil discussed some of the challenges he faced during the first year he decided to pursue…
- Gweekly News Desk #65 - Jack's Back - Gweekly News Desk - […] Samurai Jack Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSrv_n4tw7w http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/vam-093-interview-with-phil-lamarr-part-1 […]
Fantastic episode. Truly insightful on improv. I didn’t really take improv classes in college, no more than one or two exercises. I can’t wait to hear more.
Thanks to you and Phil for your time and wisdom.
Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it.
I met Phil at a local convention 2 years ago with Bob Bergen, Jess Harnell, Richard Horvitz and Rikki Simons. He was a very nice man and it was an honor to meet him. He was also just as insightful about voice acting there as he is in this interview. Thank you for bringing him on Mr. Freeman.
You’re very welcome. Thanks for listening.
Nice to hear Phil’s take on when the universe asked him if he really wanted to get into the industry. That was a treat.
The long form of improv was great to hear as well. Long form allows a story to be told, a narrative to unravel. It’s my favorite form of improv.
Lovely episode as always!
~ Kalyn
Thanks!
Great episode as always 🙂 Thank you for sharing the important wisdom and your time, Crispin and Phil! Keep up a good work 😉
Glad you enjoyed it.
Well, time to go audition for every improv group on campus again.
Practicing more improv is never a bad idea!
Hello Crispin,
I have a question that does not particularly pertain to this podcast and I’m not sure if its a question you can address in future podcasts, but I will go ahead and ask anyway.
I am looking into VO classes near me and I found one that is one session and after the session they let you know if you should keep pursuing VO. My only fear is that I have never taken an acting class before, so I wouldn’t want my lack of training to be the reason I might not be given the clear to keep taking more classes.
I asked the studio themselves and they stated that although an acting class is not necessary, it does help and a majority of the people that show up have previous training/experience, which I figured.
So I was wondering do you think I should take this class or try formal acting training first. To be honest I have taking a few class while in college but that was about a year ago.
I’m not Crispin, but… that idea sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. One class is going to tell you whether or not to give up on something you’re passionate about?
Fuck. That.
I wouldn’t go anywhere near that class. Find something friendlier and work with them. Or just take Crispin’s class via webcam – I have, and heartily recommend it.
I would agree with Ben, if not with the same… colorful language. 😉
As I have said before in the podcast, you are the only one who can decide whether or not voice acting is something you truly want to pursue. No other person can either guarantee your success or prevent it.
No teacher can tell you after one class whether or not you should continue pursuing something. Only you can decide that. All a teacher can do after one class is let you know how you compare to professional voice actors.
I was a terrible actor when I started. It’s true. I have video to prove it. But I got better.
It’s up to you to decide what you want to do. Taking a class is an opportunity to expand and test your skills, not a litmus test to see whether or not you should continue.
Hey Thanks a lot for the response Crispin and Ben.
After thinking it over it does sound a little absurd. I found another, more friendlier place nearby and I think I will go with them.
Thanks again.
Excellent. Glad you found a place that is more appealing.