VAM 155 | Interview with Julie Nathanson, Part 2

Welcome to episode 155 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 the second part of my interview with the multi-faceted Julie Nathanson! Julie has worked on many high profile animated projects such as Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Elena of Avalor, and Avengers Assemble! She’s also worked on major games such as Call of Duty, Far Cry 5, and Lego DC Super-Villains. In addition to her voice acting work, Julie is also a professional screen writer! She was a staff writer and then Executive Story Editor on the NBC TV Series, Just Deal and she’s written and consulted on games such as Guildlings, an RPG currently available on Apple Arcade, and Vader Immortal: a Star Wars VR Series! And if that weren’t enough, Julie also has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology! Her interests and skills are wide and far ranging and I’m so excited to share her journey with you!

In the previous episode, Julie and I talked about how she got started as an actress. She shared with us some of the most influential experiences from her childhood and how her passion for performing lead her to pursue acting and singing as a career. Our conversation was a deep dive into the psychology of a creator and I highly recommend you listen to it first before moving on to part 2 of our talk together!

In this part of our interview, we explore the details of how Julie transitioned from her on camera acting career into voice acting. Julie was fortunate to be hired as an actress in soap operas and TV shows, but she never felt fully relaxed in front of the camera. Ironically, the catalyst for her shifting her focus to voice acting came from an insult she received online. A viewer criticized the sound of her voice in the comments section of her soap opera’s webpage and said she sounded like a “chipmunk”. Instead of letting that discourage her, Julie took it as inspiration to capitalize on her unique voice. Discovering the world of voice over was like coming home for her and she’s never looked back.

Also in this episode, Julie explains the 3 step process she uses to develop a character and how it helps make her performances grounded and authentic. She even shares with us a recording of her as a little girl trying out different voices while telling Knock-knock jokes! It seems she had a fascination with voice acting from a very young age! I find Julie’s journey completely inspiring and I hope you will too!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #155 Here (MP3)