Gary Cole Steps Into The Booth
Gary Cole is a world-recognized character actor. His resume is too extensive to list everything he’s done here, but some of his highlights include roles in Dodge Ball, The West Wing, Talladega Nights, The Brady Bunch Movies, Pineapple Express, Desperate Housewives, In the Line of Fire, and much more. Of course, his most famous role is probably as Bill Lumbergh in the cult classic Office Space.
What’s less well-known is that Mr. Cole is also a very busy voice actor, working on several hit shows such as Kim Possible, Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, King Of The Hill, Justice League, and Batman Beyond. I recently had the chance to speak briefly with Mr. Cole and I asked him about his experiences working in the recording booth.
MS: How is it different working behind the microphone versus being in front of the camera?
GC: Well, a lot of times you’re working isolated. You know, very few times are you actually working with the other people you’re doing scenes with. The scheduling gets complicated, trying to get everyone together.
MS: Do you enjoy the work?
GC: It’s fun! Again, it’s creating a character, reacting to material… and the great thing is you can just roll out of bed and get there!
Leave it to Gary Cole to find the true joy in doing voice over work!
One of the best parts of watching an animated film or television show is hearing that familiar voice that makes you say…”I know that actor/actress…” I just saw “9″ recently and was blown away by how perfect each actor/actress was for his/her role. It’s definitely a very different experience from being onscreen, as you must paint a picture for yourself as you’re in the booth. Gary is one of those guys whose voice may pop up where you least expect it, but you know it when you hear it!
Well, there you have it. Voice acting advice from Bill Lumbergh himself, (or Gary Cole as many of you would refer to him as.) After seeing a lot of big name actors do voice over work for animated films with many of them doing fantastic jobs, there are still many tv/film actors, even seasoned ones, who have a hard time transitioning behind the microphone and sounding natural. Its a whole different world and its yours to rule, so get out there and flex your golden pipes and let your voice be heard.
Gary Cole is phenominal at creating his characters using his voice. As you mentioned, going through his resume of work he’s done is extensive, but thinking about the characters, they’re all so unique and dynamic. You can just look at him and think “Yeah… I’m gonna need you to come in on Saturday…” I couldn’t imagine that it would be a hard transition for him to relay his characters through a microphone.