VAM 171 | Interview with Darin De Paul, Part 2
Welcome to episode 171 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
Welcome to second and final part of my interview with the fabulously energetic Darin De Paul! You may be familiar with his voice acting work in World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy 15, Apex Legends, and Overwatch. Darin’s enthusiasm for his characters comes through in all the work he does and even spills over into conventions where he often will host panels and events for the fans!
In the previous episode, Darin told us about his extensive theater career and how it eventually led him to become a voice actor. He spent many years training and working as a theater actor both in Florida and in New York City, but he had always had an interest in voice over work. When the opportunity to get involved in voice acting came about later in his career, he eagerly pursued every voice over opportunity he could while working as a theater actor on the east coast. Eventually, he and his wife Debra who is also an actress, decided to take a risk and move to Los Angeles to see if they could be successful in a larger voice acting marketplace. Within months, Darin had impressed industry leading voice directors with his vocal range and acting skills. They were eager to work with him and news of his abilities soon spread! It didn’t take long before he was working regularly in AAA video games and animation.
As we continue our discussion, Darin tells me what inspired him to become a performer in the first place. He gives me a two word answer: Peter Sellers. At a very young age, Darin was smitten with the transformative acting abilities of Peter Sellers who is probably most famous for his portrayal of the character Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series of comedy films. Sellers also worked on many other seminal movies including Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita and Being There. Sellers was notorious for his ability to play many different types of characters, sometimes in the same film! His mercurial skills fascinated Darin who wanted to approach acting with a similar sensibility. Ironically, Darin’s father, who ran an upscale clothing store for men that catered to some on-camera celebrities, once proclaimed that no son of his would become an actor! However, once his young son showed a genuine interest and commitment to acting, he changed his tune and was very supportive of Darin’s desire to become a performer.
After this, Darin and I talk extensively about the different kinds of theater and acting that he was exposed to. It’s fascinating to hear about all the talented performers and inspiring theatrical productions that he saw. Darin and I share a love of the theater and of the special magic that can happen on stage between actors and a live audience. Performing in the theater requires a level of imagination and spontaneity that is incredibly valuable in the world of voice acting! But Darin took this one step further! He actually trained in European Clown technique with David Shiner! This is the kind of clowning you might see in the world famous Cirque du Soleil, where actors adopt a persona, get themselves into some sort of predicament on stage, and then have to improvise their way out of the problem. I found my own European clown training to be some of the most challenging and rewarding acting instruction I ever received and Darin feels the same!
After we discuss our experiences studying European clowning, I then expound on my theory that one of the reasons the performances of the voice actors in the game Overwatch are so compelling is because each of them are in some way embodying their essential internal clowns. This brings an emotional authenticity to their acting that is deeply satisfying to the audience. Afterwards, Darin and I wrap up our discussion with Darin’s advice to the aspiring voice actor. We go very deep into the nuance and joy of performing in front of a live audience and I’m eager for you to absorb all you can from Darin’s amazing journey as an actor!
As I mentioned in the previous episode, I also want to thank Debra Cardona, Darin’s wife, for acting as recording engineer for Darin as we did this interview. I’m so grateful for her assistance!
Also, it turns out that the 10th anniversary of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast is rapidly approaching! It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! I released my first episode way back on July 1st, 2011, and I sincerely hope this podcast has been helpful to you. It has always been my goal to provide the most concise and useful content when it comes to this topic that we all love.
In honor of the podcast’s 10th anniversary, I would so appreciate it if any of my listeners would be willing to call in and leave a message about how Voice Acting Mastery has influenced your own acting journey or any other part of your life. I’d like to feature some of these messages and respond to them in the 10th anniversary episode in July.
You can leave a voicemail by calling 323-696-2655. Please remember to state your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from before leaving your message. Thanks again for listening and as always, I wish you all the best in your voice acting endeavors. Take care!
Leave a Reply