If you're a fan of everything we do here at tuned In with Jim Cummings, you could support the show on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings, and more. You'll feel the difference, so go ahead and join the tuned In family today at patreon dot com slash Jim Cummings Podcast. Do it now? How you doing out there? It's me Tigger, I am DC, Wayne Duck. It's me Bunkers Deep Bobcat. All right, y'all, is it
rate your favorite firefly you desire? Hold the old knock gud. My name is Jim Cummings and welcome to tuned In.
Welcome back, everybody to another episode of Tuned In with Jim Cummings. Today we have Lee Majdube joining us. Thank you very much for.
Being Yes, and the crowd went wild. Yes, the see there they are now they are. Thank you for being here. Thank you for thank you, thank you, thank you. We were in the neighborhood and luckily for us, you were too.
I was, I was, I uh, I got the Emailings, I was like, who's this guy?
Wait? Wait, I don't know. No, I was. I was like, yes, yes, territory. Yeah, we're glad you made it. Man, Thank you very much, very much, thank you, thank you for inviting me. You are in the process now of what I mean, when's the next big debut.
We've got so so Sonic three comes out December twentieth, and we just had the trailer. Trailer came out, yeah a few days ago. Oh yeah, yeah, and people are loving it. Looks great, I bet yeah. Oh man, And that is wonderful, good exciting be there, folks. And I don't think you're going to have any trouble with that.
No, no, no, yeah, right, he great, isn't it. Yeah? And you're Agent Stone. I'm still Agent Stone.
Ye, I'm still loyal to uh the doctor Robotanik yes by Jim Carrey, who I'm yeah who Agent Stone is kind of infatuated with and worships and.
Who can who can blame him? Yeah? Exactly. When you're that evil, there's just something about that purity.
It's it's you know, it's it's like he's he knows what he wants.
Something attractive about that and everything. Exactly. Why wouldn't you, Yeah, if you can nice work, if you can get it like they always say yeah, And and you know I have to ask you because everybody out there, you know, they're going to say you should to ask him. What what's Jim Carrey like? What was he like? Is he is he? Because he's very calm, very laid back in public. You know, he can't get a rise out of him. He's nuts. But but but he seems like a great guy. He is, you know, he's Uh.
I mean, I can't I can't say enough like I you know, I grew up with with a spener and all that, and I.
Told them all all of what I'm about to tell you.
But when when I was a kid, like growing up in Ottawa, I got picked on a lot, I got bullied a lot. And uh, I was always like you know, hyperactive, super energetic, really tough to focus, younger than everybody, tiny for my age, so easy to pick on.
But then well we do have a few things in common doing.
Yeah, we do high high five bully take that.
Yeah, great, best to just yeah. But we're rich now how about that? You know I'm almost rich. I'm working on it. I did this is rich. I'm working on it. Okay, I made part of that up anyway, Sue, so we're lying.
So yeah, So then when Ace came out, A spent came out. You know, it was the first time I saw like a lead eating character B kookie B hyperactive.
Yes, well, and.
I started do impersonations of him and kind of started to diminish the bullying in school, like not fully get rid of it, but it kind of calmed it down a little bit. And then you know, the mask, and I started doing impersonation of the mask, and then you know the characters and dumb and dumber and so yeah, really kind of felt like, oh, I do have a place. I do have a space, Like it's okay to be to bounce off the walls.
And I told him like.
He opened up that space, Like it was so easy to work with him, and he was so welcoming and collaborative.
He's an amazing actor. Yeah, people, you know, it's so he's so outlandish and so over the top that you end up focusing on that and then you realize, wait a minute, and then he turns around and does the Truman show. Oh the Truman whoa Man on the Moon?
Yeah, I mean internal sunshine is faultless mind to these day is one of like the most heartbreaking films to watch for me.
Yeah, I agree. Well, yeah, I'm a huge fan. Yeah.
And he's he's incredibly like so meticulous and so specific and so prepared. And that that's something I learned too, is that it's so easy to assume, like just as an audience member, like, oh, he probably shows up the set and it's just like off the cuff, figure it out as you go. And what I learned is like, oh, in order.
To be that free, you need to be so prepared. And that makes perfect sense. Yeah, yeah, and I've got to you have to.
I think I think preparation allows you to then let go and and be free. But I don't think you can if you're kind of just like, you know, throwing everything at the wall and seeing what.
Yeah, no kidding. Yeah, well he's got a lot to throw. Yeah, yeah, even with that preparation. Yeah with yeah, well that's great. You know, I almost met him. He was there, and this is thirty years ago, a long time ago. It was before he exploded. It was I mean, it was right before he exploded, because he was coming off the
oh god, what was the first big TV show? And yeah, yeah, uh, and he was insane, and uh, Roger Rabbit had become kind of a famous movie at that point, like a year or two later, and so Disney said, well, let's try and do a character that's kind of Roger Rabbity. It's all going to be animation, but some of the animation will look a little straight and square. But Roger bonkers in this case, balkers the bobcat. He will be
the tune and he'll be all over the place. He'll be bouncing off the walls and this, and that was that how bonkers? Yeah, that was the template. That was the that's cool the idea behind it. And so, uh, they auditioned. I have my friend Andre Ramondo.
She uh, she.
Said, they did it for months and I auditioned, I mean everybody every comedian in Hollywood audition that I know, and every voiceover person in Hollywood audition that I know, and so, uh, you know, I did that. I did my audition and they said, well, you know what, we'll let you know. So so you go home and you go, okay, fine, as they do as they do, and then we'll let you know and then you never hear from them. But they called me back and they said, well, We're just
going to hold on. I've had this kind of happen before, and so I was like, Okay, we'll hold on till we just have a handful left. Then we're gonna grab all of you and bring you in here and force you to arm wrestle each other.
Okay, I guess bonkers as bonkers method.
And and so I showed up and there was Jim Carrey, uh. And there was Matt Matt Matt Frewer, and he was a character Max's headroom. He was the first digital character whatever. I don't even can't remember what he did but the show, but I remember Matt, but I remember, oh, you know that digital guy. So we're all sitting there and they
and they called in I guess alphabetical order. He went in first, and he stood up and he was all well dressed and he had a briefcase and he put his briefcase down and he walked in right like like that. And you know, fifteen twenty minutes later he came out and he looks as he goes gentlemen, he reaches down and grabs his briefcase. You may leave there, going may leave, Okay.
Cary.
Just kicked our ass that's pretty good, you know, And I was feeling good about it. I made it to the top three, and then Matt went in, and then I went in, and then some I ended up with it. I was probably cheaper, you know, I mean that was probably it, But I mean was it was like did everybody know of Jim at that time? Like, well, yeah, I did right right, you know Fireman, Uh, you know Marshall Bill, I don't even know how. Yeah. Then he realized he he wasn't marrying wearing makeup. He did that
to his face. It's still it's still it's hard to look at it.
A little bit of them yeah, and and uh and witness it in person and just like.
It's like transforming. You know, if he went like this, I wouldn't be surprised and pulled something off. He probably could do something that didn't look like he pulled. Yeah. Yeah, there's another face under yeah, and there's the gridg yeah, which he can do.
It's it's incredible that that smile, that Grinch smiles just it's like no prosthetic help.
It's him.
Yeah. Yeah, it's incredible. Yeah. I read that, and it was and it was hard to believe.
I'm going He did it during an interview for Sonic one or two and they were talking to him about about the Grinch, and he just looked a camera and slowly had the.
Out. Yeah.
And it's it's still like, you know, it's one of those things where you become you become co workers, you're working together, you get to know each other, and still there's these moments of like having to take.
A step back. Whoa feeling like that kid watching it? Yeah, you know, this is it. It's insane.
What what we get to do and what you've been able to do, and how how so many like I don't know how he's affected so many people, How you've affected so many people?
How what we do affect Oh? Yeah, well you too. You're you're in the mix now you're stuck. Yeah, you're you're in that yeah, stuck here? Yeah. Do you end up doing a lot of conventions now these days are starting starting to imagine? Yeah.
I did a Sonic one called Sonic Expo recently, and it's I engage with fans quite a bit on social media. Oh good, And I mean for me, it's not just Sonic related. I tend to try to focus on kind of like everything I needed to maybe hear when I was younger or that's hardest starting out. So it's always it's always talking about you know, mental health, the challenges. If you have a dream, just keep pursuing it, no matter how many times you hear no, your heart's still in it.
You know.
One thing I was told that really helped me along the way was if your heart is in line with it and you work hard, it's not a matter of if it will happen, it's a matter of when it will.
HM.
So as long as you just stick with it long enough, that's a good way something will work out.
And so would you say it again, I'm gonna write that day if if, but yeah, that's a good one. You're gonna get there. Oh man, Yeah, that's a good way to put it. That's what I said. Well, and that really that really helped me.
And so I just tried to spread that on social media and and then getting to know the Sonic fans and meeting them in person, and and you know, there was there was one family that said they had driven from San Antonio to l A to have.
His daughter met Agent Stone. He's like all she wanted to do. I was like, dry He's like.
You know, anything for my family, and she she she doesn't ask for much and wows the one thing, you know, when I asked her, hey, you know, like we'd like to do something for you.
What do you want to do? And she was like, can we go?
Showed up and and it happens a lot. But you know, I had people dressed up.
As agents stone and I think it's easy to forget amazing. Like some people yeah yeah yeah.
Or people dressed as robotic would would see me just walking around and they'd be like.
Oh, that's wonderful, a little.
Wave, take a picture, it's it's it's incredible, and.
That that's got to be a little bit surreal for them.
It is for you to just I think, and I don't know if you go through it, but it's easy for me. Sometimes when things slow down, it's easy to feel like, oh wait, hold on, this is it or I'm never going to work again, or oh maybe maybe I've been lied to. Maybe there's no traction, no momentum, no such thing. And then you know, I interact with people and get reminded of oh right, no, this this effects in such.
A large Oh yeah, you know, I'm okay. Yeah, I would think. So that's the last thing I've ever done. Yeah, I'm good. I thought the same thing when I did Dumbo's Circus. Well, at least I could say I did this right, you know, But coming from you, it sounds like, yeah, Tom Hanks, poor you were You did that one movie and I don't know if it's gonna work out. Yeah, we're worried about this guy on we folks y. Yeah, too bad. You're not a good looking cuss. But no,
a fake. It's all fake. This is hours and hour. Oh yeah, work, yeah, okay, now you're the one that's gonna go, jock man, that's wonderful. Dumbo's Circus was that before the film or after? Oh well no, well the film I think was nineteen forty two, so that was Yeah. The movie was so easy because I watched them as kids. They're all the same line. So yeah, oh I know.
Well that's one of the cool things about Disney. Plus coming back, all the stuff that I did watch when I was four is on there or you know what I mean, all the first thing so to a s Dumbo, Oh yeah, yeah, I think everybody. Yeah, well, those those movies, and I'm sure while plan that they never really get old. No, And I've said this about like the Winnie the Pooh and Tigger franchise. They're making new poo fans every three years, you know, fresh crop.
But you know it's because the story just makes so much like the stories that get told in Winnie the Pooh are just they're ageless.
It's everybody goes through, there's a little parable in there and everything.
Everybody wants those friends, and everybody has little challenges, and it's like, you know, just get after it, you.
Know, yeah, just keep on, keep on. That's that's what you gotta do. I want, I wanted to, I wanted to.
I wanted to copy you, but I can't do the Tiggers.
So I gave it up immediately. I'm not coming for you. I'm not coming for you. Thank you for that, ladies, John what we could cross that one off the list? That was a question are you coming? That's wonderful? So big movie coming out now? Do you get do they send you on junkets? Should we be looking? You know? Like so on the on the first one, I didn't.
Because initially Agent Stone wasn't much of of a character. He's growing, and he grew while like it was, it was meeting with Jim on set, and Jim took a liking to me, and we started to work really well together and come up with ideas, and with the director, we just started to kind of come up with more for that team of Robotnic and Stone and give them more of a personality. And so in Sonic Too, I got to do a junket, but I think it was just because it was post COVID, so they.
Had some people in l A. I was here doing.
It virtually, So I mean, fingers cross.
Hopefully I get to do it in personal. Oh yeah, yeah, that'll be nice.
It's still a bucket list thing. I haven't done a proper junket yet.
Oh there you go. Yeah.
Were you a fan of Sonic growing up?
Yeah?
Yeah, I mean Sonic two was the first game I had personally that was like my own. It was the Saga Genesis was the first console and on sale, and Sonic two came with it.
And yeah, so it was.
The first video Sonic two, meaning the video Yeah, the video game Sonic two.
Yeah, was you know that little that I can't now I can't remember the damn tune, but you know the one the Sonic one. Yeah, they always have. Yeah, yeah, what was little background music? Right? You know, I try to remember it now, I'm just like, I don't hear what you're saying, you know, I just hold on.
I'm like, there's so many different notes now and I just heard it recently and I'm like, yeah, now I'm stuck. Now now I'm like glit, my brains glitching, Like I remember the title screen and the stars Sonic and.
With the Yeah, I think I always defaulted Donkey Kong, damn it. Yeah that might have been. It might have been dear you sing a Nintendo song to a Genesis Genesis person No, but yeah, yeah.
It was the first video game that I that was mine. And funny enough, I've never been good at.
The Sonic games. I'm a big I'm an avid same gamer. I love video games.
I played video games during COVID. I was doing live streaming on Twitch and oh yeah and everything and did you did you play Sonic?
Yeah? I played Sonic growing up. I had the second Genesis as well.
Yeah.
Yeah, I don't remember much about the game. I need to replay it. I just remember like the they had, like the loop, the loops.
I just remember button mashing having him too. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that was that was that was the I just spent so much time get launched.
Yeah yeah, I don't remember.
Go off a ramp and then bounce off of like trampolines and lose all your rings and oh man, die.
Hated losing the rings. I can hear that noise, Yeah, I can hear it.
Yeah, yeah, sound of dismal failure. If you're a fan of everything we do here at tuned In with Jim Cummings, you could support the show on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings, and more. You'll feel the difference, so go ahead and join the tuned In family today at patreon dot com slash Jim Cummings podcast. Do it Now?
What about the cartoons? Did you watch the cartoons?
I watched I watched a bit of the Saturday Morning cartoons, and uh, yeah, they were they were quite random, I remember, not very associated with the video game, but yeah, predominantly it was the video games and kind of like, oh, if I caught it on time on like Saturday morning.
Yeah, I'd watch it. I heard that you had been a voice or no, I was just about to mention that funny you should bring it up. Yeah, no, but I I played Sonic. I mean, I played Robotnik and it wasn't egg Man, which and I was glad when they came out with the movies that they didn't call him eg Man, yeah, because I was like, oh man, Now, I can't say I was that guy, right, But but I can't believe Jim still following me around after all these years. I know, but he told you, he told you back then.
You can go, yeah, yeah, what is what is the difference between Eggman and robot Nick? I think I need to know once and for all.
Yeah, I think because it's the same character, isn't it? Is it not the same character? I think it's the same character, like the same thing. If I'm not mistaken. And the fans are gonna riot if I get this right.
Now they know it's one. One is like.
Japanese, I think the translation, and then one is American or North American used. And I can't remember if it was egg Man came from the Japanese iteration or Robotnick.
I think I think it was Robotnick did right, because I remember years when when they did. I think it was a sixty five episode. Serious, but it was done in Canada, and he was egg Man, okay, and everybody, and everybody had conventions like still, they'll see the picture. I didn't know you were egg Man. I go, well, I kind of am, but not really because yeah, it was Robotnick. And I was really glad when Jim Carrey came out and was Robotnick and yes, okay, good now.
Yeah, we have a couple of little like wink wink jokes where it's like Sonic will refer to Robotan as Eggman.
He'd be like, hey, egg Man, stuff like that.
So there's a reference to it, yeah, because I think I think, like you said, it's the same character. I just yeah, wondering, really is a different name or different associations.
I've always wondered.
Yeah, yeah, I still and I've looked it up, I know, looked it up and I forget.
I swear. There's like a different explanation every time too. Yeah, people always there's like three or fause your.
Original design was an egg you know.
Yeah, I have no.
Idea, no clue.
Egg Man was actually an insult. It was a slur. Yeah, and so they had to change it for censorship reasons in certain countries back.
In the day. We're calling someone.
I'm pretty sure that's why that sounds about right.
Oh, we're not joking.
Wow, I got you.
Robotics the slur. Yeah, probably because robotick. Yeah. But yet another similarity that Jim Carrey and I have with our initials. Yeah, yeah, I did a bad cartoon version of him. Thank you. That was that was for the audience. That was a realization I had.
I was saying this earlier, was that I I just before we started chatting out, I had the realizer was like, oh my.
Gosh, I'm.
Associated with two of like the greatest jc's. Oh yeah, yeah, Jim Cummings and Jim Carrey.
Oh yes, well Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ care less about me, so I hope he can. Yeah, I'm sure he cares about you. He hasn't visited me. Well, that's good to work with him, one, that's good. Yeah, I'd love to work with him. Don't go, I'll be I'll be up eventually, yeah, but not today. Knock on wood, knock on wood. Yes, So what it was your favorite video game or so? It was my favorite video game? Because like nostalgia wise, it was.
You know, it was near and dear to me because it was like the first one I because that's gotta be.
Cool as hell. Yeah, you know, you have your your favorite video game and then you grow up and go, would you like to be a movie or three? Yeah? I never. I never would have imagined I had. I had a moment. So I remember my first day on set.
Uh it was gem and I's first day and uh, get to set. Everybody's amazing, Gym's not there yet, meet the director and the producer.
So I had just auditioned.
I had auditioned in town here and got booked off tape and yes.
I didn't meet anybody until I got to set. Well, you crushed it. I tried, but there should be a soundtrack better. Yeah. So yeah, I was gonna I was gonna come up with a noise and then I didn't. So that's how good I am improvising in the moment everyone. That's incredible, right, that's pretty damn good. Yeah, So so met everybody on set.
Jim shows up and uh, yeah, you know, most most of my prep or for Agent Stone was mainly just kind of like meditation.
Everything.
It was just more of like, you know, be calm on that set, just you know, don't yeah, just good advice, yeah yeah, just you know, you don't have that much to say, so like, don't worry about that, like you're memorized.
It's all good. Just go grounded as grounded as you can be.
You and nervous.
I was.
I was nervous, but I don't know, like there's something to be said for you know, as as my career was was moving forward and going through the steps in the ups and downs, you know, it's so easy to be like, oh, well, I wish I would have booked that thing. I wish I would have booked that thing. And when I got to Sonic, it was just like
right time. Because of all the experiences I had up to that point, I felt readier than I had ever been, so I kind of it was one of those first times where I looked back and I was like, no, you know, things take the time that they take for a reason, and you're not in control of that. And so you know, I had had experiences on different sets where because of anxiousness, I had dropped lines. So then it was learning like okay, don't let my anxiety get the best of me, like it's there, It's going to
be there. I got to accept it. But I can't be in an anxious state while I'm trying to memorize while I'm trying to get off book.
So that was my main.
Focus and got to set and met everybody, and we didn't quite know what route Jim was going to go with. Was he going to go super dark? You know, we just didn't have any idea, and we met up, we started to rehearse, and I remember during rehearsal, I had this moment. He did this thing where he kind of like he was talking to the major and he asks him what his name is and then Major says, oh, made you know Major, and he's like it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what your name is kind of thing.
And I had this out of body experience where it all kind of hit me at the same time where I was like, oh my gosh, I'm watching Jim like do what I watched him do? Is it kid and growing up and live genius, Live genius, And Oh, that's that's what he's going, like, that's what he's doing with the character, Okay, And then the realization of like, oh my gosh, I'm on a big studio picture for the first time in my life. Oh my gosh, Sonic, Oh my gosh. This was like a childhood game of mine.
And and my line came and I flubbed it.
Of course. It was like it was.
Like this old line that they gave me in this rewrite, and I kind of mashed them together by mistake.
Well, and that could have been the stuff of genius. Probably was. It made no sense.
I'll tell you that whatever came out of my mouth, my mouth made no sense. Nobody cared, right, it was. It was just a little whatever, and we just kept going. And you know, I felt that that excitement and everything rehearsal ended. Jim went to get into wardrobe, and uh, I was like, Okay, nobody cared.
It was just rehearsal.
Yeah, I'm gonna go to the little tent. I'm gonna put in some relaxing music. I'm going to breathe for ten to fifteen minutes, and then I'm gonna say these three little lines a hundred different ways, just to make sure it comes out of my mouth instinctively rather than having it.
Yeah, yeah, is that what you do too? Because I've been known to do that I don't even have to memorize because I can read them.
Oh really, yeah, well I mean yeah, of course, like with vo you yea, yea, yeah yeah, piece of case's that's one of the things I love most about it.
Saving grace. It's the only reason I'm here, only reason I've made it. I don't have to memorize.
Yes, I know, it's it's one of my favorite favorite things about about uh yeah, voice voice acting. It's just that's one other thing I've been. I've been I still say, you know, pursuing and trying to really kick the door down. And I've gotten some jobs, but I'm still like learning
and trying to absorb. And when it comes to voice yeah, yeah, voiceover and yeah, but with momorization, it's like, yeah, I try to do it as many different ways of doing it, impersonations, accents, like, just as many different ways as I can, so it glues yea into my brain.
Yeah. So yeah, it's a pretty good method. Yeah yeah.
So then that way, it's just you know, and I find like when I tried different accents on, I find different character traits too, So it's like, sometimes you know, I'll go into like a Jason Stethem, right, but then I'll find this look kind of groundedness to the guy.
Yeah, I'm like, okay, he doesn't have a British accent, he doesn't totally like this, but he feels right, right, So then how do I switch it away to my pretty damn good? I was like like, behind you, Jim, Yeah, you're looking for me, Yeah, you're looking for me. That yeah, that's good stuff. Yeah wow wow. And so that so you you stole that all from Jason Stump. Yeah yeah, so that whole method is Jason Statham's no. Yeah, I'm coming for Jason yeah yeah, well he'll be there unfortunately.
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, wow, good stuff.
So you've done voice work. You've been obviously in movies and TV shows. You've been in plays too as well, right, yeah, yeah.
So I've done some theater.
A lot of my earlier training I got was at the Groundlings in La so like with with improv and and everything. And then yeah, and then when I got out here, it was funny.
I I always wanted to to do vo, but it just felt like it felt harder to get.
Into vo than it was to do uh, to film and TV, because you know, I always heard like, it's a really height in its circle.
It's tough to get your foot through the door. Yeah, I've heard that too. After I was in Thank God. Yeah, I didn't know there was. Gordon Hunt wrote a book and he was the King of Hannah Barbara Helen Hut's dad. Yeah. Great, And I read it after after I was already into business. I've told this before. I'll be brief, but the fifth chapter was how to break into voiceover in Hollywood. Don't bother. It's done by like six or seven people and you're not one of them. Okay, next right now, page six
how to be a tap dancer or something, you know. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, man, I'm glad I didn't read this a couple of years ago. Yeah, And I was already in, like it's it.
It's like I can understand that part of me is like, okay, but that shouldn't.
Stop you from trying. No, because there's you should still go for it if if that's what your heart desires, and the old expression there's always there'll still be room at the top. Yeah, so shoot for the stars exactly.
And so I was doing like early, I was three years into doing film and TV and I was doing this like pitch like pilot pitch project with another actor named Kirby Morrow. And Kirby was a huge, huge.
Voice actor in town. And I don't know who he was.
And I remember he he heard me doing accents and voices and everything.
He comes up to me he's like, you know, you should really consider it.
And I think this guy doesn't know what he's talking about, right, And I'm like, okay, yeah.
Thanks, dude, you don't get Yeah.
So a year later, he and I run into each other and he was like, you know, I've been thinking about you and wow.
Yeah, and he's like I was serious. I still don't know who he is, Like he's.
Been at that time, he had been in the voice industry for like fourteen years. He had been he had done an iteration of Goku on on Dragon Ball Z and he was huge in Ninjago and so many other oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And so I told him, I was like, dude, I don't know if you if you know how hard it is, like I appreciate it.
And he was like, I've been doing it for fourteen years and I was like, what, I have an inkling? Yeah. I was like what He's like, yeah, like, do you know you know Goku? I was like, shut up. And then he went through and then I was like, oh my gosh, I'm an idiot. Dude.
He started doing the characters and so he opened the door. He was teaching, and he uh bless his heart. I miss him so much, but he opened he opened his his classes up to me. He was like, come, sit in, sit in all my classes.
Learn. Learn.
He would throw me into the booths and he would just like, try this, try this, try this, help me put a demo together, help me get an agent. And then I started to get out there. You know, yeah, yeah, incredible, incredible. I mean, I don't think I've met anybody in my life that hasn't like I firmly believe that I.
And I can only speak for myself.
I could have never gotten to where I am and don't think I can continue to move forward without support from people. I could never do it alone.
You know.
I think it's it's, yes, my perseverance, it's you know, it's my hard work, but it's it's having people around you when you need that little nudge you go on, you got this, Yeah, yeah, here's you know, I always I always say it's it's the universe giving you a little nugget of gold when you feel like, you know, I'm lost, I don't know what to do.
What's the next thing? It's like here, you know.
I I had that with a teacher at the Groundlings who told me, you know, I was having a particularly bad week and and he was like, don't don't ever quit. He's like, I was moving to Canada and he was like, don't quit. You have something, don't quit. I just if anything, if you forget everything we talked about it, always have that.
That is an amazingly good piece of advice. And it was told to me in a long way. Uh he said, you know, you can have one hundred failures, but you're not a failure, right, you know, because you're still going oh wait, you're not over yet. Oh yeah, oh you didn't quit yet. Oh go go get that because because once you get the brass ring, once you get in you know whatever, however that looks a sitcom, a cartoon show, a radio commercial, you know, it's like, Okay, I guess
I'm viable. So I did it. Then what else you got? Let me take a swing at that? And you you don't lose until you quit. Was there was it?
Did you find that for yourself as well? Like were there were there times career wise where there was like someone or many someone's that kind of helps you in a moment where you felt, oh, man, I don't know what the next step is, or I'm feeling a little bit like, oh.
Yeah, sure you know, and it's hard, you know. I will say that I was knock on wood. I was very fortunate because I didn't I didn't have a huge gap between I was total before. I worked at a video store Anaheim Hills and made my first demo tape in the video store, and so I fortunately there were a couple of our customers who were in the biz, and so they knew this person and that person. And I passed up my audio tape. It was cassette way back, and I got the attention miraculously of some folks who
were getting ready to cable TV had just started. That's how long ago it was. I just I mean, I lucked out in the sense that you know, I was It wasn't really right place, the right time, but kind of right, you know. And I got a job that one of the first auditioned for and My luck came in the fact that it was a sixty five episode series, which they don't come along every day. And so by the time and I got I got a job out
of that. And at the time, you know, it took I don't know, almost a year and a half, and I lucked into it without an agent. So that gave me a chance to work in the business. And then I was very syllable to agents. Then well you're already working, Well, yeah, what do you do for a living? No? This is this is it and I'm never going back. You know. I was like, I am not going to go back to the.
It made you made you know that you wanted to go into like voice.
Oll this well that I you know, I've said it before, so I feel like I don't over repeat it. But I was five, I swear to god. I was five years old and I was sitting with my dad watching the Jack Benny program way back when Black and White and mel Blank was on there. He was, he was a regular on there, and he was playing side the sombrero wearing torriodor or whatever. And my dad says, you
see this guy right here, see this master? Now, I go yeah, he goes he does that bugs bunny and that Daffy Duck and that tazzy he's got does the voices. And I'm telling you, I thought, well, he doesn't have to stand in the corner. He's nobody thinks he's an obnoxious little weasel. Everybody likes him. Shit, I've got to do that. Yeah, And so you know, and I grew up,
and I guess I don't know. It was about thirty made my demo tape and and I again, you know, with great fortune and thank you Jesus, I got that job. And it lasted long enough for me to get an agent and then I could get other yeah, you know. And that was eighty something, eighty four or eighty five. So now I good to be here.
Yeah, so wild, Yeah, yeah, working on it.
I love it. I mean we were saying.
I mean, I love I love I love the whole industry. I love being you know, just being creative and uh and letting loose. And what I love most about voice is just I find that I can really physically let myself just go and not be judged. Sure, and and you know, in exchange for finding that right sound or or being committed to a moment, and you know, tweaking your face enough in a way that that works for voice that you know, in film and TV, they might be like.
Yeah, don't do that. Yeah, don't do that. We like the sound of that. I don't look it doesn't look good. Yeah, But well, your boy Jim Carrey doesn't have any problem with that, does he does? But he couldn't. He couldn't have done it with you know, Eternal Sunshine. It depends. It depends on what you're what you're working on.
But yeah, to your to your question, Yeah, I've been involved in like theater, film, TV.
Which one do you prefer?
I prefer.
They've all got their advantages and disadvantages. I think, uh, not as many disadvantages, but they're all different.
I think.
I think what's you know, what I just spoke to with voice is, is you know, really letting loose and not having to be off book, you know, memorized. Film and TV is a quicker moving beast than theater is. But the rehearsal process of theater I've learned to love.
I really had a.
Challenge because I started off in film and TV first, really yeah, and then well.
Usually it's the other way, good for you. Yeah, So it was you wound up at the goal then you then you thought, well I should probably go and it was like I'm doing calisthenics over here.
At that Like, at that point in my life, it was I was quite ego driven, you know, with ever whatever I was going through my life was ego and and so I was like, you know, theater, this, that film and TV, I'm going to be a star.
I'm going to be like whatever.
And that didn't work out as quick as I expected it too, and then you know, had some rude awakenings and and needed to to work on myself quite a bit, like on the personal side. And then you know, I was chatting with a friend of mine and he was he was like, look, I'm not saying that this might work for you. But he also hadn't done theater. He had done film and TV first and then went into the theater for a while, and he was like, I didn't feel like I could call myself an actor until
I experienced theater. And then he was like, oh, now I feel like I can call myself an actor because of that memorizing a play from beginning to end, that rehearsal process. And so I was like okay, and I put it out put it out there that I wanted to audition for for theater, and I got the first play I did. I was a two hander, which means it's like two people in the play.
I probably have the characters. Wow. And that was like a test of you know, physicality, How do you change your physicality? How do you change your voice enough that it's not a distraction. But yeah, the rehearsal process at the beginning was really difficult for me because film and TV.
Come as ready as possible, because you're fortunate if we're going to give you three takes, unless you're working on a production the size of Sonic where you know you're going to get a lot more takes. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, But the rehearsal process was like learned to love that. But yeah, the one that I'm still still I have a big target on is voice industry, and then you know, I'll love it, just you know, still like one of the bucket lists is getting to be on an animated
series of some sort. Got to do a video game, which was The Assassin's Creed.
Yeah, mirage video game play. Was it a challenge for you because I've done some of those not not nothing like like that, but as big as you, but acting to somebody who isn't there? Is it im you with curveballs there? Or do you have a reader? Because I remember once I had a person reading for me in it for the video like it was Yeah, I can't even remember the project a long long time ago. Oh no, look out, now we have to run. Oh no, oh no, they're firing, you know. Oh god, okay, can we not
hold anywhere? I'll take it from here. Yeah, thank you. You don't all read the other one's line? Yeah, yeah, yeah it was and it was just and I just want to hold up a crucifix. It's definitely a challenge, I think.
I think what I what I'm quite fortunate with is that with like film and TV self tapes or like going into the room, sometimes the readers aren't really like for auditions, and sometimes the readers aren't aren't actors or they're not they haven't had much time, right, they're getting they're getting the sides, yes, and that moment they're doing a coold read and you just happen to be the first.
One coming in the room and you know, so, so that was fun.
So I had to learn to And this is with regards to like the audition process and everything too. Oh Okay, if they flob a line or if I'm not getting what I think I need, how do I use that in the scene.
So there are moments.
Where it's like, oh, you know, you're really flat in your delivery. That doesn't mean I can't respond to the fact that you're flat in your delivery and use that in some.
That could be just as legit as as anything.
And so I think that helped me when we were recording Assassin's Creed, but it is it's definitely a challenge because I had I had so I was recording in town and then are the you know, the the Ubisoft team was split between Montreal and France, and then our director I think was in Ontario, so everything, and you know, I had a sound engineer there. But yeah, so it was all like you know, on.
That teams it was it was it was post COVID, but I think it was like we had to move quick in the like the casting that we had been running behind.
So then when I came on board, they were already deep into the process. So I think had everything worked out ideally, I would have gone to Montreal and been there for a while. But yeah, so we recorded here and you know, and so the director was reading opposite me. But I think again, it's one of those things, is where everything happens for a reason. It takes as much time as it takes. So I had talked with enough
people that had done video games. I'd had enough experience, you know, with little bit roles on video games that I now knew what questions to and because I'm so familiar with video games and that, you know.
It from the other side, Yeah, I was. I was. I asked a lot.
Of questions, and I know that it was annoying. It was annoying every session. It was like annoying at the beginning of the session because they were like, oh my gosh, we're running behind. And I was like, I promise you guys, the questions I'm asking now are going to save us time at the end of at the end of the session, it's just these So I would ask them, I'm like, have you guys recorded the other character yet? Oh, we have a couple of lines. Can I hear them? Just so I know, like, what's.
The difference between us Hell's.
You know, what's the space that we're in because in the description they'd be like, oh, you know, they're walking through a market, and I'd be like, okay, well is it a busy market?
Is it not? A bit? Is the market? Do I need to project? Is she standing in front? Is she walking in front of me? Exactly? Do I need to be looking over my shoulder? Am I on a horse? Like? Yeah? Right? Like who knows?
So it was good to know those things, uh going in And even then, you know, when they'd be after we'd record, we'd come back and do re records because they're like, oh, okay, we thought they were going to be two feet away and now they're six feet away, and so or someone's performance was way more projected than mend and so to match you know, which.
Yeah, that's now. Do you have occasions where you can do recordings on camera? Off came with the cast with with a group, you know, the whole because my way, I think that's so much easier. That's better. I've always wanted that. I don't know if I I mean, we did a little like like funly little indie kind of podcast the like radio play is just like the Pokemon
no no, no, no, no, you know about the Pokemon thing. No, this is like this was just a few years before COVID, but a group of us in town, just voice actors kind of got together and and and had just fun doing accents and kind of creating this.
Like radio play together. And there is there is there is a vibe when you're in the room with someone and and can be like, oh, that's what you're doing.
That's how I.
Can respond to that, or or you know, have the director in there at the time, or see in the moment someone kind of trying to stifle a laugh because of something you said or and that we didn't think was gonna be funny.
Yeah, I love that stuff. It's it's nice. I miss it. I haven't had too many opportunities at it, but uh yeah, it's defin.
Like seeing group records or are those things of like oh, shore, I want to I wanna.
Yeah, they're not doing that anymore. Well, they're getting back to it by bit. One of my favorites lately has been Star Wars Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. And one of my things that I was so proud of and I enjoyed doing was cracking up Steve Bloom and ruining a take, you know, and I said, Okay, don't start laughing until after I stopped talking, because then I have to do it over again. I'd rather just you.
I loved your character, Yeah, I loved your Hondas was the best.
Yeah, thank you. If you're a fan of everything we do here at tuned In with Jim Cummings, you could support the show on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings, and more. You'll feel the difference, so go ahead and join the tuned In family today at patreon dot com slash Jim Cummings podcast. Do it Now. They let me get away with murder. I never said I'm lying the first take. I always did what they will.
That's like my own personal rule. That way, they can't say that you're being obstinate or uncooperative. And then I do it to work with, you know, Yeah, and then I just change it around, so you know, and uh, and it's a lot of fun, you know. I mean, I just you know, because I think if you're keeping yourself happy, that translates everybody, everybody.
If you can find the fun. I always tell people find the fun, whether it's in an audition. I mean, they're always they're always figuring out ways.
These these gardeners, lawn bowers, lowers blowers, they've got it out for us. They've got it out for us. They are. And this is an actual leaf blow. It's it's I don't know if you guys have those, and it's it's just a hovering leaf blower.
Is that door.
Is wide open. Maybe we took the precaution of they're going to bring these messages. Will be right back, Yeah, after these messages, be right back. I remember that. I remember that's so very well and I used to walk around doing that, trying to perfect that because it was very stan. It was like a cartoon orson Wells. Would they would they have different characters sing that song or did they just really have oh well, it was it was just it was just a bumper right right between.
I don't remember if they had like different different sugar pops, yeah, yeah, or something. Anyway, we're back after that raucous cacaphony, I mean that leaf blower did not want to hear out hondo. No, No, that's true. Yeah, yeah, that's right.
We were talking about that's a horrible sounds more like what's the character's name from Phantom Menace?
That's like the that's like, how are you doing? Just a flying little menaces? No?
No, was like no nothing, that was jar job. The he was the guy that owned anakin and his mom.
He was just he worked at the auto shop.
Yeah yeah, right, yeah. It's a good looking guy.
Yeah looking anyway, and he had the rings, the rings, just a little flying, big faced thing.
Anyways, So back to Hondo. Oh chess by all means back to Hondo. No, I'm just kidding, well, I could tell I'll give you a little tip. This is like what what I accidentally fell across across years and years ago. If you do a terrible impression of somebody the famous, nobody knows who it is, you can call her a new character. Yep. And if you do a perfect impression of one of your relatives and or uncle, nobody know,
so that is new character. And uh and and then you can put two people together like Hondo, since since we're talking about him, is Charles Bronson and Yule Brenner Okay, put together now that would be a really ugly person. But but but but it makes for an interesting character. Very attractive. I mean can't. Yes, and you get Brad Pitt or not or Hondo. But yeah, but that's that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Damn it. So was that the that So that's where the kind of
like the the accent for Hondo also came from. Yeah, and I found out years years before the Yule Brenner was Chinese and damn it Russian. Really his one parent was Chinese. Apparent was Russian. Wow, you don't know that interesting, but you get an interesting accent? Yeah when you when you which made me think about the blending of the accents and you know, coming together.
It's really fun to play around with accents and CEO, if I merged this and that, what do I get? That's the lovely thing with with with voices. We were saying, it's just like I feel like there's so much more opportunity to play.
You speak a few languages, correct.
Yeah, I speak Arabic and French.
Yeah, and do you think that contributes to your creation of voices, mannerisms or voices or anything like that.
I mean, like I know it for sure because we moved around a lot, like in my childhood. So my first language was Italian.
Yeah.
Yeah, And then we left Italy and moved to Switzerland when I was like four and a half, and so you know, I started to I mean I stopped speaking Italian and we were in the French part of Switzerland, so that's where English and French kind of came in at school, Arabic at home.
And then uh, yeah, what a gift, I mean, the languages.
And so because also moving around a lot, I ended up just spending so much time with action figures and creating voices for all these action figures, and then I would like play soundtracks to like the action sequences. And yeah, so I think it was like speaking the languages. I really have, I think a good ear for accents as well, so I can automatically just with playing around figure out, oh this is where my tongue should go, or this is where the voice sits.
Well that's interesting.
Yeah, but I didn't know, like, you know, people would would always ask me, oh, can you help me with this accent, Like I got to do this for an audition, and I just would never know how to explain it to them until I started to watch someone who focuses on dialects in the industry, like I was watching his YouTube videos and he was talking about the technicality of like where your tongue is located.
Yeah. Then I was like, yeah, that is where I.
It's like it's yeah to speak right, Yeah, that is where my tongue is located when I do that. Oh okay, Yeah, it might be a better way to explain it to people that don't like hear it and know how to mimic it.
I think, I'm I think I'm a great mimic. Yeah that's good and uh.
And typically when I'm working on new accents, I always start, like I tell people, I was like, don't don't worry about starting off like very stereotypical. It's a great starting point, and then start to tweak it.
Yeah that's right. Yeah, sure, and bring it down. And that makes perfect sense. That's good advice. I think, Yeah, have you ever taught do seminars or anything like that, because once in a blue when I'll get tapped and I don't know that I'm I don't know that I'm good at teaching. Yeah, you know, it's just I've I've I've had it.
I've like talked to a few classes, but the focus is typically more on like you know Q and A, and which is what I prefer.
I don't.
I don't want to sit and tell you my story and then I take up some of your time and you don't get a chance to ask me a question that you know might be really important to you. So I like to come more from a place of like, hey, you know, this was kind of my journey. This is how long it's taken.
There's no same exact way for anybody. What are your questions? Yeah, yeah, right right, yeah not that quick, but yeah, no, I agree. Yeah, I've I've had people tell me this because they must have read something in the bios. So it looks like this is one kid stands up. Because so if I want to be like a really good video guy, should I move to New Orleans and Peyton Marty Graf floats, then get on the tugboat, then move to California and make a demo tape? And I go, yeah, that's the path,
that's you. That's what I did. Yeah, that's what I did. And I was thinking, Okay, well, somebody has been on the interwebs and I was thinking, yeah, yeah, uh huh, that's clearly that's that's to mel blank. Did it blueprint. Yeah, that's where I messed up. Yeah, I got to go to New Orleans. Forgot to design and paint Marty Gras floats. I'm gonna tell my team, well, I need to take a break from acting. I need to go to New
Orleans design some floats. Yeah, I don't forget to play drums at a bunch of script bars and okay, okay, cool, I can't play drums, but hey, who cares? That's okay? Well you are you could sing? Yeah, you could sing, that's right. And I've got a tambourine somewhere I can give you. Okay, he's on the way, all right, cannoight everybody.
I always you know, that's a great example of what I was talking about. You always need someone in your corner. And here you are with a tambourine.
Look at that, getting ready to launch my career. God. Yeah, well, I don't think we're worried about you. I appreciate that we are not worried about you.
So what is it?
What is exciting for you? What? What is the goal? If you could say, well, you know, what I'd really like to do is do a movie with What I'd really like to do is write a song with, a play with, do a play with, do a TV show with or for or at? Oh there's too many, huh it is? I mean it's good, you know, like you're right in front of me.
So it's really easy to say that working on something with you would be an absolute dream. I'm in you know, finding some animated project or feature whatnot and having the opportunity to just like be in the booth with you and play that. But you know, I was telling you earlier, like you know, Winnie the Pooh that the Tigger to me is I don't know what it may be again, because it's the energetic I.
Always saw myself in Tigger. Well, Tigger, they're wonderful things. They're made at a rubber, Their bottoms are made out of string. They're bouncy, promcy, bouncy promcy pun pun pun pun pun, the wonderful, wonderful thing about you could be one of them too. Oh nice, nice. I'm not really good at the growl. Do they have someone to do the growl for you? No? No, But but Paul went God rested so he could sit there and he would
just do it all day long. And I was like, and I look at him, and I said, I cannot tell how the hell he's doing that, you know, because you know, I've had people stare at me, one particularly annoying person whose name I well, I will say, I'll say it later. He's never mind. But but it was like, you know, people say, okay, do that. Do that? I saw, that's how you do it. And it's like, wait, what you can't see anything. I don't think you know, but
but I get it. I get it, you know, just seeing Paul Winchell stand there and and he did that, and I was like, and his face didn't move. So you do it with your tongue. I do it with my throat. Yeah. I have to some yeah, yeah, I have to fin like, I have to have some saliva ready, yeah yeah yeah see I just go build up yeah yeah. Yeah. It sounds like I'm amphysima or something. Yeah. Yeah, that's not in jim. That's that's really bad. That's a cat, that's not a tigger.
Yeah anyway, Yeah, but yeah, actually, embarrass that would be an absolute dream.
We're not waiting on me. That world, that's right, that world. Let's put let's let's uh, let's let's put the vibes out there feel it. I can feel it. That was a That wasn't Jason Statham. That was a trailer guy. Yeah, coming to a theater near you, John Clue. No, I can't do the trailer. It's like it's like one man, one desire. Oh it's different. That's right. It's got a quality, but it's it's not the guy. No you. Yeah, well I've done a lot of movie trailers, but I haven't done him in a while.
No, they got away from anymore.
Yeah, I wish they would bring them back.
I feel like I feel like they don't need them on everything, but I feel like there's certain movies, you know, like I feel like a John Wick could have a trailer with oh yeah, one of our Sonic trailers. Not all of them could have like you.
Know Jim Carrey and Jim Carrey, yeah, stars with Jim Carrey himself. Yes, yeah, oh man. But yeah, and and I just I just want to keep going, you know what I mean? For for me, the.
I think ultimately the dream is to be at a point in my career where and this is this is something that you just never know as an artist, is like is your name?
You know? Making the rounds when they're discussing, you know, oh our top ten uh names for this role on a project or whatnot.
But ultimately, for me, it's not so much you know, fame or money or whatnot. It's it's it's longevity, consistency. I would love to just be able to work continually.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
I I go through those long droughts and then you know, done a lot of work on myself. It's still there's times where it gets the better of me and I start to like, I don't you know, and then and then my I find that, like my own self worth is reliant on like the phone call.
Yeah, the opportunities come. Yeah, it's a little of that. It's okay, but you don't want to over yeah, no, you don't want it to rule your days and fall into a depression. Yeah. The fact that they don't have good taste. Yeah it's not my phone. Yeah.
But yeah, just to be in a place where it's you know, consistent, there's longevity and and you know, ideally if I was a fly on the wall to know that, oh, hey, is am I in the mix?
You know, to be in the mix? Yeah that's right, that's right. Yeah, where am I on the call sheet or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Where where am I in the discussion for that role? Am I even in a discussion?
But again, that's a great example of like, I can't let that be the end all, be all of how I feel about myself. I'm just never going to I'm never going to be in those rooms, you know, I'm never going to know if I'm being discussed or not.
But you know, I think it's a pretty good odds are pretty good at this point here. Hopefully you're would on some more. Would that's your agent's job.
I've got I've got a great team. I've got a great team. I've got a great voice agent. I've got a great, great agent out here for filming.
Should we say who they are? Yes?
So, Samantha Jewel is my voice agent. My film and TV agent is deb Dylla Stone, and my manager out in l A is Gary.
He doesn't have he doesn't have. Last name's Gary.
That's that's when you're the first one.
Yeah, yeah, wow, he's he knows Steven. He knows Stephen. Gary knows Steven also through Stephen, they know al Oh no, okay, Gary, all right, yeah, yeah, but I call him just Gary. He just Gary. I don't know. I think I'm gonna send him my voice just Gary. Hell, yeah, it's just me. Who's me? Take a guess? Yeah? Yeah, oh man, Well that's good stuff.
It's again you know, it's great to have people in your corner and believe in you and and and and hustle for you.
I think that's that's the most important thing. What what have you got any bucket list things you're aiming at specific You're a pretty young guy and you've been pretty successful, so I know you've knocked a few buckets over, But yeah, what's a bucket list? Like you don't want to be a tap dancer or anything like that?
And then no, I can't can't. I can't dance very well. I mean I've got rhythm, but I'm not like I can't. I'm not a pro dancer.
I'd actually love to learn to sing. I don't.
I don't know how to. I don't sing well. I think I'm good at mimicking. Again, it was like, you know, I can I I can mimic Metallica, but I can't. Yeah, but then you want me to sing in my voice?
I can't. It's it's I'm like flat and pitchy at the same time. You know, I can I can't believe I actually have a thought on this because it's very specific. But you know, when I was a little kid, and I mean little, we got transistor radios and I kind of learned to sing by imitation, right, I was imitating people who were singing. And I can remember there was one god I can't think of who it was, but the gypsy cry and but pino, Oh, you little mouse,
why don't you go? It was a novelty song in the States, probably not even all over the States, but just mimicking those guys. And then the Beatles came along and I was like, oh, I'm gonna mimic these guys. And of course I can't do any of them any justice, any good, whatsoever. But I you know, you kind of put your talk as things together and yeah, and you
kind of take it from there. But I think, you know, and I've always said, if you do a bad impression of somebody, it's a new character, right, you know, same with singing.
Say, anytime they need a mad singer, I'll be like, that's a character choice. They yes, right, they'll sing their hearts out.
But they won't do it? Well, yeah, who was it? Well it was my fair lady, right, Rex Harrison. He couldn't sing and was happy to prove it. And he was there, there's something amazing about that went in and did it. And the other one was Tommy the who, Tommy the who, and who was the Oliver Reed was the bad guy. I think, God, I'm showing my age here. But and he couldn't sing at all, so he didn't,
but he's still sang. And Clint Eastwood in Painter Wagon, No, but he thought, but he could have fooled him and he didn't fool anyone, but yeah, he was. And then Lee was it? Lee Marvin was Bold Earn under a wand Orrin star And it sounded just like the drunken Bears at Disneyland. Oh my gosh, cut your Bear Jamboree. That's what it sounded like to me. And I got he's he's he's drunk. You know. It was, you know, just as flat as you so uh yeah, funk fun
things to no one tells. So don't try this at home, kids, or go ahead? Yeah, I mean, give it, give it, give it a try. Why not try to sing? Learn to sing? But I do I do think, yeah, like stuff like that is the way to go. Is hear it, mimic it? Hear it, mimic it. Same thing with voices, same thing with like accents. Samely.
You know, you've got your phones and you can just record, like play something back, record it. Does it sound similar?
No? Okay?
Can you tell what the difference is? Okay, maybe I'll try this or it sound too sharp or whatever. I'm like obsessed with stuff like yeah.
With me, it's like, well the other guy was better. That's a difference. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, fine, Well like clearly suck, but Jason Statham doesn't. So no always you'll always have him, yeah to pull him out. Bless Jason Statham.
I didn't know I'd ever be able to do that voice, and I just kind of like kind of fell into it as that works.
That works. If you're a fan of everything we do here at tuned In with Jim Cummings, you could support the show on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings, and more. You'll feel the difference, so go ahead and join the tuned In family today at Patreon dot com Slash Jim Cummings podcast, Do It Now?
I find that too with voices and pho, there's something physicality that I need.
There's like, yeah, there's like squinty, Like squinty eyes brings some sort of INTELLI does. Yeah. Clint Eastwood, Yeah, you can't do Clint without Yeah. Yeah, well I noticed that too. And body language helps in voiceover or singing. We were
talking about it the other day. I remember Entertainment Tonight came out to the studio when I first started doing Winnie the Pooh and Tigger many many years ago, and they they taped me onto my on mic and if the sound was down, I would still be able to tell you if I was doing Pooh or Tigger, because Tigger would stand like this and he would ready to bound and pool. I sloped my shoulders down and my stomach went out, and it was like, Oh, that's Pooh.
I mean, so, I guess there's something to that. The body language goes into the language.
Was there was there a way that you came up with those voices, like do you remember if there was like you just kind of played around you like, oh, I like the sound of that.
Those those those two were probably the first two Biggies that I was ever associated with. In fact, no, they were, but they were established from the early sixties when I was in the audience because they made those first three shorts. They were twenty minutes, twenty two minutes, Winnie the Pooh and Tiger to Winnie the Pooh in a day for e or and I think it was just Winnie the Poop, but they put them together, Disney did, and turned it into a feature. So now it's like sixty six minutes long.
I think it asked me fifty nine or sixty minutes to be called up right, a future yet so and then they won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and then they went away for twenty years. They didn't do it, which I don't know why. I'm glad they didn't because it gave me a chance to grow up and then I could auditioned and then I was okay good. And so they were kind of looking for a match to what they had in the Yeah, it had to be yeah, and I appreciate that.
Yeah.
Yeah, you know Warner Brothers, who I love. They they will have a character I don't know, Yosemite Sam or a secondary character, and uh, you know, we'd be doing an Animaniacs or a Tiny Tunes or a you know, Buster and Babs Bunny, and they'd have a cameo for fill in the blank, Yosemite Sam. Anybody got a good Yosebody Rabbit? Okay, you're him, you know. And and there's no consistency even I mean, certainly in the bigger characters.
But I mean, even now, there's a couple of guys that do bugs, you know, and I don't get that. I think it's and they're both great, but it should just be one guy, yeah, because you know, and I know, I mean I have an ear that listens and hears and seeks that out. But I don't think you have to have that kind of discerning ear in order to go, wait, that wasn't bugs from last month?
Yeah, I remember, even even as like when I was younger, you I think I could tell sometimes where I was like, hold on, something sounds different about Yosemite Sam, or something sounds or someone yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, boghorn, leghorn, Like it sounds like something right, yeah, right, you know, it's still the same accent and like, but you could tell that there was like a vocal quality that was different even. Yeah,
I think kids picked that stuff up. Oh yeah, A lot of times we think we think they're they're not as smart as they are.
Yeah, tell you brilliant. Yeah, unless they're obsessive little weasels like I was. They they all picked that up. Yeah, meaty, like pay attention to me. Yeah. Did you ever have any any naysayers? Because that's kind of all I had. I mean, I I had a lot of naysayers. I I yeah, but what are you going to do for a living? Yeah, yea, yeah, that's how you're gonna make it back exactly exactly.
I mean, I remember, I remember even because I got in I started taking acting classes when I was twenty one.
I thought, yeah, yeah, so I got into it late like I always was always, you know, super creative. Well it didn't take it lolatistic and you got it late, but finishing early, that's fine. I think I'm older than you think I am. Yeah, so it was.
I think in college I was starting to take acting classes on the side, I was, I was going after a mechanical engineering degree and yeah, taking acting classes on the side.
I wasn't doing well in school or anything.
And I actually initially wanted to do product design because I was always like an artist.
I was, yeah, sketcher, painting, Yeah yeah, what what are what are some of your greatest hits.
I used to draw a lot of like anime style, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, a lot of Dragon ball Z, a lot of Saints say uh. It was very anime focused because that's what I watched a lot of. I draw a lot of like Mickey Tigger, Pooh, Donald, I love Donald Duck. That's a voice I wish I've worked on so hard. And then' just like I always like almost pass out trying to do Donald, like the breath doesn't.
Quite work, and then it's like that's the only thing. It's like it's like I can't, I can't. What did he said something? I was like, I don't know, yeah, yeah, yeah. I used to be able to say, like, oh, my stomach, but I can't even just because it sounds. But that's it. That's all I can do is very ducky. Yeah yeah yeah, whenever you get anger and stuff. But yeah, so I draw a lot of that.
And I had an uncle who was who's super artistic and and was teaching at art center in Pasadena, and was you know, talking to my dad and he was like, I think, like, I think he should pursue this, and you know, and my dad I understand now being you know, an adult and us having talked more, but at the time he was like, no, your sciences or something else, because I don't think there's a future art.
I don't think there's right right, So, but what are you going to do for a living? Exactly?
And and later on we had we had to talk years later and he was like, you know, we've just your mother and I had gone through so much in our youth and we didn't and struggle, and we had worked so hard to provide our kids with a life away from struggle.
Can you and here you grow up and blow it? Yeah?
Well, well his fear was that now I have a kid who's making the active decision to pursue something that's going to be a difficult life.
Yeah, it's fair.
And you know, I'm happy we had that discussion because for a long time I was like, oh, why, why, why can't they just support me?
Why can't they just.
So I understand it now and you know, being grown now, I'm like, right, like, how tough is that to you know, work so hard? And then your kids like, yeah, I'm gonna go choose one of the toughest things to do. But that kind of helped motivate me a little bit. And then it was a lot of like people in school that like when they found out I was taking acting classes, they thought it was just like a hobby and I was like, no, I'm going to do it, and then you know, they'd make fun of me.
But I think a lot of your system. Yeah, I think a lot of my life.
Like within school and and everything, it's always been oh, you're too tiny. Like I was very athletic. I was never a jock, but I was very athletic. I was always smart, but I wasn't like in the nerd crowd. I wasn't in the you know, athlete crowd. I was always kind of like other So, you know, I always told too small to play football, and then I played football.
Well, I was too small to play soccer.
And I played as a goalie, and then I was too slow, but then I was the fastest kid, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, in the league. Do you respond well to negative criticism, because that's kind of all I did. Yeah, was that, Yeah, I mean, you're not gonna do you you are going to be all these stories and uh, and that made me more determined than go. Then. This is really weird because they could say, you know, I think you're onto something. You should really go and pursue that.
You can really do it. Go get them tiger, Yeah go yeah, you the man, you know, and and that would have been oh okay, yeah, but having them go never in a million years like oh hell now now it's on that right, you will be gargling those words. I think.
I think negative criticism motiv motivates me, or especially back then, motivated me, but there was always the flip side of it. Would I would turn it inwards as well, So then I would take that and beat myself up. And so I had a lot of like that's like one of my big challenges. I have a horrible negative voice that's gotten better over the years and the work that I've done.
Yeah, but yeah, let your resume cure you.
Yeah, but also like mental health work and therapy and everything, like I've had to put a lot of time into just you know, silencing that or not even silencing it, but learning not to listen to it, so you know fully. But so yeah, I think I think the negative or people being naysayers really did light a fire out my ass. But I would also take that home and kind of look in the mirror and be like, oh, you're not
going to amount to anything either, right or whatever. And then I so it was a constant battle of like, no, I'm going to prove them wrong, and then it'd be like, no, they're right.
Oh no, I'm going to prove them wrong. There right.
So I think it would have been a good balance of like I think ideally it would have been a little bit of like, I don't know, I don't know.
If you can do that, but maybe you should try. Yes, there, you know. So it's kind of find that balance of like, oh, okay, well I'll support you in it. Yeah, I don't know. If you do it, it's like, all right, I'll show you. Yeah. Yeah, Well you know the idea of being talked out of attempting it, yeah, no, no, no, no, I because you know, you know I really should have you know, you know
what I should have done. And I remember at an early age thinking to myself, phone, I never want to because you hear the older guys, your older uncles or neighbors or anybody you know, well, you know, you know, I own this store here, and you know, I sell candy, and I you know what I really wanted to do though, Yeah, you know what I really wanted to do. And I realized at a very early age, I don't ever want to make that statement.
No, no, I I that's something that like really resonates, is you know, especially nowadays. Like I think back when I was growing up, there was this illusion of like job security, like longevity. You were in a job, you were you had that job for twenty thirty years. But now you look at it like and it's like people that have had the job for twenty years just get let go. Yeah, And it's like what happened to like loyalty,
what happened to me? It's like, well, there's no such thing if it's that volatile now and there's no such thing as job security anymore or as much as there was, like in the sixties, seventies, eighties, why not go after the thing.
That, oh you're passioned about? Yeah, well, I worked in a steel mill right out of high school. There was a Bruce Springsteen song on like I can't remember the name of it, but it was about getting a union card. On your eighteenth birthday. I actually did that, okay, when I was I graduated when I was seventeen, and I remember my aunt and hand bless her heart, she gave me a ride down to the afl Cio. It was the steel mill, and I on my eighteenth birthday I
could finally worked there. So I went down and applied and I got in and I got my union card and I was working at a steel mill. And I ran into all these guys and this and that and on and on and on. And I worked there for a year year, maybe not quite a year and a half. And I remember after at that point I had left Youngstown blah blah blah. And then all these people that were if you made it twenty years, you got retirement,
you got a severance, you got this and that. And there were so many people that worked for like sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen years and they just had to walk away. The steel mil just shut down. It shut down.
That was it.
Imagine And man, you had your nineteen and a half years in and all you got was unemployment, and you had to keep plugging away for another, I don't know, twenty years til you hit sixty five and then you
got some retirement social security. Yeah, but I mean at that point, you've been doing the same thing for nineteen years over here and nobody cares what you did in a steel mill, you know, and you didn't get any practical experience for anything other than going besides like hunkered down and do it.
I remember I had a conversation with my dad because I was always kind of like my dad has always been like, do whatever I have to do to provide for my family, and you know, and figure out improvising the moment, and so I think, like, you know, later on, once careers start to go a little bit better for me,
we sat down and had a conversation. I was like, you know, something that's always blown me away about you, is that is that you know, you've had this job, you know, this job that he had, and you know, I can't imagine doing that, like waking up every day and doing that, like and I always thought there was something wrong with me because you know, I couldn't imagine being an engineer waking up every day and working on other people.
It was a goal. Yeah, for you, it was something to be a voice.
Is the only thing that's ever that I've ever woken like I can wake up without an alarm to do you know what I mean. No one's ever had to motivate me to be artistic and a performer. And he was like, oh, but I've always been passionate about what I do.
And I was like, oh, now I.
Get it, because I always thought that there was something wrong with me in the sense of like how can my dad do it? How can my dad hustle like this? And and I can't find that fire in me unless I'm doing this. Yeah, And he was like, no, there's specific there's a specific part of the job that fires me up that I'm passionate about.
That's all. I get it. Yep, I get it because that's to be able to have that conversation with him and you know, for us to talk, you know, person to person and and and you know, being a place to to talk about like why didn't you agree with like my decision to act and him be in a place to be like I was just worried. Yeah, I was just really worried. Yeah. Yeah. It was like I'm
the biggest fan and I was just worried. Yeah. And I was like, yeah, but again, maybe, like you said, maybe it was concerned, yeah, because they would say, yeah, but what are you going to do for a living? Yeah, but how are you going to eat? How are you going to make money? I go, yeah, but what if I do it well enough to make money? Yeah.
The argument that I had for people was that you know what, Okay, so I can go after this thing where I might not make much money, but it brings me joy, right, and hopefully it affects people in a positive way. Or I can pick this other job where it allows me to buy a house and I have a car, I have a family, I have the white picket fence, and it's the ideal, right picture of like what life should be.
And I wake up every morning and I hate my life. Like is that sustainable? Right? I'd much rather be.
Happy, affect people in a positive way, spread light and struggle financially.
Yeah, ideally both It's all good except that last part. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I do believe.
I do believe in the idea of abundance and there's enough for everybody, and you know, so I'm not worried about that. But you know, at the time, it was that, you know, early on, especially where it's like working retail working at a twenty four hour burrito place and background work, doing stand and work, like just hustling everywhere I could.
To just you know, I know this is gonna I know I'm doing the right thing, and I got to.
Just keep going and figure out, like how do I maintain it? How do I keep putting food on the table or paying rent in order to.
Like pursue this thing. M there you go, Yeah, yeah, keys to the Kingdom, Keys to the happiness. That's the answer. Yes, yeah, it kind of is. It really is do whatever you have to do.
Yeah, that that's that's something I get asked by some people, is like, oh, you know, like I feel kind of, you know, sad that I have to have like multiple jobs and everything, and I don't know if I can put as much time into my acting.
I was like, don't ever feel ashamed about like having to like these side gigs or whatever in order to have a roof over your head and feed yourself and feed your loved ones, and also, on top of that, give you the opportunity to pursue this thing, because one day it'll happen. It's just right now, is really you don't lose to you quit exactly exactly. That's what I
tell people too. Is anybody that tells you didn't work out, it's because they stopped doing it, not to say there's anything wrong with that.
I used to look down on it early on, and then and then I saw people struggling and I was learning more and more, and I was like, oh my god, there's there's something really I I tip my hat off to people that can realize, oh, my heart isn't in this, especially when you put years. Yeah, and then to have that realization and be like, oh, my heart's not in it, I'm not passionate about this.
I think I gotta do something different like that. That's really cool your head from banging your head against the walm, Yeah exactly. I mean, you know, you just keep going until until you won't have it in you anymore, or or you keep going until you're underground, until you make it until Yeah, but that's what I mean. Yeah, there's two things that are going to stop you. Your heart's not in it. Or you know that should stop you. Your heart's not in it, you die, that's true. Yeah,
that's second one. Yeah, that'll do. That's the only guarantee, that's no kidding. Yeah. Well, we should we should do some voice swampage, don't you think?
Yeah?
Yeah. If you're a fan of everything we do here at tuned In with Jim Cummings, you could support the show on Patreon for bonus exclusive podcasts, as well as early in ad free access to the show itself, prize drawings, and more. You'll feel the difference, So go ahead and join the tuned in family today at patreon dot com slash Jim Cummings Podcast. Do it now, Oh man, I'm certain to sweat all right, Okay, let's see. I know that you like Tigger, but and you don't have to
do Tigger. You have to do it and you could say his kid here, take it away, Christopher.
Ye.
Yeah, you help a voice from like Assassin's Creed. You would do your character from Assassin's Creed.
Which is just like a deep Arabic accent or a light Arabic accent.
So you do, like whatever Jim says, whatever line, you just imitate that line, but in your character voice, okay, and vice versa. Okay, yeah, and then you would take a character whoever, whichever character that you've performed as Okay, you say a line of theirs Jim will imitate it as one of his characters, like dark Wing or Winnie the Pooh or whatever.
Okay, okay, alright, so sure, alrighty you want to start it off? Sure, sure, okay, So, and do I say it in the character? Okay?
Character?
We work in the dark to serve the light. Okay, who should that be? Maybe? Uh? Pooh? I think would be we work in the dark to shave the light. And of course the honey. You must save the honey.
Assassin.
I never thought i'd want to see Pooh with like an assassin blade.
Yes, and I don't know how to use this to scoop honey. Yeah, yes, justicerel that is not why what we use that for? I just need the honey. I never knew I wanted to say that so bad. Yeah, there's there's no manual with this stuff. So let's see. I guess it's my turn now. Okay, So dark Wing Duck we'll do so, okay, or should it be dark Wing Darkway's good? And uh, character of your choice? You could return. I am the terror that flaps in the night. Okay, Okay?
Do you off the top of my head, do you know any other characters that I've done that would be like, I could just do it as best.
I mean, Agent Stone.
Yeah, okay, so I am the terror that flaps, and I am the terror that flaps in the night.
Doctor, I am the terror that flaps in the night. Here's that's not very terry. Terry. That's not a word. That's a terror terrory. Yeah, I'm just trying. I'm trying to think of of voice. I can't think I could do I could do best.
You did a voice in Star Wars, did you not in the video game?
Yeah, I don't know if I can I can do the voice because it the characters haven't been divulged.
You're restricted.
Yeah, yeah, we do a bad Yoda. No, I'm just I'm the tear that flap. How would Yoda say? I am the tear that flaps in the night? Uh, terror, I am flapping the night? I do That's pretty good? Yeah like that, Okay, I could see the ears. It's more like Yoda from from Return of the Jedi.
Dempression to do who's your favorite?
Oh? My favorite impression? I mean I used to do Jim a lot. I used to do Ace a lot.
I don't know if I could try. I could try an a spincer. I could try an a spinster if you.
Give me a line? Oh, okay, how about or I could give him and then he gives me a line.
I'll do it, sure, Okay, okay, I'm in Psycho's Bill and Thinkles the Mayor.
That was really good. That was really good. I would complete with face. I would have known who that was with the sound down. Okay, okay, nice, Okay. So I'm in Psychosville and Finkles the Mayor. Okay, and am I dark? Who am I dark wing? Or Tigger?
Do you wanna whoever?
I am? In Psychovill and Frinkles the Mayor? This is great? Great? Okay, all right, I'm a happy guy. Man, what line? Give me a line? Give you see if? Okay, I'm sorry, Jim, No, this good.
How about do the do a robotic line?
Yes?
Robotic?
Oh, let me guess you must be a friend of sigg Let me guess you must be a friend of smigly ll me guess you must be a friend of Smiggy. Yes, that's.
That's great. I love the manner.
Yeah you have to really commit yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. Well he's he's a huge fan of the show, so he'll probably be calling you and congratulating you. Don't ever do that again. Yes, got you, Jim, I'm sorry, no problem, boss, you got a pal? Hey yeah, Sonic four you bet? Yeah. Now, I'm just like I want us to do this all day. I'm just trying to figure out voices and stuff of like we could do. But yeah, it's like I wish I had more of a toolkit. I don't know. You're doing pretty well, well, thank you.
I like, what do you have coming up next for you? Do you have anything that you want to plug? Anything you want to say, some advice to give?
I mean the advice I think we've talked a lot about just you know, if it's something you want to do, you just keep going for it. Don't let anybody tell you you can't do it.
That's right.
And then as far as stuff coming out, I got yeah, I I I'm doing a voice a couple of voices in the new Star Wars game.
Nice, and we've.
Got Sonic three coming out December twentieth, and uh, I'm on a show right now.
I don't know if I can talk about the show. Yeah, don't you hate that? Yeah? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, but be on the lookout, yeah, yeah, fun show on Amazon. Look is what I'll say.
Yeah, all right, yeah there you go.
Yeah, yeah, thank you, thank thanks for having me. This was a blast. Oh do this for like four hours all day. It's just today.
Feel free to come feel free to come back on Yeah.
Yeah, yeah amazing. I would thank you so much. Thank you so much, Jim, Thank you so so much. All right, fantastic.
Thank you again everybody for watching another episode of Tune In with Jim Cummings. I'm producer Chris, Jim. How are you doing today?
It's another Dan in Paradise.
Yeah, with thank you for joining us today. Really appreciate it.
Before we end, my sister is gonna kill me if I don't ask you to have Okay, two sisters say something as so.
Her name's Aisha. If you could say hi to Aisha as Pete will, how you doing there, a Sha? I can only imagine what an incredible spill it must be to meet me. And then Mary is very shy. Yes, he's super shy. I love Pete. And then Miriam loves uh your character from the Frog, Prince, the Prince, the Princess of the Frog. Yes, well, Miriam, I are you doing don It is me, your buddy, Ray the don made me light my butt. I'm kidding with your doll it go ahead, it made me light my budd It's
all right. Thank you so much. Don't try that at home. Thank you so much. Oh, thank you. Yeah. I didn't want to ask and I was like, you know what, my sisters, I gotta I ask you. Wow, that's what it's all about. Smiles on faces. I appreciate you. Thanks for bringing your smile and face. Thank you so much.
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Com slash Jim Cummings Podcast, be there or rectangular?
Yes, I got it on the first try and we'll see you in the next one.
Thank you very much and great, it was a good first day. Yeah, jump in on anything. What time is it