Have You Ever Used Your Actual Speaking Voice In A Role?

A few times when I was in a show playing a character with no accent, I've always changed my actual voice a bit anyway. The reason is because my true speaking voice is extremely monotone/not very expressive and, as a result, I sound very sarcastic all of the time. So I'd deepen my voice for one show or make it higher for another show and had always thought this was kind of not cool to do.

But then I started watching interviews with actors who have done the same thing. Like how James Gandolfini's actual voice is much different from Tony Soprano's and Bill Paxton actually has a much higher voice than the one he regularly uses for roles. Rip Torn's actual voice is also much higher (The only time I actually heard him use his real voice was in THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH). Then there's Gilbert Gottifried who, in reality, has a quite normal voice in contrast to his obnoxious shouting that he uses all of the time.

So my question is: Do you modify your voice just a bit or use your actual voice?

Updated On: 7/19/07 at 01:31 PM

Sandwich.. you like to start random threads about yourself. There an okay read.. but it's a bit annoying.

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ANYWAY . . . to answer the question at hand . . . it really depends on the character in which you are playing. For example, I am from S.C., so I have a *mild* southern accent, but if I playing a character from N.Y., I need to modify my voice to where the accent is not present. Or if I am playing someone, like Marcellous in THE MUSIC MAN (which I am currently playing), my vocals are a little more exagerated and bigger than my actual speaking voice because of who that character is.

Now, when I played a character in an one act play where my character was aptly named "Man" and I just sat at a dinner table and talked, I used my actual speaking voice because it wasn't necessary for me to not use it.

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On that note ... I was Ling (one of the two Chinese) in Anything Goes, but it was casted pretty funnily because I was the only Asian - my counterpart, Ching, was white. So, the way we were directed, he was the one who could barely string a sentence in English together while I had a borderline British accent, the way I was directed to enunciate and make it clear how educated I was. I guess it's a judgment call on the part of the actor and director and what the part calls for. Like, Jocko in Gypsy just calls for a sort of brash, rude voice that would be the antithesis of, say, Oscar in Sweet Charity, ya know? And if your normal speaking voice suits one or the other ... ::shrug::

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Updated On: 7/19/07 at 03:01 PM

If it is appropriate I use my normal voice, but the stage version.