All language subtitles for Masterclass - Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting_Full

The tip of the tongue,
the lips, and the teeth.

The tip of the tongue,
the lips, and the teeth.

Red leather, yellow leather.

Red leather, yellow leather.

What a to-do to die today
at a minute or two to two?

A thing distinctly hard to
say, but harder still to do.

A thing distinctly hard to
say, but harder still to do.

For the beat a tattoo,
at a quarter to 2:00,

with rat, tat, tat, tat,
tat, tat, tat, tat to do.

And the dragons will come.

And they sound a drum at a
minute or two to 2:00 today,

at a minute or two to 2:00.

Hey, Jeff, how are
the levels here?

JEFF: Sounds good, Nancy.

Good.

I'm going to tell you a little
story about a girl from Ohio.

Though she wasn't the
biggest or the strongest,

what she could do
was talk a lot.

I cut my hair like this.

Who do you think would win
a cute prize, a baby unicorn

sneezing or a puppy riding a--

sneezing or a puppy riding a--

you must owe Mario
a lot of money.

NANCY: So she joined her
your high school speech team.

And she was good at it.

And the camel said, harrumph!

[APPLAUSE]

NANCY: So the girl got a
job at a radio station,

where she saw that you could
make a living with your voice.

(SINGING) WING,
winging it in Dayton.

NANCY: She even got
to create a character

to perform on the air.

Lifeguard Lilypad
at your service.

This isn't a hot tub.

Get swimming.

[WHISTLES]

NANCY: At the
station, the girl met

NANCY: At the
station, the girl met

a nice lady who gave
her contacts for people

in the animation industry.

All right!

NANCY: And one outstanding
phone number for Daws Butler,

voice of Huckleberry Hound,
Elroy Jetson, Yogi Bear--

You hear what I hear, Boo Boo?

NANCY: --and so many more.

When she called him, she
got an answering machine.

PERCIVAL (ON ANSWERING
MACHINE): Um, hello.

This is Percival Pickles,
Mr. Butler's butler.

Mr. Butler's not home right now.

If you'd like to leave a
message, wait for the beep.

If you'd like to leave a
message, wait for the beep.

Beep.

[BEEP]

(ENGLISH ACCENT)
Oh, hello, Mr. Butler.

I'm Nancy Cartwright.

And I'm very interested
in voice acting.

Why don't you just give me
a ring on the old telly.

Thank you very much.

Pip, pip, cheerio.

(NORMAL ACCENT) Oh, I
can't believe I did that.

[PHONE RINGS]

NANCY: He called
back immediately.

[GASPS]

NANCY: And just like that,
a beautiful friendship

was formed.

Now Nancy had a
mentor to teach her

how to use her unique voice.

So she moved to Hollywood
and started her career.

So she moved to Hollywood
and started her career.

She worked her way up,
and eventually did voices

for hit cartoons.

What are we going
to do, Richie?

It's just an expression.

"Get down" means to boogie.

You've simply just got
to set your mind to it.

NANCY: Then one day, she got
an audition for the voice

of a little girl named Lisa.

But Nancy noticed
another monologue

for a school-hating, 10-year-old
underachiever with spiky hair.

So the girl asked to
read for him instead.

Eat my shorts.

NANCY: She was
hired immediately.

And that show won
countless awards

And that show won
countless awards

and became the longest
running scripted show

in the history of the world.

I'm Bart Simpson.

Who the hell are you?

NANCY: After 40 years of doing
voiceovers, the girl thought,

why don't I share my
story with everyone else?

Now I can give advice
to all those people

who love doing silly
voices and have big dreams.

Hi.

Welcome to my class.

Welcome to my class.

A voiceover booth can get
a little claustrophobic.

So how about we do this?

[SNAPS]

Oh, yeah, that's better.

Pretty cool, right?

I had MasterClass animate me.

Why?

What better way to
learn about voice

acting than from an
animated character?

And check this out.

(HIGH VOICE) Hey there.

[LAUGHS]

Fun.

OK, guys, in this
class, I'll teach you

everything about
voice acting, how

everything about
voice acting, how

to develop your characters,
performance tips,

and how to start
out in the industry.

I'll even share
some life lessons

that are useful, no matter
what your career path is.

And I'll demonstrate how
I bring animation to life

by voicing several
original characters

from a show we made just for
you called "No Effort Girl."

You'll learn how to
distinguish your characters

and give them depth so they
feel like they could almost

take on a life of their own.

So let's get started.

So let's get started.

I'm Nancy Cartwright.

And this is my Mas--

Wait.

What are you doing?

I'm doing the
MasterClass line.

But I'm the real Nancy.

I'll do it.

I'm Nancy Cartwright
and this is my--

Um, no I'm going to be
doing most of the talking,

and you are just in that
recording booth the whole time.

So I should say the line.

But you're not real.

You're a cartoon.

Just a cartoon?

I'll have you know, I
have all your thoughts,

all your memories.

I'm just like you but cuter.

I'm just like you but cuter.

This is crazy.

I voice you.

How are we even
talking right now?

I mean, I could
try to explain it,

but then we'd be here all day.

And we have a lot of
material to cover.

Fine, how about this?

We say the lines
at the same time.

OK, that works.

OK, great, on three.

1, 2, 3.

I'm Nancy Cartwright,
and this is my MasterClass.

You are the worst.

[LAUGHS] Yes, you are.

Let's get started.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Voice
acting is magical,

because it starts to me
with the word animate.

And animate means
to bring life to.

It means to inject life.

You take on and you do a
character, you create it.

We are giving life to
an inanimate object.

We are giving life to
an inanimate object.

Voice acting has to do
with using all this,

all the mechanics you
got, like, in this area.

[LAUGHS] From your neck on
up, including your ears.

It has to do with your
larynx and your pharynx,

your vocal cords, the nasal
cavity, the cheeks, the teeth,

the jaw line.

All this has to do
with making sound.

It has to do with
pinching your nose shut

to make sound effects.

There's a whole
livelihood in this.

There's a whole
livelihood in this.

You can-- lots of people
have found success

in doing voiceover
work for films,

for television, for audiobooks,
narrating, doing character

work, which is super fun.

I think it's really
important to make

clear the difference between
working in front of the camera

as an on camera
actor and working

behind the camera as
a voiceover actor.

There are similarities in that
you are developing a character.

There are similarities in that
you are developing a character.

That's the most
important thing is

that you've made a character
out of whole cloth,

meaning it's substantial.

You can back it up.

There's no wavering.

You're not confused
about who you're playing.

It's like it's 100%
committed to that character.

That would be the
same behind the camera

as it would be in
front of the camera.

But the main difference is
that with voiceover work,

all you have is your voice.

Another thing that
individuates voice

acting from on camera
acting is there's

acting from on camera
acting is there's

lots of room for improvisation.

Studying whatever you can,
whether it's singing or improv

classes, all that can
do nothing but help you.

Your imagination is everything.

So when you go in
and do an audition

or when you get
the job, you just

continue to create
on this character.

And this really
comes in handy when

you're doing take number four
and the director has just said,

you know what?

Let's just do another one.

Let's just do another one.

I think we got what we want,
but let's just try another one.

This time just let it loose.

Just do it, just fly with it.

And that's when,
to me, that ends up

being the take that they
like, because there's

a lot of freedom in
that kind of expression.

So there are a lot
of tools that one

can use in order to make
characters come to life.

You've got pacing, you've
got timing, you've got pitch,

you've got attitude,
you've got intention.

What's the purpose of your
character, the relationship

that your character has with
the other characters that

that your character has with
the other characters that

are in the script?

So real Nancy is
going to show you

what that looks like,
since my mouth is just

a pink line around a black hole.

Go for it.

Thanks.

And I love your
hair, by the way.

I can never get that volume.

Seriously.

Let me give you guys
a little demonstration

of what I'm talking about here.

For example, I'm just going
to do a random character.

This is just a little character
that I can use as our example.

This is just a little character
that I can use as our example.

So this is Chip.

This is Chip,
because I think he's

got a little chip like in the
middle of his tooth right here.

So one of the things
that you can do.

I just slip out of
Chip right there.

One of the things that you
can do as a voice actor

is to change the pitch
of your character.

And pitch is like high, low.

So I can take Chip and I
can make Chip really super--

I can make him a little
bit lower like this

or I can lift him way
up high like this.

And it sort of sounds like he
could be a little bit younger,

And it sort of sounds like he
could be a little bit younger,

especially if I slow
him down a little bit.

And that gets into a whole
different subject, speed.

So if I make it
super high and super,

like, make him a
little bit slower,

he sounds younger
and like I'm trying

to figure out what I'm saying.

But mom, don't do that.

No, it's mine.

I want to show you
how to do that.

I want to show you
how to do that.

So if I were to speed him up
and say he were just like a, oh

my gosh, we got to
get out of here.

I can't believe it.

Mom, we're going to
be late for school.

How many times do I have to tell
you, you've got to go faster,

mom.

But oh, I knew it
was going to be OK.

Like that.

That changes it.

That's speeding him up.

I can also really take Chip
and say, it's been a long day.

It's been a super long day.

I'm really, I'm so tired.

Mommy, I'm tired.

Can you just-- can you just--

Can you just-- can you just--

I love you.

You see what I mean?

It's like it can
help you in terms

of the age of the character and
the attitude of the character.

So speaking of attitude,
that's a whole different tool

that you can use.

So if Chip is a happy go lucky
guy and he's just so, yes,

today's my first day of
school, and I can hardly

wait to get started.

I'm in the first grade, and
I think today that we're--

I'm in the first grade, and
I think today that we're--

I'm not-- actually,
I'm not sure what

we're going to be
learning about,

but we'll find that out
when I get to school.

So he's a happy, willing to like
experience life kind of a guy.

But if Chip was not such a happy
dude and he had a bad morning,

Chip would sort of
like, look what happens

when I do this voice like this.

My face even gets--

I can't help it.

I'm a-- I just can't help it.

I'm a-- I just can't help it.

Everything changes so much.

Look at even my forehead even
crunches up here, because my--

I don't want to do it.

This is acting.

This is just acting.

Attitude.

Geez, there's all different
kinds of attitudes.

And attitudes and emotions, to
me, kind of go hand in hand.

Because Chip, when he's
pissed off, he's like this,

and his attitude is not so very
good, but he's also very angry.

and his attitude is not so very
good, but he's also very angry.

Another tool that you
can use is placement.

And this is a bit tricky,
and this is just technique.

So this is regular Chip.

But if I was to make Chip
closer to the back of my throat,

this is like Chip that's stuck.

And it changes the whole
thing a little bit.

But he's still got this
lisp that identifies.

That lisp identifies
that specificness

That lisp identifies
that specificness

about that character, is if
he's got a split here, kind

of like Mara Wilson did
in "Mrs. Doubtfire," who

inspired that voice.

Anyway, so this is like
when it's stuck way back

in the back of my throat.

But if I were to take Chip
and make him more nasally,

then he would sort of
be going like this.

And that places it back up
here, more in my nasal passages.

And that places it back up
here, more in my nasal passages.

You see?

And it just creates a whole--

and if I were to take
the attitude of Chip

and so I would to
like do him like that

and put a little accent on
it and make him more nasally,

that makes him a whole
different sort of a character.

Another tool is volume.

So volume is a tricky
thing, because I

have this relationship with
my mic, Mr. Microphone,

and I don't want
to get too close.

Although getting close
can also help you.

Although getting close
can also help you.

Because for Chip,
if he's whispering--

so to demonstrate, it'd be like.

So Kelly, Kelly, come here.

I just have to say
something to you.

Come here.

Kelly.

Kelly.

Did you know that I still
have all my baby teeth?

See, you can use
that relationship

with the microphone.

But on the other hand, if
it's like, Chip is at school

and he's calling off to
a guy in the playground.

and he's calling off to
a guy in the playground.

And he's saying,
Jack, Jack, stop it.

I told you to stop it.

That's mine.

I got to actually literally pull
myself on my-- and I even check

with mister friendly engineer.

Jeff.

JEFF: Yes?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: How
are we doing here?

JEFF: It's a little hot.

Maybe back off a hair.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: That's good.

That's good direction.

So I got what he said.

All right, we try that again.

Jack, Jack, stop it.

Jack, Jack, stop it.

That's mine.

That's mine.

That's not yours.

How's that?

Is this a little
bit better, Jeff?

JEFF: Way better.

Thank you.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Good.

You've got this relationship
that you have to deal with.

And we'll get into that a
little bit more later too.

You know, there's another
one that a lot of people

don't think about.

It's a handy little
tool called intention.

That has to do with
your idea of getting

across what you are
trying to communicate

to the listener or the viewer.

to the listener or the viewer.

It's an incredible tool to use.

And without that, you
got all these mechanics.

It's like I've got a headset
on, I've got a microphone.

There's all this
electronic stuff

up here within the microphone.

Look at all these cords
that lead into the wall that

then goes to the engineer.

And then once it's record--

you've got to have a
very strong intention

you've got to have a
very strong intention

to get that message
or that script,

that text delivered from you
and your heart and your passion,

your soul, to the public.

So intention is
very, very important.

Another thing that's
super important is timing.

I'm just saying.

Especially in comedy.

The writer is going to give
you a lot of help in that area,

The writer is going to give
you a lot of help in that area,

but you as the artist have
to take those written words

that the author has put there,
you take them in, look at them,

they go into whatever this
magic is as an artist,

and whatever comes out,
that's your communication.

And so that idea of--

you'll get a sense of timing.

Nobody can teach
you about timing.

Well, a director can
say, you know what,

Well, a director can
say, you know what,

can you give me a little pause?

Can you give me a little
pause between this word

and that word?

Just give me a
little break there.

He's helping you out.

He or she is helping you
out quite a bit there.

But as an artist, you have
the ability to do that.

And give different options
when you are auditioning.

You're going to
want to give two,

three, four different options
when you submit an audition

piece.

piece.

So change it up.

They don't want you to
be the same every time.

They want to hear a difference.

They want to hear
that you're flexible,

that you can take direction.

And you have to be able to
listen to what's needed,

duplicate it, and then
repeat it as needed.

Everybody will be happy.

Another invaluable tool is range
and finding out for yourself

what your range is.

Range has to do with
as high as you can go

Range has to do with
as high as you can go

and as low as you can go with
your voice and all the aspects

in the middle of it.

It has to do with the placement
of the voice, the quality

of it, whether it's scratchy
or smooth or it's like velvet

or it's gravelly.

Guys have an
advantage, it seems,

that they have an Adam's
Apple, and their range,

men can go way, way
down low, and then

they can tighten
it up a little bit

they can tighten
it up a little bit

and then with more imagination
and character development come

up with a whole new character.

Women have that same advantage.

We don't have a falsetto,
but we have soprano.

So if I were to take
a voice and just

if I were to take
Chip and drop him,

Chip, Chip, take Chip,
Chip, Chip, and drop

Chip way, way, way, way,
opening up my vocal passages.

And I'm going way so-- so I'm
doing super way down here.

Sort of sounds like Nancy's
got maybe laryngitis.

Sort of sounds like Nancy's
got maybe laryngitis.

And if I scratch it up a
little bit, this is like, OK.

Now and I bring my bring my
voice up a little bit higher.

I can scratch it and
make it sound like this

is a teenager on steroids.

I'm trying to get it clear.

And then as I go up higher
and higher and I get clear

and I start to tighten
it up even more

and more, as you can see, I'm
getting younger and younger.

And I bring it up super high.

And this is a range
that's incredible.

So I've gone down from
way, way down, way, way,

So I've gone down from
way, way down, way, way,

way down there, way, way down
there, to way, way up here.

You can have one voice,
and that one voice you've

got a plethora of characters
just by changing pitch,

by changing volume,
attitude, emotion, placement,

these tools.

As for Bart Simpson,
when we first started out

As for Bart Simpson,
when we first started out

on the "Tracey Ullman
Show" he was to me

based on that description
that I read at the audition,

he was a high school hating
10-year-old underachiever

and proud of it.

So to me, it was
very much a one note.

But when that show went into
the half hour, that was amazing,

because a half hour show gives
you all the freedom to create

a well-rounded, so
to speak, character,

a fully fleshed out
character, if you will.

a fully fleshed out
character, if you will.

The evolution, not only
of Bart but of all the

characters that all of us did.

And it's through doing this
consistently and regularly

for all these years that
you do see at the beginning

that there were changes that
sort of naturally happened.

I settled into a sound.

Bart at the very beginning
was kind of like,

he was a little bit
lower place down here.

But as the season went
on, this is kind of

But as the season went
on, this is kind of

like where Bart has been for the
past 20 years, like right here.

This is like me talking
to you, and then I

switch into Bart Simpson
very effortlessly.

BART SIMPSON: Yeah, eat my
shorts. (SINGING) Butt man,

na, na, na, na, na,
na, na, butt man.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: As
you're starting out

creating characters, I
would keep that in mind.

This is a clue for you guys.

Make it as simple
for you as possible

and use your own voice.

And then from that, you
can add on layer by layer

an attitude, a scratch,
a split in the teeth,

an attitude, a scratch,
a split in the teeth,

an energy, the pacing, all these
tools that I've talked about.

It's very important that
you develop your own identity

as to who you are and what
kind of voices you do.

Not everybody is supposed to do
every single voice out there.

The late, great Don
Lafontaine established--

I'm going to call it a
voice print, because it's

like a thumb print.

It's unique unto you.

So this guy-- if I were
to say, in a world--

So this guy-- if I were
to say, in a world--

you know, I can't--

I can only drop my voice so low.

But his voice-- (LOWER)
in a world full of stress

and strife, da da da.

He did, like, 5,000 trailers.

He did so many
voiceovers, this guy.

He went from studio to
studio, because he created

such a recognizable,
branded personality,

so that when
producers wanted to do

an announce voice for
their trailer, it's like,

get Don Lafontaine.

get Don Lafontaine.

Because that's the
sound that he created.

In coming up with
characters, you're

going to find a
specific niche of voices

that you tend to go to.

Like for me, for example,
I found fairly quickly

that my strength was in
doing little character

voices of little
children, whether they

were snorks or Pound Puppies,
animals, it doesn't matter.

I just found for myself that
there were certain areas

that I lean towards.

For me to try to be a mother,
the sound of my mother

For me to try to be a mother,
the sound of my mother

sounds very much like
the sound of my kid.

So I found that for
myself, by taking my voice

and just tweaking
it a little bit,

I could make that
teenage girl younger.

So I really
concentrated on that,

and it served me very well.

I started getting cast
playing young parts.

Oh, goody.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT:
Some were aliens.

You don't understand.

You don't understand.

I'm from Twinkle Twinkle,
where everyone can do magic.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: And
there were teenage girls.

I've got a secret.

Billy Big Dipper isn't
really from Saturn.

Clarence Comet is
flunking everything.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT:
And occasionally, I

would do the voice of
like a My Little Pony.

Who cares what the
sun was doing when he

had to leave his one true love?

Yeah, how can
you ask a question

like that at a time like this?

It took actually me getting
cast on The Simpsons that I

realized that I had this area
that I excelled in, which was

realized that I had this area
that I excelled in, which was

doing these quirky
male voices or tomboys,

because there was a certain
quality that I can take on that

this-- this sound, apparently,
there was a lot of agreement

that the natural sound of my
voice sounded a little bit more

like a boy.

That became a
launching point for me

to develop even more characters.

So you will find your strength,
and that's a good idea.

So you will find your strength,
and that's a good idea.

Play to your strengths.

This is practically
a no-brainer,

what I'm going to
share with you,

and that is to draw from
your own life experiences.

You know, as artists, there
are characters everywhere.

You know, it's your
next-door neighbor.

It's your granddaughter.

It's your son.

It's your daughter.

It's your parents.

It's your Uncle Barney.

It's like, all these
people that you know,

and actually even people
that you don't know--

and actually even people
that you don't know--

you stand in line or
you sit in your car,

and you meet some
gal at fast food.

And there's there's a quality
about that girl that--

you know, she's sort of like
a gum-chewing sort of a gal.

Hey, what did you--

you know, and she gets
into her whole thing,

and she's a fast talker.

Whatever she's doing, I don't
think I got your order right,

blah blah blah.

Take a notebook with you.

Write this down.

On your phone, use the
instant record thing.

Record down, I was
just In-n-Out Burger.

Remember the girl.

Remember the girl that
that messed up my change.

Remember the girl that
that messed up my change.

She was fast talking.

That can go on your
list of characters

as you're developing
a whole catalog of who

these characters are.

You can even name them.

OK, that's Wanda.

And the next day, when you're
going in for an audition,

you can recall what
that special moment was.

That will help you.

So listen, if you're
trying to figure out

what your personal
voice print is,

this is what I would suggest.

Take your pen.

Take a piece of paper.

You could draw a
line down the middle,

and just start putting
qualities down,

like grumpy, nervous, speaks
real slow, a gruff voice,

angry, shy.

Just do a bunch of modifiers
describing personalities.

And then on the other
side, you could put down

a mother, a father, a teenage
boy, an eight-year-old boy,

a mother, a father, a teenage
boy, an eight-year-old boy,

a two-year-old girl, a baby,
the garbage man, a mailman,

a secretary, the
receptionist, a teacher.

You know, you could even
do them in stacks of cards.

That would be a
really good way to go.

Pile number one of modifiers.

Pile number two of
character types.

Pile number three of actions.

Picking up one from each pile
and putting them together,

and you will find that you
will start being really good

at doing a certain
kind of a character,

at doing a certain
kind of a character,

whether it's a young one--
you're really good at doing

young voices, old voices--

you will find that by
experience and by practicing.

Drill, drill, drill and
you'll figure it out yourself.

I feel that if you can figure
out what your brand is,

meaning your specific area that
you excel in and you do that--

be the best teenager you can
be, be the best announcer,

be the best teenager you can
be, be the best announcer,

be the best mother--

be the best at whatever
that is, and you'll become

the go-to person for casting.

If you're going to start
a career in voiceovers,

there's a few things
you need to know.

Number one, the
most important thing

is you've got to be yourself.

You have your own
voice, literally.

You have to commit 100%.

You don't want to do a
voice that has holes in it,

and if you're certain about who
you are and what you are doing,

that is going to
be so much easier.

that is going to
be so much easier.

Another thing, a good
tip, is watch animation.

Be familiar with the ones
that are doing really well,

and watch those shows with
the idea in mind of casting.

Which part would you be?

Which part do you like?

Who's doing something that
you feel you could do?

And you can even make
notes for yourself,

and then you can
refer to it later on.

And a good tip is
to just duplicate

what somebody else
is doing, and then

by changing your pitch,
your tone, your attitude,

by changing your pitch,
your tone, your attitude,

how fast you're speaking,
you can make that your own.

Get out there and perform
and use your family.

Use your friends.

Tell jokes.

Become characters.

Read books out loud.

Read them to children.

Tell stories.

You know, you can
change your voice.

You can become these characters.

Do the kids like it?

And just see what kind
of an effect you create.

And the main thing is if
you love it, bam, go for it.

So let's talk about
the value of mentors.

A mentor is someone who
is going to help you

and are going to guide you
and encourage you and answer

questions and even
open up doors for you.

That's what I think a mentor is.

How you get one--

that is a very difficult
question to answer.

I can tell you a
couple of things.

Number one, be yourself,
and number two,

Number one, be yourself,
and number two,

don't stalk anybody.

I was so fortunate.

I had the opportunity very
early on to meet a mentor.

I learned some pretty
amazing lessons from Daws.

He would send me
scripts, and I'd

mail these back on cassette.

He would listen and
give me a critique

and then mail the
critique back along

with either a letter or
he'd talk into a cassette

himself and evaluate
what I had done.

I don't know what it was, but
he took me under his wing.

He used this expression.

I didn't get it at first, but he
said to me, don't be cosmetic,

unless it's a Saturday night.

I thought, what is he talking
about, don't be cosmetic?

Well, and then I
thought, I guess

cosmetic has to do with
putting something on.

You put cosmetics on your face.

It's makeup.

You're changing something.

You're changing something.

That is exactly what
he was talking about.

Don't be phony.

Don't be fake, because a
microphone is super sensitive.

And more importantly
than that, you're

trying to communicate a message.

And if you're not sincere
about what you're saying,

nobody is going to get it.

Daws never taught
me how to do voices.

In fact, he didn't
teach anybody.

That's not what his job was.

He comes from old radio.

He comes from old radio.

He was a writer.

He was an entertainer, and
he taught me to take a script

and take the writer's words, the
black on white, and make them

my own.

So don't be afraid
to experiment.

This is the time
to make mistakes,

you know, to sound horrible
and then flip that around

to your advantage.

Daws said to me, he said, love
the words, and taste the words.

And this is a lesson to take
with you your whole career.

And this is a lesson to take
with you your whole career.

When Daws and I were working
fairly regularly together, he

said to me, I'd like to take
you to a recording session.

I thought, oh my gosh.

I thought, oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh, this would be so
fantastic to actually see him

in action.

So he picked me up, and we
drove over to Hanna-Barbera.

It was The All-New Popeye Hour.

That was the show, and he
was the voice of Wimpy.

Oh, good morning, everybody.

I trust you are all
enjoying good health.

My, but we do look
lovely today, don't we?

I was around all these--

like the pioneers
of the industry,

and a lot of these people,
I recognized their faces

and a lot of these people,
I recognized their faces

from television shows.

But when Jack Mercer, who
was the voice of Popeye,

opened his mouth, and he started
doing the voice of Popeye,

I was like, whoa!

And oh!

And I had to like, be quiet,
because I was literally

sitting in the room that
they were recording in.

And I couldn't laugh out loud,
and I had to respect that.

And they read it like old radio.

It was done like from
the beginning to the end.

They had their whole script
in front of them, and it was--

They had their whole script
in front of them, and it was--

it was amazing.

And if there was
one gal in there,

her name was Marilyn Schreffler.

She was the voice of Olive Oyl.

And she's doing, (OLIVE
OYL VOICE) Oh, Popeye.

Kind of like that.

But I was being very respectful,
just taking it all in.

So on the way home, Daws
wanted to know from me,

so what do you think, Nancy?

What did you get from that?

I said, oh, Daws, I just,
I think I can do this.

I really think-- I loved it.

I really think-- I loved it.

This was amazing.

I really want to do this.

He goes OK, OK.

Good.

Good, that's good.

But then he said to me,
there's a few things

that you're going
to need to learn,

and I'm going to
help you with that.

Having a mentor definitely can
open up some doors for you,

and at the same time, you
will offer them a challenge,

an opportunity to be able to
kind of like, pass the torch.

You know, it's a satisfying
relationship from both sides.

You know, it's a satisfying
relationship from both sides.

You know, it's symbiotic,
and if you can get that,

that's something to cherish and
appreciate when you have that.

And now I'm passing
the torch on to you.

A demo is your calling card.

It is the most important
tool that you can have

in order to get hired
in this industry.

What do you need to put a
good demo reel together?

What do you need to put a
good demo reel together?

First of all, you
need a quiet place.

You need a super quiet place,
and you can go to a closet

and set up a booth, kind
of, in your own closet.

The clothes-- just reach
your hand in the center

and separate the clothes.

You've got your winter
wardrobe on the left,

and you've got your spring
and summer stuff on the right.

You've got to get rid of
the slippers on the floor

so that you can put your
little chair in there.

You've got to close
it off, so you

can knock out all the
sounds in the background.

Also, the noise inside
has to be quiet.

You want it to be as
clean as possible,

You want it to be as
clean as possible,

so make sure you aren't
wearing any noisy jewelry.

Because I'll tell you, if
there's noise there, listen.

I'm going to give you a
demonstration right now.

This is me scratching my head.

[SCRATCHING]

Can you hear that?

[SCRATCHING]

You don't want any
kind of extraneous noise

at all on your reel.

You want it just to be
pure you, and that's it.

Another thing is that you
have to have copy, a script.

Where do you get that?

Where do you get that?

If you don't write it yourself
or somebody doesn't write it

for you, here's a little tip.

Go through magazines.

Read newspapers.

What I did was I just pulled
out ads from magazines,

and I just rewrote
them, like the keywords

were all there that I needed.

I turned that into a character,
and the next thing you know,

I've got an ad for
Century 21 real estate.

That was not my niche.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: It's all ours.

TERRY MCGOVERN: Yeah,
our first real home.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT:
Oh, I still can't

believe that Mike at
our Century 21 office

believe that Mike at
our Century 21 office

helped us find a
house like this.

TERRY MCGOVERN: That
we can really afford.

VOCALIST: (SINGING) Century 21.

The third thing would
be, keep it simple.

Keep it short.

You don't want to make
your demo tape any longer

than like, one to two minutes.

And only do your
best characters.

I want to hear that you
are 100% committed to doing

that character, so if you
have any doubt in your mind

that this one doesn't
sound grounded, like pure,

that this one doesn't
sound grounded, like pure,

don't do it.

It will hurt you.

Make sure the characters are
an identity of their own.

You don't want them to be all
exactly the same attitude,

the same length.

Kind of mess it up, so that I
as a listener am curious about,

what's the next voice
you're going to do?

So some of them sort
of sound like this.

And some of them are
super, super tiny,

and they sound like this.

Or you got a gal that
sounds like that.

And if I want to do that,
and she's kinda fast-talking,

And if I want to do that,
and she's kinda fast-talking,

and she's not really
thinking about what she's

saying too much, can I do
that as a lead for a character

in an animated show?

Absolutely, positively.

Here's another bright idea.

Put your best thing
up at the front.

Don't save that to the end.

Put that golden nugget
right at the top,

so I can hear who you are.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: (SINGING)
You've never heard a girl,

never heard a girl like
Nancy Cartwright, Cartwright.

The voices are my
own, but they're

yours on a loan for a
very, very, very small fee.

I think the main takeaway
about the demo reel

is, you have to be you.

is, you have to be you.

It's your arsenal.

It's your treasure box of
characters that you love,

and you're confident
about what you've done,

and you're proud of
what you've done.

And you want the world to know
it, or at least casting people.

I have found that we can
have a lot of considerations,

and we can kind of interiorize
on, I can't do as many voices

and we can kind of interiorize
on, I can't do as many voices

as so-and-so.

I feel like I sound too young.

I have a very limited range.

I don't have any connections.

How do I get started?

I don't have a mentor.

I'm probably too old
for this industry.

These are all considerations
that anybody can have,

and I got to tell you
something, just to let you know,

it's normal.

I don't know
anybody that doesn't

have some kind of personal
judgment about themselves.

have some kind of personal
judgment about themselves.

But do yourself a favor,
and don't do that.

Just shove that aside.

Don't have any considerations.

Invest yourself 100%,
and I'm telling you,

you will do so much better.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: So there's
a show that I'm working on--

for you specifically--
called "No-Effort Girl."

We'll be using scripts from
the show in our lessons.

And as a bonus, we'll be
animating my recordings

to give you all a sneak peek
into the animation process.

But before we do that,
I'm gonna show you

how I develop original voices,
starting with our star,

how I develop original voices,
starting with our star,

No-Effort Girl.

Okay, guys, so there's
this description of her

that has so--

it is just like, it doesn't
take a whole lot of intelligence

to look at this.

There's gold mines.

There's little nuggets in here,
little gems, little hints,

of who our girl is.

So it just says here,
"No-Effort Girl is a precocious"

--hello precocious--
"thirteen-year-old girl who

didn't ask to be born with
super strength, x-ray vision,

and the ability to fly--

and the ability to fly--

so lay off her!"

Okay, so that is pretty--
that first sentence there

tells me so much about
who this girl is.

That alone-- I'm telling
you, that alone gives me

tomes to work with.

But it goes on.

"In spite of having to wear
a cumbersome purple retainer"

--seriously?--

"her favorite thing to do
is gab with her best friend,

Yikes the Dragon.

Unfortunately, her
superhero phones

Unfortunately, her
superhero phones

are always ringing off the
hook with annoying calls

to save the day.

And when she finally gets around
to putting on her homemade

costume" --homemade,
that's important--

"she usually fixes
the impossible problem

with basically no effort,
but groans and rolls her eyes

the entire time."

This chick has an attitude, man.

But she's smart.

And she's specific
about what she does.

"Underneath, she loves
all the attention

she gets from helping others."

she gets from helping others."

That's a really good clue.

She likes to help others.

But she rolls her eyes.

She's kind of like a little
bit of a princess there.

"She loves all the
attention, even

if it's an imposition
on her plans

to scroll social media
on her phone all day."

This is-- I'm telling you, this
is very, very helpful to me,

what the writer has done here.

The other thing that will
really, really help you out

is if they give you a picture
of the character, just

the drawing.

the drawing.

So when I look at the
picture of No-Effort Girl,

there's a couple clues
here that help me out

that are being reinforced
by the picture.

The cell phone is
very important to her.

She lives with her cell phone.

To me, the artwork is very--

it's kind of the modern
Jetsons in a way.

It looks-- she's
kind of futuristic.

Look, she's got
a little peplum--

the little boots on her, the
booties, totally fashionista.

She's cute.

She's really cute.

But look at the attitude on
the picture of her on the left.

But look at the attitude on
the picture of her on the left.

She's got that gnah thing
going with her mouth.

She can stand up on her own.

She doesn't need anybody to
fight her fights for her.

No-Effort Girl does it, and
she does it without any effort.

She's got blue hair,
another thing, wow.

I'm not sure if Mom and
Dad really like that,

but she is independent.

This is a gal that--
she's got my heart.

She really does.

She's an independent thinker.

She's a nonconformist.

She's a nonconformist.

You will either love her or
probably be annoyed by her.

I love her.

So she's precocious.

She's 13.

She's got a retainer.

I've read this.

I've read this, and I kind
of came up with this idea

that (LISPING) she's got--

see, Chip had a split
right-- he had a lisp.

He had a thing like this.

This was his thing.

But with a retainer,
it's a totally sort

of a different thing.

of a different thing.

And I'm not saying-- this
is just my interpretation.

This is one idea,
and this is what--

what I would go in
for the audition.

And then if they
wanted-- if they've

got another idea, the
producer, the director,

the writer have
another idea in mind,

I will listen to what they
want and duplicate that.

But for me, my choice is
(LISPING) this is our girl.

She's like this.

And she's got this thing.

And she says
exactly, I didn't ask

to be born with super strength,
x-ray vision, and the ability

to fly!

to fly!

Ugh.

I'll save the whole world,
just like, give me a second.

I think I read something
about, she rolls her eyes.

She groans, "but
groans and rolls

her eyes the entire time."

It's like, yes, I
can save the day.

I've got it.

Okay!

Ugh, let's get on with it.

All right, let's go!

All those cues there--
"precocious," "lay off of her,"

"she's got a retainer"
--she's gonna do it,

"she's got a retainer"
--she's gonna do it,

but she kind of
complains a little bit.

But she gets the job done.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

I love Yikes the Dragon.

Let's see what it says here.

In the description it says,
"If we're being honest,

that's probably not his name."

It's Yikes the
Dragon, "but 'Yikes!'

is the first thing
anyone says when

is the first thing
anyone says when

they notice this surprisingly
sweet-voiced teenage dragon

and the nickname stuck."

Okay, so that's good.

So he's a sweet-voiced teenage--

he's a teenager.

"As the station manager at
the local radio station,

Yikes" --okay, so there's
another clue right there.

You can highlight that.

He's the station manager.

"Yikes does all the
work from engineering

to cleaning the bathrooms."

[LAUGHTER]

Kind of like what I used to do.

"He one day dreams
of being on air,

"He one day dreams
of being on air,

but the station's
bitter host, Two Mouth,

is going to make sure that
dream never comes true.

He oozes southern charm,
is very optimistic,

and wears his heart
on his sleeve."

Okay, there you go.

"His purple eyes glow with
sincerity and his roar

is more syrupy than terrifying."

Okay, great.

This last line, this is awesome.

Think Leslie Jordan as
an adolescent dragon.

I'm having to "rememberize."

I'm having to "rememberize."

That's what friend of
mine said one time.

I said, it's not "rememberize."

It's memorize!

But oh, my lord, pages
and pages of dialogue,

look, I got to memorize it all.

Whoo!

That's almost like all I need.

That is such a major, major
key clue in this whole--

this whole description of Yikes.

So that, that just tells
tomes he's earnest.

He has a good work ethic.

He has a good work ethic.

He's clean.

His heart is in the right place.

To me, it also could
indicate that he

could get hurt
because people that

are vulnerable and sometimes
people that are very, very

helpful, they tend to be
a little bit more fragile.

Their skin, even
though he's tough,

he has the appearance of
being tough like a dragon,

so "Yikes," he's actually
a little bit of a softy.

So let's talk about
what he looks like here.

He's got a microphone
on his chest.

On his T-shirt, he's
got a microphone.

On his T-shirt, he's
got a microphone.

So there's something about sound
that he really, really loves.

He's smiling.

He's not-- he doesn't
seem to be an angry guy.

He looks like a
happy little dude.

He's got little eyebrows.

They're up.

They're not on his head.

It's kind of Picasso-esque.

But it's got-- he's got
these little eyebrows,

and he probably uses them.

But he uses them for charm.

So this is kind of what
I came up with for Yikes.

(SOUTHERN ACCENT) And
that Leslie Jordan thing,

and as I'm starting to
do this, I'm getting--

and as I'm starting to
do this, I'm getting--

I'm kind of beaming.

I am zeroing in
on Leslie Jordan.

It's like, girl, girl,
hear how I do that?

Girl, I am so nervous,
I feel like my stomach

is coming out of my tail.

Look at that.

This situation is worse
than my dragon breath!

Keeping these things
in mind and these tools

about taking one word and
spreading that one word out,

emphasis, taking some
pauses when you lay down

emphasis, taking some
pauses when you lay down

your audition or your character
or just doing a reading at a--

when you're actually
hired for the job,

and you're actually reading it.

It's just like, girl!

You see how I do that?

Just like, this
is the character.

This would be-- I sort of
feel like I have to get--

I got to giddy into it.

I got to sort of don't
even look at the words.

I'm just talking to
you, and I find myself

getting into [INAUDIBLE].

He's a sweet-voiced teenage boy.

He's like-- I get
the idea he's a boy.

What was the clue there?

Oh, because it says "he."

Oh, because it says "he."

"He oozes southern charm."

Okay.

Sometimes it doesn't matter.

A girl-- a lot of my--

animal characters, they're
kind of androgynous.

Whether they're
male or female, it

has to do more with an attitude.

Unless the relationship is that
he is a brother or a sister.

But anyway, he oozes
southern charm.

He's very optimistic!

This is gonna--
we're gonna make it!

I know it's impossible.

Now, listen.

Listen, now, see
what I'm doing here?

Listen, now, see
what I'm doing here?

I'm slowing him down
just a little bit

because when Yikes the
Dragon talks to you,

as I'm talking to you right
now, listen to me, here.

Because you got to do
it this way, or we're

never gonna get
that-- we're never

gonna meet that-- oh, my gosh!

It's almost 2 o'clock!

We got to get going!

Keep on going!

We got to go finish!

We've got a deadline to do!

Let's go!

You see that?

We're talking about--

[LAUGHTER]

It's fun!

It's totally fun.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

The last character that I
would like to introduce to you

is named Two Mouth.

And here's the description.

"Two Mouth" is a
little bit of a clue.

I'm just saying.

"Two Mouth is a monster
radio host with six arms

and, you guessed
it, two mouths."

That's a pretty good clue.

"By day, they host the
number one talk show on radio

"By day, they host the
number one talk show on radio

and by night, they wreak havoc
as the world's most dangerous

super villain."

Okay, "There's Radio
Mouth, who leads the radio

show with her endless
shock jock swagger,

and there's Bad Mouth, who
acts as the grumpy sidekick

on the show but
is the mastermind

behind their evil exploits.

With their very public personas,
they hide in plain sight.

After all, who would ever
expect that a celebrated DJ who

After all, who would ever
expect that a celebrated DJ who

gives away free concert
tickets could be so evil?"

Okay, so here's the
deal on this guy.

And it seems so
obvious that, I think,

I wonder if this
is a way of saying

it's really one character.

It's like, paying an
actor to do one character,

but really it's two voices.

[LAUGHTER]

It's actually-- it's two
totally different characters.

But as you can see from the
artwork, it's one-- it's one.

It's one character.

It's one character.

And it's split.

It's sort of like
a Siamese twin.

And one is the evil twin,
and one is the good twin.

But there are some hints in here
that they're very different.

Radio Mouth is-- she's got this
endless shock jock swagger.

It's a female.

Okay, this is-- to
me, the challenge

is, how do I make these
two characters really,

really distinct?

So you've got one that's got
endless shock jock swagger.

So you've got one that's got
endless shock jock swagger.

And it's a female.

And the other one, Bad Mouth,
acts as the grumpy sidekick.

So to me, I think, what I
chose to do was create them--

I took a little artistic
creativity here.

And this is what I would
present with no apology

because, honestly,
a lot of producers,

they just want
you to give them--

they want you to
solve their problem.

So this is a way to do it.

And with Radio Mouth, what I
did was, I kind of combined--

And with Radio Mouth, what I
did was, I kind of combined--

she's sort of like--

she's got this--

I like to put in her in
kind of a, she's a female,

but she's connected to a male.

So it's sort of like that
testosterone has sort of like

affected her voice a little bit.

But there's a little
breathy quality to her.

And she's kind of down in
this Rosalind Russell range

as a woman.

But she can use this voice.

But she can use this voice.

You don't surprise me one
little bit, kind of a thing.

Whereas her counterpart, her--

the other evil
twin, he is, (RASPY)

I kind of get this idea that
if I sort of put him like,

this is a tough
guy and make him--

she's sort of like silky smooth.

And there's sort of a
sexy quality to her.

But at nighttime on the radio,
it's like, for all my listeners

But at nighttime on the radio,
it's like, for all my listeners

out there, I just want to tell
you, you're listening to--

you're listening to Radio
Mouth, mouth on the radio,

K, K whatever.

You're listening to me.

Thank you.

Mwah.

That's her.

Now, the other guy,
you're listening--

Bad Mouth, just by
definition, by "Bad Mouth,"

I kind of want to make
him more overtly evil.

He's not so covert
maybe as Radio Mouth is.

He's not so covert
maybe as Radio Mouth is.

But he's (RASPY)
right out there.

I kind of beamed in a
Harvey, Harvey Fierstein

kind of a sound from New York.

He's sort of a tough
guy sort of like this.

He's like, yeah, what--
what are you talking about?

Would you mind?

You're spitting all over me?

Do you mind?

Please, have some couth!

Please, have some couth!

Let's have a shot at this.

This is like, Radio Mouth,
she'd say things like, warning,

warning, my microphone
is totally off limits.

She means, if you touch
my mic, I'll kill ya!

Welcome back to Two
Mouth in the Morning.

Here with me as always, my
beloved cohost, Bad Mouth.

God, I hate being here!

God, I hate being here!

Like this, two for one.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

Here's the deal is that your
challenge as a voice actor

is to make these
characters that you come up

with 100% out of whole cloth.

Each one of them,
there's an attitude.

There's an energy.

There's a viewpoint.

There's a viewpoint.

There's a relationship.

There's a pitch.

There's a placement
in your throat.

All of them have to be specific,
just like as individual,

as we all are, like snowflakes
are, like thumbprints are,

all these characters have to be
clearly delineated and defined.

You've got the ability
to make a character

gruff or sweet or
silky-smooth-voiced.

You can find your own--

you should find
your own wheelhouse.

you should find
your own wheelhouse.

All of these things will help
you to develop and become

an amazing voice-over actor.

Okay, so I'm gonna work on
polishing these characters up.

So my animated self is
gonna take over from here.

Thanks, real Nancy.

Fun fact-- the cup of coffee on
my side table is just a prop.

As an animated
character, I don't need

to eat, drink, or sleep at all.

I'm the Energizer Bunny, baby.

One of the most
important things

I'd like to leave
with you is how

to differentiate
amongst your characters.

You know, it's key,
really, to getting

hired, is how flexible
you are, your versatility.

They're going to
want to hire somebody

that can do multiple voices
as opposed to just one voice.

And not saying that you can't
succeed if you have a special--

a unique voice, but making
a living doing this,

a unique voice, but making
a living doing this,

and doing lots of
shows, I want you all

to get cast in lots of shows.

You know, versatility
is the name of the game.

So let's touch on that.

I got called in to do
this little show called

My Little Pony, and man, I've
got such fond memories of that.

That was so early in my career,
and we were doing 65 episodes,

That was so early in my career,
and we were doing 65 episodes,

and there was singing.

So singing sessions
took place separate

from the record sessions.

So this was like,
wow, I am making

a living doing My Little Pony.

When I went in for the audition,
there were so many ponies.

It was just a stable of just--

Surf Rider, Baby Pony,
Snuggles, Buttercup.

And they were all about the
same age, and some were males,

and some were females.

and some were females.

And I came across
this reference tape,

and the differences
are so subtle,

but they're
definitely different.

So when I was
on that job, I got

the description of the
character that was written out,

the description of the
character that was written out,

and I saw that.

And I kind of tried
out a voice, and they

were so similar
in tone and pitch

that there was a
little bit of a leeway

that I could lift this
one up a little bit

higher, higher pitch, take
this one down a little lower

and talk slower.

Maybe keep it down
there, and then I gave it

a little Southern accent.

Then I brought it
even lower than that

and slowed him way down.

It made him be more
like, I'm bored,

I don't really like being a
pony, that attitude, you know.

I don't really like being a
pony, that attitude, you know.

And next thing
you know, I've got

seven, eight, 11 characters.

But I guess my point is,
they gave me a reference

tape that I got to
take home, and that

was my training ground.

And as you do it, you will
become more and more familiar

with those characters.

So they will-- it's like, you
can then do them in your sleep.

So then when the time comes
when you have to play a scene,

and you're playing two,
three, four characters,

and you're playing two,
three, four characters,

and they're your
characters, you will--

well, the first time you do
it, it's gonna be a challenge,

but you'll do it.

You'll definitely do it,
because you will rehearse.

Like you will drill, drill,
drill, until you get it right.

We did this episode--

I think it's called
Bible Stories, now

that I think about it.

And I was doing, I think,
three characters in it,

and I remember
doing this reading.

And there's-- look.

There's no rehearsal for
the reading of the script.

It's like, you go in there, you
do your homework on your own.

You come in, and
we do the reading.

Somebody is reading
all the direction.

And there I am, and I
just started doing it.

And this particular
scene, it's like I'm

talking to myself, which is--

that's what I'm paid to do.

You're paid to talk to yourself.

I'll tell you, trying to keep
the s separated-- like I said,

I highlighted.

You know, Bart was in yellow,
Nelson Muntz was in orange,

You know, Bart was in yellow,
Nelson Muntz was in orange,

Ralph Wiggum, I think, is in it.

Whoa!

Let my proclamation
go out across the land.

Ha-ha!

CROWD: Ha-ha!

Oh.

I hope this doesn't
get into the Bible.

You're King David.

I love you, because
you kill people.

Get yourself
another hero, kid.

It was 10 whole pages,
this particular scene.

It was 10 whole pages,
this particular scene.

It got cut way down,
by the way, in editing.

It was changed.

But it was during the table read
that was the most challenging,

and you want to do a great
job, you know, for the reading,

because the writers
are taking notes.

So this is kind of added.

And somebody that really
wants to be prepared

will make sure that they
know what they're reading

and who's who and what's what
so that you walk out of there,

and I know, I'm
Nancy Cartwright.

I'm not these other
boys that I do.

I'm not these other
boys that I do.

When you create
characters, make

sure that your
character is going

to be able to have a
special, unique quality.

Let me give you an example.

One night, I was
delivered my script,

and I read the script,
and all of a sudden,

I was cast as this character
named Nelson Muntz.

He was a very minor character,
but I gave him this voice.

Ha-ha!

Ha-ha!

That ha-ha-- it was written,
H-A-W, H-A-W, in parentheses.

And it just said to
me it was a laugh,

but that could have been up
to anybody's interpretation

as to what that sounded like,
and just on the top of my head,

I don't even think I
made a decision on it.

It was, ha-ha!

Which is-- (IN
NELSON'S VOICE) this

is Nelson's voice like
this, (NORMAL VOICE)

but the ha-ha is airy.

You'd think he'd go ha-ha.

You'd think he'd go ha-ha.

You know, but that is the voice
that stuck, and that I did it.

And it got a huge laugh.

And he started recurring
more and more in the show,

until I realized he was
a semi-regular character.

He's in a lot of the scripts,
but he's not in every script.

But sometimes the
show features--

it's all about Nelson Muntz,
and those are-- oh, I just

love Nelson.

I love him.

His character arc, to me, is the
greatest of all the characters

His character arc, to me, is the
greatest of all the characters

on the show, because he
started out just as this bully,

but then he evolved
into this kind

of a bully that
was misunderstood,

which probably they are.

Most bullies are
really misunderstood.

But you find out that
he plays the guitar.

He sings.

He kind of wants
to be a rock star.

You know, he's got a
crush on Mrs. Simpson.

You know, he's got
a crush on Marge.

But he's got this soft part
that just melts my heart.

But he's got this soft part
that just melts my heart.

The thing about huckleberries
is, once you've had fresh,

you'll never go back to canned.

Nah!

Um, so anyway, I
kicked the guy's ass.

Now, if the berries
are too tart,

I just dust them with
confectioners sugar.

Oh.

Oh.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT (VOICEOVER):
For voice actors,

breaking down your script
means going through your lines

to plan your performance.

Preparation is everything,
and I thought I could walk you

through how I go about it.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: So
let's say that you

have a script emailed to you.

First thing I would
do is print it out.

I prefer to have a hard
copy, and I'll tell you why.

Because you're going to want
to use your handy tools--

Because you're going to want
to use your handy tools--

a pencil and a highlighter--

these are my nifty tools.

Don't leave home without them.

Because you'll want
to mark your script.

So then I read the script.

Kind of makes sense, right?

I'm reading it
generally for content.

What's the script about?

But while I'm doing that,
I'm also noticing some things

and marking it.

Like, for example, I will come
across words or references

Like, for example, I will come
across words or references

that I don't understand.

So I stop immediately,
actually, and look them up.

Because I want to know
what these things are.

So let the dictionary
be your friend

because seriously, if
you don't understand

what you're talking about,
nobody's going to-- nobody's

going to get it.

You have to know
everything about it.

So look for words that
you don't understand.

The other thing I look at
is, is there any singing?

Are there any songs in here?

If there are songs,
are they going

to send me a reference tape
of the tune to that song,

or is it just sung to the
tune of "Happy Birthday"

or is it just sung to the
tune of "Happy Birthday"

or "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
or something like that?

If that's the case, if
there's references in there--

sometimes they have
YouTube references,

so I can get the
YouTube reference

and look at what they're
needing and wanting.

So that's the first
thing that I do.

Get the general idea
about what the story is,

what the scene is, the
relationship of your character,

how many characters
you're playing in this,

make note of all that.

Then I go back to the beginning,
and then I use Mr. Highlighter,

Then I go back to the beginning,
and then I use Mr. Highlighter,

and I highlight all my lines.

I've saved every
Simpsons script,

and I used to use a
different color highlighter

for every different character.

And you know what?

Starting out, that's
what I had to do.

I had to do that because
sometimes these characters were

right next to each other.

And if I don't do that
and they're all in yellow,

it could get a little confusing.

So sometimes it's-- you can
either put a circle around it,

you can put a square around
it, but identify your lines.

you can put a square around
it, but identify your lines.

OK, so when I get a
script and I've read it

and I understand
what's going on,

I go take my magic helpful pen
or pencil and I start to mark.

And I orchestrate my
script, if you will.

It's like I make
notes for myself.

I identify who the character is.

I put some emotional
range there.

I use some symbols, like
lines, and I circle things

and I do more
exclamation points.

I make it so that
as I'm reading it,

I make it so that
as I'm reading it,

these symbols will
indicate to me how

I need to then communicate
these words that the writer has

written.

And then-- I learned this from
my mentor, from Daws Butler--

you can even get some ideas
the second time through,

of how to orchestrate
your script.

And that's taking your pencil--

I would do it in
pencil, because ink

is too permanent because
you could change your mind--

but mark your script about where
you see a pause might happen,

or where you might want
to draw out the word.

So I just draw a line
on top of the word.

So I just draw a line
on top of the word.

That, to me, symbolizes
to draw out the word.

One line between words
is a short break,

two lines is a long pause.

What else do I do?

I think that wraps it up.

That's about all you
really need to look

at when you're first starting
out, those basic things there.

Sometimes you might
get in a position

where actually, you don't know
how to speak the language.

where actually, you don't know
how to speak the language.

There was this Simpsons episode
called "Crepes of Wrath"

where Bart gets sent off to
France to be a foreign exchange

student.

And he's like, he's so trapped.

He can't get away
from these guys.

He was kind of kidnapped
by these two guys.

He's living in a
barn with a donkey

and having to sleep
in there, and it's

just-- it's a disaster.

And Bart runs and
tries to escape.

And all the dialogue, it was it
was written in there in French,

And all the dialogue, it was it
was written in there in French,

and I don't speak French.

And so, they needed
to bring in somebody

to help me get the
correct dialect.

I mean, if I'm going
to speak French,

I can sort of mock up a
French thing here as Nancy

and I can sort of do a
French accent like that.

But they wanted a
dialectician to be

in there so I get it even a
little bit better than that.

But the problem
was, I didn't know

how to pronounce the words,
and it's all written in French.

But I had taken
a phonetics class

when I was at Ohio University,
so I wrote phonetically

when I was at Ohio University,
so I wrote phonetically

how to pronounce the words
right above the French words.

And then I have to
know emotionally

what I'm saying so I could get
the acting emotion correct.

So I had to write
English on top of French

so I know what I'm saying as
I'm reading it and saying it

in French.

It's like [FRENCH SPEECH].

So it was very complicated, and
it took a little bit of time

to do it.

But I finally got it down.

But I finally got it down.

To have Bart start off by
saying, "I'm so stupid.

Anybody could have learned
this dumb language by now,

and I've got to speak French."

And he goes on, and
then as he's doing it,

then it eases into him
actually speaking in French.

Here, I've listened to nothing
but French for the past two

months.

[FRENCH SPEECH]

Oh my gosh.

That was my biggest
career challenge, to date.

Incredible.

Incredible.

So let me give you guys
a little demonstration

of what I'm talking about.

I'd show you here, but
the script is all the way

over in reality, so
I'd have to figure out

how to turn into
a real person, go

all the way to the audio
studio, get the script,

turn myself back into
an animated character,

come back here, and it
would be a whole thing.

So take it away, Nancy.

Thanks, animated me.

I'm glad I saved you
that animated schlep.

So what happens is, when
you get a scene like this

for, say, an
audition, you're also

going to get a description
of who this character is.

So like we covered
earlier, you're

going to go through that.

You're going to find the
clues that are in the writing.

You're going to
find out the age,

the relationship that
this character has

with the other characters.

You're going to get
hints about the attitude,

about the emotion,
things like that.

So now, here are the lines.

Now what's the
writer give you here?

So as I'm reading this
here, she starts out

by singing this- song
(SINGING) I'm no-effort girl.

by singing this- song
(SINGING) I'm no-effort girl.

I'm no-- (CHARACTER
VOICE) see, I've

already made this sort of
decision about this girl.

I'm no-effort girl.

I'm no-effort girl.

And it's easy and it's boring
to save the whole world.

(NORMAL VOICE) And I
don't have the tune yet.

They didn't send me the
music for this just yet.

But the phone rings
and she picks up.

(CHARACTER VOICE) No-effort
girl headquarters or whatever.

(NORMAL VOICE) She listens.

She rolls her eyes.

Typical.

(CHARACTER VOICE)
Well, have you tried

calling any other superheroes?

(NORMAL VOICE)
Another phone rings.

She reaches out,
flies into her hand.

(CHARACTER VOICE) Jeez.

(CHARACTER VOICE) Jeez.

Hello?

Your boat's sinking?

How fast?

Oh, that's not an emergency.

Call me when your shoes
are wet, and cool it

with the histrionics.

(NORMAL VOICE) More phones ring.

She yells at all the phones.

(CHARACTER VOICE) Listen, stop.

Listen.

I'm coming to,
like, save you all.

And just please, chill out.

(NORMAL VOICE) So then
there's this montage.

A cute baby monster is
tied to a train track

as a train barrels down on it.

as a train barrels down on it.

The moment before the
train steam rolls the baby,

No-Effort Girl saves
the baby in one

hand while texting
with the other.

She hands the baby to its
mom while continuing to text.

She's distracted by the phone.

(CHARACTER VOICE) I
know kids love trains,

but that was a bit much.

(NORMAL VOICE) The
wing of the plane

catches fire and the
plane begins to plummet.

No-Effort Girl props up the
playing while eating a sandwich

and liking pictures
on social media.

and liking pictures
on social media.

She is busy, man.

She holds up the phone
to a scared passenger

with her mouth full of food.

OK, so that's curious.

She's got her mouth
full of food here.

Sometimes on The Simpsons,
we actually use real food.

That's a good thing.

It sounds authentic.

However, you could choke,
so that's not a good thing.

So you can learn
how to fake this.

You just kind of puff--

get the idea that you've
got food in your mouth and--

(CHARACTER VOICE)
Should I heart this--

(CHARACTER VOICE)
Should I heart this--

should I heart this
picture of Brandon,

or is that too thirsty?

(NORMAL VOICE) You know,
you can just wing it.

Then it moves on to the Galleria
dell'Accademia di Firenze.

Where is that?

I think I've been there.

That's in Florence.

It's the-- it's the Academy of--

OK, I'm going to look that up.

The David is there.

That's-- that's all
about Michelangelo.

So I get the idea,
now, where she is.

OK.

It's still missing it's art.

It's still missing it's art.

The Galleria is
missing it's art.

No-Effort paints her fingernails
and cuffs the robbers who carry

paintings of Dominico Giraland--

I don't even know how to say it.

This name, I should
know who this person is.

It's an artist, clearly,
because it's paintings of him.

So we're going to look him up.

OK, so these paintings
are being stolen

and a reporter approaches.

Red flag, boop, boop, boop.

This is written in Italian.

This is written in Italian.

I don't speak Italian, OK?

No challenge here.

But what I did for
MasterClass is,

I insisted that they send me
somebody doing this in Italian.

So say it like normal
speaking, and then I

want you to say it also
very slowly for me.

So what I did is
I put that on my--

another tool-- put
that on my phone.

OK, so there's Italian
reporter that's

OK, so there's Italian
reporter that's

saying in Italian, with
the subtitles, "How do you

feel after having saved the
world's greatest work of art?"

And No-Effort Girl responds,
"In Italian, with English

subtitles."

Well, it was--

(CHARACTER VOICE) Well,
it was easy for me,

and also a huge imposition.

[ITALIAN SPEECH]

That's like, "Well, it
was easy for me and also

a huge imposition."

It's a little-- it's
a little choppy,

so this is just a
matter of rehearsal.

So then when I get it down
and my confidence level

is high enough, I feel like I
need to do it one more time.

[ITALIAN SPEECH]

OK, good.

So now it's just a matter
of doing it over and over

So now it's just a matter
of doing it over and over

to get the flow just right.

[ITALIAN SPEECH]

That's pretty good,
in my opinion.

OK.

(CHARACTER VOICE) So
we're going to add--

going to add a little attitude.

This is going to be our girl.

This is No-Effort Girl in
Italian, with the subtitle,

"Well, it was easy for me,
and also, a huge imposition."

[ITALIAN SPEECH]

(NORMAL VOICE) There you go.

And then later on
in the evening,

No-Effort Girl checks her
phone and sees 27 voicemails

from Yikes the Dragon.

(CHARACTER VOICE) That's weird.

He usually only
leaves seven messages.

(NORMAL VOICE) So cute.

I love this scene.

OK, guys, to wrap up this
chapter, first thing you

OK, guys, to wrap up this
chapter, first thing you

need to do is read the script.

That's a little bit of a clue.

It's a big hint.

Read the script for full
understanding conceptually

of what it is that you're
communicating about.

Second pass through,
you're going

to look for clues
that are in there.

You'll find things that
you need to look up,

like, if there's words or
references about people

or locations, historical people.

So you'll find your own way to
symbolize how to orchestrate

or mark your script.

So when you're reading
it, it will help you

So when you're reading
it, it will help you

in interpreting what the writer
has put there in front of you.

If you have a coach, if
you have a friend that you

can bounce ideas off
of, that's really good.

Use YouTube.

YouTube is an amazing
reference tool

to get foreign language sounds.

(OVER BULLHORN) Drill
drill, drill, drill.

Get it down, get it perfect, and
don't stop until you actually

have it so you feel completely
confident and good about what

you do.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: The
same recording techniques

can be used whether you're
in a closet at home working

on a demo tape or in a
professional studio working

on a multimillion
dollar TV show.

For The Simpsons, we
actually started out

in a small little booth where
they filmed The Tracey Ullman

Show.

They put, like, moving
carpets up on the walls,

because there was so much
glass that when we spoke,

because there was so much
glass that when we spoke,

it vibrated.

It was not a good
facility for recording.

So shortly after that,
they gave us a studio,

and it was downstairs--

the Darryl Zanuck
Theater, I think--

and it was a big soundstage.

And we each had our
own areas, if you will.

Like Yeardley is to my
right, Tress MacNeille

is to my immediate left.

Julie is beside her.

Dan's over there.

Hank is in the room.

Everybody was there, and
that's kind of how it is now,

Everybody was there, and
that's kind of how it is now,

that we have our own stations.

We have high chairs,
and we have low chairs.

Some people prefer to stand.

I prefer to stand.

So once we get our station
and the microphones set up,

you've got your script.

You take the brads
out of the script.

You line up the pages.

You ask the script
supervisor, which scene are

we going to start with today?

She'll say, we're going to start
from the top, scene number one.

We're going to try to
go all the way through.

And everybody's like,
yay, this is good.

When we do it
consecutively, that's

nice, because you get to track.

You get to track the
emotional changes in the show.

You get to track the
emotional changes in the show.

It's so much easier that way.

But all too often, somebody
will have to leave,

or somebody is not
there, and they kind of

bounce around a bit.

That's fine, too.

It works, because you just get
yourself right in that moment

and deliver the goods.

Everybody's quiet.

Roll sound.

Sound's rolling.

Welcome to my 3D audio booth
with my personal 3D engineer.

Welcome to my 3D audio booth
with my personal 3D engineer.

He's in the control
room in the back,

and I can see him through a
window, even though you can't.

He's still rendering.

Hi, Jeff!

JEFF: Hey, Nancy.

When you go in for
your first record,

and you're in a
professional studio,

you might be a little nervous,
but I have a few tips for you

to keep in mind.

For example, just be aware of
where you position yourself.

The distance between
you-- right now, I'm

about maybe six or so
inches from the microphone.

That's a pretty safe distance.

That's a pretty safe distance.

To give you an idea of what that
is, you take your baby finger

and stick it out and
your thumb, and it's

that hang loose sort of a thing.

And you just put your
baby finger up there,

and that's where the
normal placement is.

If you pull yourself too far
away, like I'm doing right now,

I have to call out
a little bit more,

but it sounds like
I'm calling out.

Or if you're going to be
talking a little bit closer,

and I get a little
bit closer to the mic,

I've got the-- the pop
screen is right in the way,

but I've got to bring my
voice down a little bit,

so I don't blow you
out of the water.

so I don't blow you
out of the water.

And likewise, if
you're going to-- hey!

Hey over there!

You hear me?

You got to go off mic.

Very simple.

That's mic technique,
right, Jeff?

JEFF: That is 100%
mic technique.

Here's the deal with
the audio engineer.

It is really, really simple.

This is the guy or
gal whose job it

is to make you sound
great technically.

Sometimes, the engineer wants
you to give a mic check,

and they say, just
say the alphabet.

I like to do it backwards.

Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N
M L K J I H G F E D C B A.

Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N
M L K J I H G F E D C B A.

And people are like, whoa!

That's amazing!

Change it up a little bit.

Sometimes, I'll say,
hey, Jeff, can you

bring up the gain in my headset?

That just means the volume.

It's a little bit more volume.

I want to hear myself
a little bit more.

If it's a long record session
and I start out standing

and then I decide to
sit in a high chair,

there's still going to be a
little bit of a difference

in my relationship with
that microphone sitting

in my relationship with
that microphone sitting

in a high chair than
I would be standing.

That's his job to come
in here and help you out

with that, just to
get comfortable,

to make sure, again,
that the sound is going

to be clean and pure and
make you sound as good as you

can sound.

Sometimes, you'll come into a
scene where you have to yell,

or you have to scream,
or you're calling out.

Screaming is one thing.

Calling out is another.

Calling out is a little
bit more controlled,

but you might want to give
the engineer a little warning.

Say, do you want me to
do this for you, Jeff,

or is it something that you
can do technically for me?

or is it something that you
can do technically for me?

And sometimes, the
engineer will say, no,

I got you covered, Nance.

But go ahead and
give me a volume.

Let me hear you calling out.

And then I would--

you know-- hey, Jeff!

I'm going to call out right now!

See, I took myself off mic.

I didn't want to
hurt any eardrums.

Jeff, are you still alive?

JEFF: Yeah, definitely.

All right.

We're good.

It's little mic techniques that
you're going to learn about.

Now, personally, I'm
an animated character,

so I will live forever
in perfect health,

but all of you
regular people out

there have to take care
of your vocal cords,

there have to take care
of your vocal cords,

and I think I know just the
regular human lady to explain

that to you.

Take it away you,
you dulcet siren.

Oh, stop it, you.

She's such a flirt.

I want to talk
about how to prepare

your voice for doing a record.

Honestly, for me, it's a
very personal decision.

I know that I don't drink a
glass of milk before I go in.

Milk chocolate tends
to coat my throat.

Milk chocolate tends
to coat my throat.

Warm beverages are good,
but sometimes I also just

like, on a daily routine
for my own health purposes,

I like to have cranberry,
like raw cranberry,

and water with a little
stevia, because it just

keeps the liver healthy.

You'll find out through
experience, if you're going

[CLEARS THROAT]
and you're finding

that you have to clear
your throat a lot,

I would just sort of
like, you know, inspect

I would just sort of
like, you know, inspect

your own diet, what
it is that you're

doing that's making you have
to clear your throat a bit.

If you do feel like you have
to clear your throat a bit,

take a drink of water.

It's better than
[CLEARS THROAT] doing that,

because doing that
is actually kind

of tough on your vocal cords.

You know, sometimes
I'll find that there's

a scene where there's
a lot of yelling,

and if there is a lot of
yelling in the beginning

or middle of the
scene, I will tend

to want to save that til
the end, because I want

to want to save that til
the end, because I want

to have my pipes really healthy
for the rest of the scene

or the rest of the day, even.

And sometimes I've had
times when Nelson--

it's kind of tough.

He's what I call a
throat scratcher,

and doing that voice a
lot irritates my throat.

It's not ruined it.

I've never had nodes.

I'm not going to have it.

He's not on enough.

But by the end of the
day, my throat is tired.

You know, the larynx
and all the equipment

down there has
been stressed, so I

down there has
been stressed, so I

have to sort of chill it for
the night and take it easy.

And it repairs very quickly, but
it's something to be aware of,

and something there's nothing
wrong for you to mention.

Hey, can we save this?

Save the screaming till the end?

They're like, absolutely.

No problem.

They want you to be good, too.

They want you to
be able to deliver.

So do that.

ANIMATED NANCY:
When you voice act,

you need to keep
your character's

voice consistent through
all sorts of situations.

Real Nancy is going to
show you how to do that,

because if I did it, it'd be an
animated character showing you

how to do another
animated character,

and everyone's
heads would explode.

So, Nancy?

Thanks, animated
me, and thanks

for saving us that headache.

OK, guys.

So I thought I'd just take
a moment here and show you

So I thought I'd just take
a moment here and show you

how I set up maintaining
a voice through a record

or through an
audition, and there's

all kinds of things that
come into play here,

because sometimes there's music.

Sometimes there
are sound effects

of somebody jumping and
landing or falling, kind of

like extraneous noises
that will have to be picked

up later, things like that.

In this particular scene,
this is with No-Effort Girl.

She's in her bedroom.

It's in the daytime,
and the room is messy.

The messy room of
a tween superhero.

No-Effort Girl, a
punk rock adolescent

with a honking Hawley
retainer stands

in the center of her room,
singing her theme song.

Because everybody
knows, a superhero

has to have a theme song.

OK, so with that, normally what
happens is I'm going to listen.

OK, so with that, normally what
happens is I'm going to listen.

The sound engineer is going to
be playing a temporary track,

called a temp track, for
me, so I can hear the music

with somebody else that has
done a temporary voice for me,

so I can learn this little song.

So let's do that.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

TEMP TRACK SINGER: (SINGING)
I'm No-Effort Girl.

I'm No-Effort Girl, and
it's easy and boring to save

the whole world.

Like, whatever.

Like, whatever.

OK.

OK, so good.

So what I find out
here, first time

out, is that, like, whatever,
is not part of the song.

It's a comment.

It's a little
attitude that she's

got that they've included that
into her theme song, which

is totally appropriate.

So (SINGING) I'm
no-effort-- so I don't quite

have that tune again.

Can we play it one
more time, Jeff?

JEFF: Sure, no problem.

Stand by.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

TEMP TRACK SINGER
AND NANCY CARTWRIGHT:

(SINGING) I'm No-Effort Girl.

I'm No-Effort Girl, and
it's easy and boring to save

I'm No-Effort Girl, and
it's easy and boring to save

the whole world.

TEMP TRACK SINGER:
Like, whatever.

(SINGING) To save
the whole world.

(SPEAKING) OK, good.

I think we're good.

[LISPING HEAVILY]
And so now, I'm

just going to turn her
into No-Effort Girl,

and we're gonna try this.

Let's try it.

[NORMAL VOICE] Can we just
kind of rehearse on tape,

as they say?

JEFF: Sure.

Do you want the temp
vocals still in there, or--

Yeah.

JEFF: --Do you want to
hear just the instrumental.

Yeah.

Let's keep the temp vocal,
and let's see how we do here.

Let's keep the temp vocal,
and let's see how we do here.

JEFF: Stand by.

Coming at you.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

TEMP TRACK SINGER
AND NANCY CARTWRIGHT:

(SINGING) I'm No-Effort Girl.

I'm No-Effort Girl, and
it's easy and boring to save

the whole world.

Like, whatever.

That is-- so at this point--

JEFF: So a little
hot there at the end.

Oh, yeah?

OK.

Let's do another tape.

See, at this point
in time, I am totally

dependent on the director.

dependent on the director.

I am such not my
own judge on this.

It's kind of like they
will have a composer,

or the arranger usually
will conduct me,

and it's very specific.

And a lot of times,
most of the time, these

are done separately, but
sometimes they buddy them up,

and it's done at the same
time during the record

of the script.

So either way, though, it's
like working with somebody

else who's going to
be directing you,

else who's going to
be directing you,

and it's incredibly helpful.

And they're looking for
timing, that your timing

has to be perfect on this.

Because it's going to
be animated, and it all

has to do, believe
it or not, with math.

Math and timing.

So the animators have to know
how long a piece is in order

to animate it correctly,
and it just is

a very collaborative art form.

So this is how we work together.

Now, let's remove
the vocal in my ear,

and I'm just going to
have some fun with this.

JEFF: OK, no vocal.

JEFF: OK, no vocal.

Standby.

Coming at you.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

(SINGING) I'm No-Effort Girl.

I'm No-Effort Girl, and
it's easy and boring to save

the whole world.

Like, whatever.

Super fun.

[NORMAL VOICE] So
I have an idea,

and this is what I would
do with a director.

I would say, listen.

I have an idea.

Can we do it one more
time, just for fun?

Can we do it one more
time, just for fun?

Because I feel like it's missing
a little bit of her personality

on those first two lines.

[LISPING HEAVILY]
Cause you really

get who she is with those
Ss, and there's no Ss in I'm

No-Effort Girl.

[NORMAL VOICE] Can we
just play with this?

Let's just play with this once.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

(SINGING) [LISPING HEAVILY]
So, I'm No-Effort Girl.

I'm No-Effort Girl, and
it's easy and boring to save

the whole world.

Like, whatever.

[NORMAL VOICE] Now, we're
going to take that one

[NORMAL VOICE] Now, we're
going to take that one

and add a little bit
more of the tune.

JEFF: Stand by.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

(SINGING) [LISPING HEAVILY]
So, I'm No-Effort Girl.

Yes, I'm No-Effort Girl.

And it's easy and boring
to save the whole world.

Oh, like, whatever.

[NORMAL VOICE] And
world was totally flat,

but I think it's funny.

What happens next
is the phone rings,

and No-Effort Girl picks it up.

[LISPING HEAVILY] No-Effort
Girl headquarters or whatever.

[NORMAL VOICE] So
she rolls her eyes.

[LISPING HEAVILY]
Well, have you tried--

[NORMAL VOICE] And
she's listening.

Somebody's saying
something to her.

[LISPING HEAVILY]
Well, have you tried

calling any other superheroes?

[NORMAL VOICE]
Another phone rings.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Oh.

[NORMAL VOICE] She reaches out,
and it flies into her hand.

The phone flies into her hand.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Whoa!

Jeez!

Jeez!

Hello?

Your boat is sinking?

How fast?

That's not an emergency.

Call me when your shoes
are wet, and cool it

with the histrionics.

[NORMAL VOICE] So
what's happened here

is that she's having
a conversation,

so I've got to
give just a moment

to be able to hear whatever
the other person is saying

to me on the phone, right?

So more phones ring.

They're ringing all over.

It's ringing, ringing.

She's yelling at all the phones.

She's yelling at all the phones.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Listen!

I'm coming to, like, save you
all, so just please chill out!

[NORMAL VOICE] So there,
her frustration, she is,

like, at the end
of her line, to me.

She's like, [LISPING HEAVILY]
whoa, you guys, cool it.

Everybody just chill.

[NORMAL VOICE] That's another
way to do it, by the way.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Listen, I'm
coming, like, to save you all,

so please just chill out.

so please just chill out.

[NORMAL VOICE] So
it's an opinion,

whatever is needed and wanted.

Here's another way to do it.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Listen, I'm
coming to, like, save you all.

So please just chill out.

So that was harder to say.

[NORMAL VOICE] The chill
didn't come out quite so clear.

One of those choices that
I made is like, something

that I have to be aware of.

It's a choice that I made for
this character that almost

creates a problem for me,
but honestly, I like it,

creates a problem for me,
but honestly, I like it,

because it's a nice challenge.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Or she would
say it's a nice challenge.

[NORMAL VOICE] Some of
those words are hard to say!

By the way, an
effort is some sort

of a sound that is
showing that you're

putting some energy into
a motion that would create

some kind of a sound from you.

Like falling and landing.

You'd fall-- aah.

You'd land, and then
there's the after sound.

You'd land, and then
there's the after sound.

You go, huh, ugh.

Ahhhh ugh.

Like that.

So now there's this montage.

A cute baby monster is
tied to a train track

as the train barrels down on it.

The moment before the
train steamrolls the baby,

No-Effort Girl saves
the baby in one

hand while texting
with the other.

She hands the baby to its
mom while continuing to text.

So those kinds of
sounds, by the way,

So those kinds of
sounds, by the way,

would be picked up
after all the dialogue.

The dialogue is done
first, then we go back,

and we pick up
these effort sounds.

So we can go back.

So I know that
what's happened here

is the train's barreling
down the track.

Moment before the baby's
hit, No-Effort Girl

saves the baby in one hand
while texting in the other.

So she would go eugh!

[PANTING] And I
guess she's texting.

She's got the baby in this hand
and the phone in this hand,

She's got the baby in this hand
and the phone in this hand,

and I don't know how
anybody does that.

But if she's like,
No-Effort Girl, somehow, she

can do that with her fingers,
and she's going mm-mm-mm.

So she might go mm-mm-mm-mm.

But probably, there's
music under all of this,

and the music is going
to drown this out.

But it doesn't matter.

You still have to do it,
because you let them decide.

Let the producer, let
the editor decide.

So No-Effort Girl is like
flying through the air.

So No-Effort Girl is like
flying through the air.

She's soaring through the air.

Whee!

All of a sudden, a wind
comes along and blows her--

Whoa!

That's an effort sound, whoa!

Or something hits
her in the gut-- ugh!

That's an effort.

Or she's lifting
something really heavy--

uuugh.

Lifting and then
dropping it-- uugh--

on her foot.

Uugh-- oof.

Ow!

You see I pulled off mic there.

How was that, Jeff?

Was that hot?

Was that hot?

JEFF: No, that was clean.

Clean.

Good.

So then the wing of
the plane catches fire,

and the plane begins to plummet.

[WHISTLING] It's coming down.

No-Effort Girl
props up the plane.

[GRUNTING] While
eating a sandwich.

[GRUNTING and
SMACKING] And liking

pictures on social media.

She holds up the phone
to a scared passenger

with food in her mouth.

[LISPING HEAVILY] Should I
heart this picture of Brandon,

[LISPING HEAVILY] Should I
heart this picture of Brandon,

or is that too thirsty?

OK, so then, the Galleria
dell'Accademia di Firenze is

missing its art.

No-Effort paints her
fingernails and cuffs

the robbers, who carry
paintings of Domenicos.

A reporter approaches.

OK, so in this one, there's
a little effort here,

where she's painting her nails.

She might just be going
[HUMS SOFTLY] [GRUNTS] like

that.

That's an effort, too.

[GRUNTS] Or [GRUNTS LOUDLY]
or [GRUNTS QUICKLY]..

[GRUNTS] Or [GRUNTS LOUDLY]
or [GRUNTS QUICKLY]..

Lots of different ways to
do all kinds of efforts.

[GRUNTS]

So the montage ends, and
then we're inside No-Effort

Girl's bedroom again,
and it's at nighttime,

so this is the end of the day.

No-Effort Girl checks her
phone and sees 27 missed calls

from Yikes the
Dragon, and she says,

[LISPING HEAVILY] oh, yes.

That's weird.

That's weird.

[NORMAL VOICE] I think
I'd like to say--

[LISPING HEAVILY]
Oh, that's so weird.

He usually only
leaves seven messages.

[NORMAL VOICE] But
if we could do this,

I think this would really
be funny, if she said,

[LISPING HEAVILY]
Oh, that's so weird.

He usually leaves
only 67 messages.

[NORMAL VOICE] You know,
sometimes in a script,

there's a little bit of
time, and the director

might say, yeah,
have fun with it.

Do whatever you want to, because
I have an idea here that I'd

like to just try out.

So, yeah, go for it.

But like improvisationally,
sometimes you

just throw caution to the
wind and just have fun

just throw caution to the
wind and just have fun

with the very last take
that you give and make it

fun for yourself.

Who knows?

That may be the
one that's chosen.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: OK, folks
I have a real treat for you.

Now that we've recorded
our first scene,

we're going to add some
storyboards to create what

is called an animatic, rough
black and white sketches that

guide the animator to
the final animation.

So let's check it out.

[MUSIC PLAYING- "NO EFFORT GIRL
THEME SONG]

(SINGING) So,
I'm No-Effort Girl.

Yes, I'm No-Effort Girl.

Yes, I'm No-Effort Girl.

And it's easy and boring
to save the whole world.

Like, whatever.

[PHONE RINGING]

No-Effort Girl
Headquarters, or whatever.

CALLER: [HIGH PITCHED GIBBERISH]

Well, have you tried
calling any other superheroes?

[PHONE RINGING]

Oof.

Whoa.

Jeez, hello?

CALLER: [GIBBERISH]

Your boat is sinking?

CALLER: [GIBBERISH]

How fast?

CALLER: [GIBBERISH]

NO-EFFORT GIRL: That's
not an emergency.

Call me when your shoes
are wet, and cool it

with the histrionics.

[PHONES RINGING]

(SHOUTING) Listen!

(SHOUTING) Listen!

I'm coming to, like, save you
all, so just please chill out!

[GRUNTING] I know kids
love trains, but that was--

that was a bit much.

[GRUNTING] Should I heart
this picture of Brandon,

or is that too thirsty?

He he he.

[GRUNTING]

[PHONE BEEPING]

Hold on a second.

That is so weird.

He usually only
leaves 67 messages!

Let me tell you
something about ad libs.

Let me tell you
something about ad libs.

Ad libs are little
golden nuggets

that you have like as
an ace up your sleeve.

If you are open to it,
and you're very good,

and you trust yourself in
terms of improvisation,

don't hold back.

You know, there's a story that
goes-- and it's the truth,

because it happened to me--

is that geez, when I was
way back in high school,

I was in the marching band.

And we would march from the high
school to the football stadium.

Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun.

Fairmont West.

Dun-dun-dun-dun.

Fairmont West.

And it was a drum cadence,
and we would say these words.

And it was a drum cadence,
and we would say these words.

Well, it changed my senior year.

It changed to
dun-dun-dun-dun-dun,

eat my shorts.

And d the people along the
route to the football stadium

had no idea what we were
saying, because there were 200

of us saying, eat my shorts.

And they're like,
kind of confused,

but it was our own private joke.

And we loved that, because
we were in high school.

All these years later,
like 13 years later,

I'm cast in this part.

And it was just an ad
lib at a table read.

And it was just an ad
lib at a table read.

All of a sudden, I just threw
out, [BART SIMPSON VOICE]

eat my shorts!

And next thing I know, it's
on, like, billions of t-shirts,

and it became like
the number one

catchphrase for Bart Simpson.

Improv often just comes
at the spur of the moment.

All of a sudden, you're
hit with an idea.

And I do it usually
on the fourth take.

Like when I'm recording,
I'll give it as an idea.

And I just sort of
trust in myself,

and either they're
going to use it

and either they're
going to use it

or they're not going to use it.

I don't put any attention
on, this is the best one.

You should totally use
it, because it's mine--

has nothing to do with that.

Ego, that has nothing
to do with this.

It just has to do with the
idea of trusting yourself,

and that you should be able
to do that as an artist,

express yourself.

And you know what?

They appreciate it,
because sometimes,

it is better, because
it is organic.

So always trust yourself,
because you're right.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: In
addition to keeping

their voices
consistent, voice actors

also need to showcase a
huge range of emotion,

sometimes even in
the same scene.

For example, in one of
"The Simpsons" episodes,

Bart gets an F. There is a huge
emotional range that Bart has.

So when Bart finds
out that he gets an F,

So when Bart finds
out that he gets an F,

he gets so incredibly
frustrated.

[FOOTSTEPS ON TV]

Please turn in
your exam, Bart.

Class is over.

Do you think you could
grade it now, please?

Well, all right.

Let me get Old Red.

[SQUEAKING]

Mm-hmm.

[SQUEAKING]

Mm-hmm.

Well, Bart, it's a 59.

That's another F.

Oh, no.

I can't believe it.

I know, I know.

I know, I know.

Another year together.

Oh, it's going to be hell.

[WHIMPERING]

[SOBBING]

What's the matter?

Well, I would think you'd
be used to failing by now.

No, you don't understand.

I really tried this time.

I mean, I really tried.

There, there.

This is as good as I can
do, and I still failed.

Well, a 59, it's a high F.

Who am I kidding?

I really am a failure.

I really am a failure.

[SOBBING] Oh, now I know
how George Washington

felt when he surrendered
Fort Necessity to the French

in 1754.

What?

Oh, you know 1754, the
famous defeat to the French.

My god, Bart, you're right.

So?

You just demonstrated
applied knowledge.

And due to the difficulty
and relative obscurity

of the reference, you deserve
an extra point on your exam.

Hey, it's only fair.

You mean, I passed?

Just barely.

[GASPS] I passed.

[GASPS] I passed.

I got a D-minus.

I passed.

[LAUGHS]

[SMOOCH]

I passed.

I passed.

I passed.

I got a D-minus.

I passed.

I got a D-minus.

I passed.

I got a D-minus.

I passed.

I passed.

I-- kissed the teacher.

[SPITS]

When I did that,
honestly, I really

wasn't thinking about it.

I'm just hired as a
performer, and I'm just

delivering the goods.

delivering the goods.

But I allowed myself
to really feel,

and really I backed up
the emotional stress

that Bart was having.

It was for real for
me when I did it.

It's like I wasn't
really acting.

I just made it some truth.

Here's the deal, is that when
you are doing these scenes,

you're going to be creating
a lot of different emotions.

You're doing all kinds
of things from being

super exhilarated to
being depressed to being

you don't know
what to say anymore

to being angry to being
completely bored with life.

to being angry to being
completely bored with life.

All this stuff, you got to
trust your instincts, guys.

Trust your instincts
emotionally, and don't

be afraid to go there.

Because when you
use the emotions

and use all the things that I
gave you in your little tool

kit, don't hold
back on gesturing,

on furrowing your brow,
on pursing your lips,

something like-- because
these kinds of things

help to define who these
individual characters are.

So I have a scene here
from "No-Effort Girl"

So I have a scene here
from "No-Effort Girl"

where I am going to take
you on an emotional journey.

Ready?

Let's get emotional.

I don't think anyone has ever
said those words like that

before animated me.

You're an innovator.

I'm going to demonstrate to you
a scene to show some emotional

change with two of the
characters from "No-Effort

Girl."

One of them is Yikes the
Dragon, and the other one

is our leading girl,
No-Effort Girl.

is our leading girl,
No-Effort Girl.

So you're going to see
some emotional changes

in especially Yikes the Dragon.

What I did at the very
top, when I got the script,

I wrote out of breath,
optimistic, southern, slow,

up/down emotion, just
meaning the range

in this particular
scene is very--

it's super exciting and super
angry, way high and low.

And for this character, for
Yikes the Dragon, I say--

I pull words.

What that means is
like, "Yikes, Two Mouth.

What that means is
like, "Yikes, Two Mouth.

Two Mouth, we're best friends."

I pull that word out,
so that's a quality

that this character has,
that he has a tendency

to sometimes draw out words
and to emphasize them.

And that's emphasizes there.

Then in the margins I
have frustrated, apology.

There's an arrow there
that says "afterthought,"

because No-Effort Girl.

I've got it in
parentheses, like, "Yes,

I've got it in
parentheses, like, "Yes,

whatever, do whatever you want."

It's an afterthought.

It's like a throwaway.

It's not a super
significant line.

More significant is,
"Obviously, you haven't reached

No-Effort Girl.

Do you want it."

It's a-- it's throwaway.

So those are some examples.

Drama queen, it's all
about me, he's confused,

things like this, these
notes that will help you.

All right, so it's exterior
of the radio station,

and Yikes the Dragon parks
in a compact car in a parking

and Yikes the Dragon parks
in a compact car in a parking

spot labeled, Yikes!

The Dragon, Station Manager.

It's in the daytime, and now
it's inside the radio station.

And Yikes stands in the middle
of an empty radio station.

"Two Mouth!

Two Mouth, where are you?!

Oh no, you're not here.

We got a radio show
and no radio host!"

So he starts pacing.

"Wait!

I'm best friends
with a superhero.

I'm best friends
with a superhero.

She can find them!"

He calls for No-Effort
Girl on his phone.

It goes directly to voicemail.

"Obviously, you haven't
reached No-Effort Girl,

so eh, do whatever you want."

Beep.

"Hey, Girl, you
didn't pick up, which

to be honest is pretty
frustrating, because I

need your help.

I feel like you're
blowing me off.

So are you too good for
my phone calls now?"

So are you too good for
my phone calls now?"

He hangs up.

"Whoops.

I should probably call back."

So there's a series of shots.

Yikes leaves many messages.

"Eh, do whatever you want."

Beep.

"Oh, my.

My, oh my, is there
in an erase button?

I am so embarrassed,
so embarrassed that I'm

hanging up.

Bye!"

Beep.

"You know what?

This situation is great!

[LAUGHS] It's
character building.

And adversity
makes you stronger.

And adversity
makes you stronger.

So it's probably the
best part of my life.

Bye!"

Beep.

[SOBBING]

"I'm all alone, and
it's all your fault!

And to top it off, I
have athlete's foot,

which is insane, because
I'm not an athlete."

Beep.

"You just roll out of
bed and save the world.

You have no idea what it's
like to go shoe shopping

and ask if they
have a size 47 wide.

They never do, but they always
say 'Check in the back.'"

They never do, but they always
say 'Check in the back.'"

Just then, his phone rings.

It's No-Effort Girl.

"Hey!

Did you listen to my messages?

Of course not.

What am I like 90?

So what's up?"

That's the end of the scene.

So you guys, I want to talk a
little bit about the writing.

You get this genius.

It's black on white, and
this is a writer's idea.

It's black on white, and
this is a writer's idea.

It's the whole concept of
not only a whole character

and all these characters
that make the show,

but he's trying
to-- he or she-- is

trying to put a message there.

There is something that
is being communicated.

So your job as the actor is to
take those words off the page

and make them your own.

So in order to do that, I
can see little hints in here

like embarrassed, denial,
heavy crying, jealous.

That's fine that the
writer puts that in there,

That's fine that the
writer puts that in there,

but honestly, the writing
itself tells me what that is.

It's obvious to me what that is.

Sometimes they'll even--
they'll say things

like "a little understated"
or "to herself."

As an actor, that's a
choice that you can make.

You don't have to be
married to those words.

Leave that up to the director.

The director will
guide you in the way

he or she wants it to come out.

And by giving three
or four options,

they can make that decision.

they can make that decision.

So let's see, I'm going to show
you how I can take one line

and make it a little
bit different,

and then I leave
that up to them.

This is their show.

OK, so here-- I'm going
to just take this line.

You can-- it's a second
line in the script.

The line is, "Wait!

I'm best friends
with a superhero.

She can find them!"

And it's Yikes the Dragon.

So here's-- my first
instinct is to say, "Wait!

I'm best friends
with a superhero.

She can find them!"

She can find them!"

So here's another way.

"Wait, I'm best friends
with a superhero.

She can find them!"

You see the difference there?

That second way was
like her discovering.

While she's saying the
line, she's realizing,

"I could do this!"

So it changes it
just a little bit.

And here's a third way right
off the top of my head.

"Wait, I'm best friends
with a superhero.

"Wait, I'm best friends
with a superhero.

She can find them."

So that's taking
that second idea

and bringing it down
just a little bit.

Not so much effort
is put into it.

It's a little more subtle.

I could probably go on and do
four, five, six, eight, nine,

10.

But that gives you an idea.

Now that we've gone through
that emotional roller coaster,

let's see how my performance
is enhanced by adding

some art movement and styling.

some art movement and styling.

And let's get some color
in there while we're at it.

Roll picture.

[ENGINE PUTTERING]

Two Mouth!

Two mouth, where are you?

Oh no, they're not here.

We got a radio show
and no radio host.

[RAPID FOOTSTEPS]

Wait!

I'm best friends
with a superhero.

She can find them.

[BUTTONS BEEPING]

[RINGING]

NO EFFORT GIRL
(VOICEMAIL MESSAGE):

Obviously, you haven't
reached No-Effort Girl.

Obviously, you haven't
reached No-Effort Girl.

Do whatever you want.

[BEEP]

Hey, Girl, you didn't
pick up, which to be honest,

it's pretty frustrating,
because I need your help.

I feel like you're
blowing me off.

Are you too good for
my phone calls now?

[SLAM]

Oops.

I should probably call back.

[RINGING]

NO EFFORT GIRL (VOICEMAIL
MESSAGE): Do whatever you want.

[BEEP]

You know what?

This situation is great.

[CHUCKLES]

It's character building.

And adversity
makes you stronger.

And adversity
makes you stronger.

So it's probably the
best day of my life.

Bye!

[CLICK]

[BEEP]

You just roll out of
bed and save the world.

You have no idea what it's
like to go shoe shopping

and ask if they
have a size 47 wide.

They never do, but they always
say, "I'll check in the back."

[BEEP]

[SOBBING]

I'm all alone, and it's your
fault. But to top it off,

I have athlete's foot, which
is insane, because I'm not an--

[BEEP]

Oh my, my oh my, is
there in an erase button?

Oh my, my oh my, is
there in an erase button?

I'm so embarrassed, so
embarrassed that I'm

hanging up.

Bye!

[SLAM]

[RINGING]

[RAPID FOOTSTEPS]

Hey, did you listen
to my messages?

NO-EFFORT GIRL (ON
PHONE): Of course not.

What am I, like 90?

So what's up?

[GROANS]

ANIMATED NANCY CARTWRIGHT:
All right, everyone.

This is the culmination
of everything

we've learned so far.

We've created our voices.

We've learned how to
keep them consistent.

We know how to utilize our mic.

So let's take all of that
and voice all of the main

characters for "No-Effort
Girl" at the same time.

characters for "No-Effort
Girl" at the same time.

And then after the
readthrough, we'll

show you how a director
can be your collaborator.

And when we're done,
we'll see it all

come together in No-Effort
Girl's first ever fully

animated scene.

I know.

I know.

It's a lot.

But it's totally doable.

So let's send it to the blonde
lady in a tiny booth, Nancy

Cartwright.

[APPLAUSE]

Very game show of
you, animated me.

Thanks.

So say you've been cast, and
now you've got four characters.

And they are all in one scene.

And it's you talking to you
talking to you talking to you.

So let's just do
this, and believe me.

They're highlighted and
they're in different colors

so I can keep these
characters straight.

Let's have a shot at this.

MAN: OK, I'm rolling.

This is take one.

Exterior Earth from
space, we see a blur racing

Exterior Earth from
space, we see a blur racing

around the Earth multiple times.

Now we cut interior
to the radio station.

Yikes stands in the hallway.

No-Effort whips into frame.

Shucks.

I searched every
inch of the world.

And I didn't find
Two Mouth anywhere.

Girl, this situation is
worse than my dragon breath.

We got no host, and we're
on the air in 1 minute.

So why don't you just--

[GASPS]

[GASPS]

Why don't you just
host the show?

I mean, sure.

It's my biggest dream to be
the host instead of the station

manager.

But Two Mouth would kill me.

I think that you just
gotta host it, Yikes.

You don't have another choice.

Oh, golly, sweet
baby dragon eggs.

OK.

You set up the booth, and
I'll turn everything on.

So now we're interior in the
sound booth in the daytime.

And No-Effort enters
and finds Two Mouth.

And No-Effort enters
and finds Two Mouth.

Uninvited visitor in the house.

If you're not here to bring
me coffee, get the hell out.

You were here the whole time?

Oh, something's big
time super bogus.

Pan out to reveal a sheet
draped over something.

What's this?

No-Effort Girl pulls the
sheet and reveals the David.

No-Effort Girl pulls the
sheet and reveals the David.

A naked dude!

Stop.

Hold on.

Wait.

This is from that museum.

Did you put a baby
monster on a train track

and blow up the wing
of a plane today?

I'm not going to say--

wait a minute.

That's-- whoops.

Wrong one.

I'm not going to say no.

See, if it's not highlighted
in a different color,

you may get confused.

Anyway, realization sweeps
over No-Effort Girl's face.

You mast-- you're the mastermind
behind my annoying day?

You mast-- you're the mastermind
behind my annoying day?

You bet.

By morning, I'm a DJ.

And by mid-afternoon, I'm a
master criminal and general

no-goodnik.

No-- no one suspects the shock
jock, so get ready to fight.

You messed with
the wrong mouths.

Yikes enters the booth.

Yikes enters the booth.

Well, what in tarnation?

No-Effort and Two Mouth fight.

The On Air sign lights up.

Howdy, listeners.

I'm Yikes the--

I'm going to do that again.

Howdy, listeners.

I'm Yikes the dragon.

Today's show is a fight
between No-Effort Girl

and the evil voices of
this station Two Mouth.

No-Effort Girl flies
behind an airplane.

This is a new scene.

She's holding up Two Mouth
as the jet engines blow

their two mouths open.

their two mouths open.

My word, they really
are full of hot air.

She holds a pair of
gardening shears.

Two Mouth stands
in front of her.

Heavens, me.

The ever-embarrassing
close shave.

In the museum, on the
David's pedestal is a toilet.

No-Effort dunks his
head and flushes.

Police sirens blare.

Bless her heart,
the finishing move--

a performance art swirly.

[LAUGHS] And we cut
to the sound booth.

[LAUGHS] And we cut
to the sound booth.

And there's Yikes
the dragon again.

And here's the hero herself.

Girl, we have callers for days.

Rick, you're on the air
with No-Effort Girl.

I loved today's show.

Is No-Effort Girl always
good to be your co-host.

Another job?

As long as I don't have
to put in any effort.

Maybe just a little effort?

She cracks a smile
for her best friend.

OK.

So just a little.

So just a little.

Let's sign off with
your theme song.

Are you ready?

OK.

Take it away, Girl.

This is all I'm going to say.

Do not attempt to
do this at home.

[LAUGHS] I'm just kidding.

You should totally attempt
to do this at home.

You should, like, look at this--
look at the little reference

that I have here.

You make notes in your script.

And the main thing
that I suggest you do

is drill, drill, drill.

Tape yourself.

Tape yourself.

Like rehearse on tape
is what they call that.

So you have your
tape recorder going.

You rehearse yourself doing it.

You play it back.

You listen to it.

You make more notes.

Anything that you can do that's
going to help you, I mean,

obviously, you don't
want your script

to be completely
loaded down with notes.

You don't have really
time to read them.

But for me, when I write
them down, and I drill them,

I get it.

So when I finally do it, you
don't have to look at the notes

anymore.

It's all-- it's all here.

It's like in your heart.

It's right there.

It's really important
that you listen.

It's not just about performance.

But it's about listening to what
the director needs and wants

because sometimes your
interpretation of the script

isn't the same as what
the director or slash

writer has in mind.

So it's really
important to not only

be able to deliver the goods.

You have to listen to
what's needed and wanted

and then deliver, deliver that.

and then deliver, deliver that.

DIRECTOR: Well,
Nancy, great job.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Thanks, man.

I need some feedback.

I want this to be perfect.

DIRECTOR: I only
have a few notes.

On E-17, when he's
saying, howdy, listeners--

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Yeah.

DIRECTOR: That's the first
time that he's on air.

Could you make him sound
a little bit more nervous

and a little bit more excited?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Yeah.

Absolutely.

We're still rolling?

MAN: Rolling on take three.

OK, good.

Howdy, listeners.

Howdy, listeners.

I'm Yikes the dragon.

And today's show is a fight
between No-Effort Girl

and the evil voices of
this station Two Mouth.

DIRECTOR: That's it.

That's exactly what we need.

Can we try also one more pickup
on line 16, what in tarnation?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: And
how do you want that?

DIRECTOR: Can you make it
sound really surprised,

like what the heck?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Sure.

This is Yikes the dragon.

This is Yikes the dragon.

What in tarnation?

What in tarnation?

What in tarnation?

There's three for ya.

DIRECTOR: That's perfect.

In the line where Yikes is
kind of emceeing the fight,

I think it's line
18, 19, and 20,

can you kind of make it
sound a little bit more

like he's kind of
narrating the fight?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Oh, yeah.

DIRECTOR: Can we do a few?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Yeah.

See, this is good.

See, this is good.

This is the feedback that
an artist really needs.

It's so important to get that
feedback from the director

because sometimes you might miss
what the point is in the scene.

So you have this relationship
with the director

that will help you with that.

Are we rolling?

MAN: I am rolling.

OK, good.

Here we go.

This is take--
take one, I guess.

My word.

They really are full of hot air.

Heavens me, the ever--

do that again.

do that again.

Heavens me, the
ever-embarrassing close shave.

Bless her heart, the finishing
move-- a performance art

swirly.

[LAUGHS] Is that more--

is that what you're looking for?

DIRECTOR: Yeah.

Yeah.

That was great.

Ba, ba, ba, boom.

A performance art swirly.

[LAUGHS] It's like choreography,
you know, voice choreography.

DIRECTOR: It really is.

So Nancy, could we do
some pickups for line 14

and 15 of Radio
Mouth and Bad Mouth?

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Yeah.

DIRECTOR: I just want to
make sure they sound really

DIRECTOR: I just want to
make sure they sound really

distinct between each other.

So I know that I gave it--
the first time I did it,

I was kind of--

it was really aggressive.

I have another idea here.

Do you have something
else in mind?

DIRECTOR: No.

Let's hear your interpretation.

OK, good.

All right.

So here we go.

Here we go.

MAN: Pickups for
lines 14 and 15.

You're the
mastermind behind my--

MAN: I am rolling.

You bet and by morning--

no, no, he's-- hold on a second.

Yeah.

You bet.

By morning, I'm a DJ.

By morning, I'm a DJ.

And by afternoon,
I'm a master criminal

and a general no-goodnik.

No one suspects the shock jock.

So get ready to fight.

You messed with
the wrong mouths.

DIRECTOR: Those
were both so good.

OK.

For consistency, we
should get a similar read

for lines seven and eight.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Yeah.

DIRECTOR: Let's make
Radio Mouth really smooth

and Bad Mouth really evil.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Sure.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT: Sure.

OK.

And she's calling out here Radio
Mouth, or she just-- she's just

announcing it to the room.

DIRECTOR: She's
announcing it to the room.

Good.

Uninvited visitor in the house.

If you're not here to bring
me coffee, get the hell--

oh, wow.

That's hard.

That's a little hard to do, man.

Let me try-- hold on a second.

Little beverage.

OK.

OK.

I'll just do Bad Mouth again.

If you're not here to bring
me coffee, get the hell out.

This is my bass.

It's like my bass kind of
dry-- it doesn't quite--

get-- if you're not
here to bring me coffee,

get the hell out.

There you go.

DIRECTOR: That was fantastic.

MAN: Perfection.

DIRECTOR: I think we can cut.

MAN: All right.

Cutting.

The key things for you to walk
away with is that you come in.

The key things for you to walk
away with is that you come in.

You have made some decisions
before you arrive there.

And you keep yourself open
so you can take direction

because they're going to want
to go back and do some pickups,

make some changes.

And all you need to be able
to do is change your decision.

Give them, you
know, give options.

Give different takes,
different versions,

and then leave it up to them.

You walk away.

You can feel good.

Go out and treat yourself
to whatever your treat is.

Go out and treat yourself
to whatever your treat is.

And celebrate the fact that
you delivered the goods.

Now drumroll please.

As promised, here is the first
ever fully animated scene from

your new favorite
show, "No-Effort Girl."

Take a breath.

Sit back, and enjoy.

I searched every
inch of the world.

And I didn't find
Two Mouth anywhere.

Girl, this situation is
worse than my dragon breath.

We got no host, and we're
on the air in 1 minute.

Why don't you
just host the show?

I mean, sure.

It's my biggest dream to be
the host instead of the station

manager.

But Two Mouth would kill me.

But Two Mouth would kill me.

I think you gotta host, Yikes.

We don't have another choice.

Oh, golly.

Sweet baby dragon eggs.

OK.

OK.

You set up the booth.

I'll turn everything on.

Uninvited visitor
in the house.

If you're not here to bring
me coffee, get the hell out.

Wait a second.

You were here the whole time?

Something's big
time super bogus.

Something's big
time super bogus.

What's this?

A naked dude?

Wait.

This is from that museum.

Did you put a baby
monster on a train track

and blow up the wing
of a plane today?

You're the mastermind
behind my annoying day!

You bet.

By morning, I'm a DJ.

And by mid-afternoon,
I'm a master criminal

and a general no-goodnik.

and a general no-goodnik.

What in tarnation?

No one suspects
the shock jock.

So get ready to fight.

You messed with
the wrong mouths.

[GASPS]

Howdy listeners.

I'm Yikes the dragon.

And today's show is a fight
between No-Effort Girl

and the evil voices of
this station, Two Mouth.

My word.

They really are full of hot air.

Heavens me.

The ever-embarrassing
close shave.

Bless her heart,
the finishing move--

a performance arts swirly.

And here's the hero herself.

Girl, we have callers for days.

Rick, you're on the air
with No-Effort Girl.

I loved today's show.

Is No-Effort Girl always
going to be your co-host?

Another job?

As long as I don't have
to put in any effort.

As long as I don't have
to put in any effort.

Maybe just a little effort?

OK.

Just a little.

Let's sign off
with your theme song.

Are you ready?

OK.

Take it away, Girl.

(SINGING) I'm No-Effort Girl.

I'm No-Effort Girl.

And it's easy and boring
to save the whole world.

Like whatever.

I want to address
something that I think

is really, really important.

In fact, you really
can't make a career

without what it is I'm
going to tell you next.

It's about relationships.

It's setting up networking.

It's your agent.

It's your manager.

It's getting yourself ready
to get hired to do the job

and actually get paid
for doing what you love.

So let me introduce you
to a cast of characters

that you're going to want
to meet with as you develop

your career.

The first person that I would
love for you to introduce

yourself to would be a manager.

A manager can actually
work with you.

The manager can hold
your hand a little bit.

They're available to
do lunch with you.

A manager can sit down and
like, help you plan out,

what's your next step
that you're going to take?

And you can write
out a whole program

And you can write
out a whole program

on what you can do that
week to help your career.

And that, by the way, is an
example of a great manager.

Also, the manager is the liaison
between yourself and the agent.

So what exactly is an agent?

An agent is like a gatekeeper.

They have the key
in the relationships

to the people on the other
side of the door that

have the power to cast you.

Now, the main difference
between an agent and a manager

is an agent represents
hundreds of clients.

is an agent represents
hundreds of clients.

And it's like, how are
you going to get somebody

to believe in you and
all of your passion

and all of your talent when you
are swimming in a sea of all

this other talent?

So how do you find a
manager or an agent?

That's the big question.

Network with your friends.

Find out if they
have representation

they are happy with.

Get them to introduce
you to them.

Maybe you're exactly
what they're needing

and maybe they lost a
client similar to you

and maybe they lost a
client similar to you

and then you come along.

And it's like, bingo, kismet.

One specific thought
I have on agents

is that when you're
first starting out,

you might want to try to
go with a boutique agency.

They're a little
more family-oriented.

They don't have as many
clients, so starting out,

that would be kind of an
ideal person to represent you,

would be somebody that
has a very small agency.

When I say small,
like, you know,

they could have, you know,
100, a couple hundred clients.

they could have, you know,
100, a couple hundred clients.

Actually, I would
highly recommend that.

The other very important
person that you really

need to meet up with
is a casting director.

The casting director is
the liaison between you

and getting the job.

He or she is hired
by the producer

to make sure that
that cast is supreme.

The manager will use the
lines that he or she has,

coordinate with the
agent and set you up

with a general meeting
with a casting director.

And believe me,
they are absolutely

And believe me,
they are absolutely

going to want to meet you.

Since their job is trying
to hire new talent,

they are constantly wanting to
be the one to find new talent,

and that would be you.

Let me give you an example.

I met with this
casting director.

This was probably in '86.

I met with Bonnie Pietila, and
it was just a general meeting.

You know, it wasn't an audition.

But I was telling her
about my background.

She was, like,
fascinated, but I kept

She was, like,
fascinated, but I kept

wanting to tell her that
I was in an acting class,

and I'm working on A
Streetcar Named Desire,

trying to impress her with
my theatrical abilities.

See, Bonnie was a TV and
film casting director,

and I wanted to do more TV
and film roles at the time.

So I kept talking
about my acting class,

but she just kept bringing
me back to voiceovers.

Well, a year later,
next thing I know,

she is calling me up
to come in to voice

for this little
character on a vignette

for this little
character on a vignette

that they were doing on
the Tracey Ullman Show.

She remembered me, and that's
why I got the phone call.

And that led to
playing Bart Simpson.

So man, oh, man.

Sometimes these
opportunities come along.

You don't know where something
is going to take you.

But things have changed since
I was cast on The Simpsons.

Today, you have all
these online resources.

You have Instagram Lives,
Twitter, and Facebook,

You have Instagram Lives,
Twitter, and Facebook,

and the same rules apply
in the virtual world

as in the physical world.

Have a real conversation.

You know, stay in touch,
but don't be annoying.

Little by little, you will
have a virtual Rolodex.

I still have one.

So you can create
legitimate relationships

with these valuable people.

You know, when you're
first starting out,

my suggestion is do every
single audition that you can do.

my suggestion is do every
single audition that you can do.

Don't turn anything down.

Not yet.

No, no, no, no.

Not yet.

Do everything.

You know what?

It's a numbers game.

The more that you do,
the better the chances

are that you're going
to get employed.

When you reach a
different level,

you can be more selective
about what it is that you do.

You don't have to
take every single job.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself.

Let's just say you're
going about your day,

and your phone dings, and your
agent you just signed with

got an audition for you.

got an audition for you.

And you're like, oh my gosh,
and your heart is pounding.

You can't believe it.

It's finally happening.

You've got your first audition.

All right, so now what?

What do you do?

OK, so you're going to get the
script, and when I say script,

it's not going to be-- it's
not like it's a movie script.

It's probably just
going to be a scene.

You're going to be getting
one, up to maybe six scenes,

or maybe just one line,
and then you just read it.

Read your character out loud.

Who is this character?

What's his relationship with the
other characters in the script?

What's his relationship with the
other characters in the script?

And the description of the
character will be right there.

It's going to describe,
Sally, eight years old.

She tends to be a little
bit of a busybody.

And then with that
description, you're

going to come up with
what she sounds like.

And then while you're
rehearsing, not a bad idea

to get somebody-- it
could be your child.

It could be your best friend.

It could be a boyfriend,
a girlfriend--

have somebody read
and feed you the lines

have somebody read
and feed you the lines

so that you're
comfortable with it.

Or just yourself.

Just drill it yourself.

Just read the
lines over and over

so that you're comfortable
with what you're reading.

Practice, practice, practice.

All right, so most likely, you
will be doing your auditions

from home.

Do two to three
takes for each part.

Give them options.

Make each take different, but
mostly, just have fun with it.

(WHISPERING)
R-E-J-E-C-T-I-O-N.

(NORMAL VOLUME) OK,
there's a big word.

It's about nine letters,
called rejection.

I'm going to tell you
how to deal with it.

This is how I deal with it.

I actually just
walk away from it.

Rejection has nothing to do with
what it is that you are doing.

Put your attention on
now and into the future.

In other words,
this is your goal,

and this is what you're
going to do to get that goal.

So when you go in and do
an audition, that's it.

You're done.

It's over.

It's over.

And I wouldn't even bother
calling my agent to check up

on, you know, what happened?

Have you heard anything?

No!

She's too busy to
follow up on that.

If you get the job,
she'll get the call.

You don't want to bother her
and hold her up from possibly

getting you another audition.

Just forget about it.

Just move on.

There definitely are
jobs that I've lost,

but when I reflect
back on it, I go,

golly, I can't have everything.

I was up for the part of Babe.

I was up for the part of Babe.

I didn't get that job.

I was up for the
lead in Happy Feet.

I didn't get that job.

Two different people,
incredibly talented actresses,

that got these jobs.

You know what?

I look at that as fantastic.

They got the job.

There's so much work out
there for everybody to do,

and you can't do
it all, because--

I mean, that would be
a fantastic problem.

Now, if you had so
much work that it was

a problem of scheduling, wow.

That you should have
that problem, go for it.

That you should have
that problem, go for it.

That's the kind of problem
that you want to have.

OK, so now you got the job.

Three cheers!

Here's the key thing.

We are in the
business of talking,

but listening is
equally important.

You have to be a
really good listener,

because the producer is looking
for something very specific,

and it may not be at all what
you thought this character was.

and it may not be at all what
you thought this character was.

But by listening
to what they want

and getting a whole
different viewpoint on it,

you can do something you never
knew you were capable of doing.

Now, here's the other thing.

Sometimes they have no
idea what they want,

and they're counting on you.

But the truth of
the matter is, you

are going to be bringing
your own special uniqueness

to this game, and
that is the thing

that's going to sell
you the very, very most,

is your confidence
in who you are

is your confidence
in who you are

and how you come across when
you meet these people that

will help you.

So when you walk in the
room, virtual or otherwise,

with all your
confidence and say,

hi, my name is Nancy Cartwright,
or whatever your name is.

I'm here.

What have you got?

Let's go.

They like that.

They like you showing up
with all this confidence

and certainty, because
you're the kind of person

that they want to work with.

They don't need to have
more problems, you know?

They want somebody to
solve their problem.

They want somebody to
solve their problem.

This is like, super simple
communication basics.

Look them in the eye.

Have a conversation.

How are you doing?

I can't tell you how
glad I am to be here.

Thanks for having me.

You become very real.

You're not just another
actor doing a job.

You got to put some
attention on where you are

and who you're talking to.

You know, they're
important, too.

And the main thing is
really don't be late.

Actually, show up early,
because if you're early,

you're on time.

you're on time.

If you're on time, you're late.

If you're late, you're fired.

You won't get hired.

Boom.

It's as simple as that.

That's being a professional.

Now I want to talk about
the business relationships

that you have once
you're hired for the job.

There's the client.

That's the person who's
paying for all this.

That relationship with
the client is so crucial,

and it's not just the client.

and it's not just the client.

It's the whole team that
you're working with.

Everybody is there
to deliver a job,

and you want to be careful
not to step on toes.

You know, as the artist, you are
definitely a part of the show,

but you got to wear your hat
in terms of the business, too.

And that's respecting the
other people and their jobs.

Another thing that
you've got to consider

is your contract, because
when you show up there,

I like to take care
of business first.

I like my contract.

I want to sign my
contract right away,

I want to sign my
contract right away,

because I have left studios
without signing a contract,

and that's not OK.

You've got an
agreement with them,

so actually read it and make
sure the contract reflects

that agreement.

Chances are, your
agent or manager

won't be available
at a moment's notice,

so you will have to handle this
on your own and right away.

Handle the business first, and
then get into the pleasure.

When you go into the studio,
leave your personal life

When you go into the studio,
leave your personal life

in the parking lot.

Just do not even
come in the front

door of that studio with any
of your personal problems.

None.

It's something that
has served me very,

very well over the years.

They have deadlines
that they have to meet.

It's all very expensive.

They are paying you to
do a job and deliver

your mastery to them.

That's what you're hired
for, so don't complicate it.

That's what you're hired
for, so don't complicate it.

So in other words, instead
of being a problem,

be the problem solver.

You will be so
respected for that.

CHRISTINE CAVANAUGH:
I'm Bart Simpson.

Who the hell are you?

I love sharing with people that
I'm the voice of Bart Simpson,

because it creates
this instantly,

bam, as soon as I say
that, people's jaws drop

on the floor, and
they're laughing.

They're like, wait, what?

Like, you're him.

And it's like they're happy.

I'm happy.

It's a fabulous perk of
being a voiceover actor.

It's a fabulous perk of
being a voiceover actor.

It doesn't cost a dime to
do something like that.

And just everybody walks away
like, oh, man, that's so cool.

There's so many lessons
that I have learned

and that I have
applied in my life.

So I thought this would be kind
of fun to share some lessons

from this 10-year-old boy.

I had this teacher once
who was an acting teacher.

And he said something
that was brilliant.

He said attitude is everything.

He said attitude is everything.

And I thought that
was fantastic.

And he's right,
it's like you can

have all the talent in
the world and just kind of

have a suck attitude about it.

With all that talent
and with a bad attitude,

I don't think you're
going to get the job.

You can have not as much
talent, but you could

be such a passionate person.

And somebody who really
is there as a problem

solver instead of a
problem, that's number one.

Do what you love.

Do what you love.

It's about passion.

You know if you're not
passionate about it,

why bother?

It is a motto that I live
by that if it isn't fun,

I don't even want to do it.

You know, have a good attitude
and share all of your talent.

Do both.

I used to think that the
definition of a professional

was somebody who gets
paid to do a job.

That isn't what I believe
a professional is.

You are expected to deliver
the highest quality of work

You are expected to deliver
the highest quality of work

that you can do.

You know, a
professional is somebody

who delivers the goods
in a big, big way.

And in fact, delivers even
more than what's expected.

I like the idea of leaving a
job knowing that not only did

I do what they wanted me
to do, but I gave them

even a little bit more.

Here's a perfect example.

Working with Meryl Streep,
I will tell you this,

Working with Meryl Streep,
I will tell you this,

she is this consummate
professional.

I was so excited
to work with her

to see what she was
going to come up

playing this Jessica Lovejoy.

And I'm telling you, we
normally do four takes.

She did 4, 5, 6,
7, 8 9, 10 takes.

She just kept giving
option after option.

I mean, that to me was, bam.

Just nobody has delivered
the goods like she did.

That was so impressive, to
the point where it's like,

OK, Meryl, we're done.

We're going to lock the door
and turn out the lights now.

We're going to lock the door
and turn out the lights now.

It was amazing.

Another really valuable lesson
that I found along the way

is surround yourself with
people who respect you,

who appreciate you, who
love what you're doing

and they support you.

I can't tell you how
important that is.

Sometimes people will
make a little comment

that can really sort of
stick with you in a bad way.

And it's so important
that as an artist

And it's so important
that as an artist

you surround
yourself with people

who believe in you, because
people who truly believe in you

will give you confidence.

And that confidence
is what allows

you to do your best work.

And I'm not talking
about yes, men.

My friends are people who they
communicate some truth to me

about sometimes things that
are a little bit awkward.

If somebody is just
saying yes to me

because they think I'm
going to be happy about it

and it really was something
that was not right,

and it really was something
that was not right,

that's not a good thing.

The challenge is going
to be who do you trust?

Which leads me to my next
point, trust your instincts.

Because you know what, when
it comes right down to it

you are right.

You are correct.

Say you walk away
from an audition,

or say you walk away
from a job interview,

or say you had a
date with someone

and you're saying goodbye
and you're on your way out.

and you're saying goodbye
and you're on your way out.

But as you're reaching
the handle for your door,

you're going, oh, man,
I should have given them

my phone number.

I should have done
one more take.

You know, you are right.

Go back.

Do it.

Do it.

And do it now.

Because as soon as you get
in that car, I'm telling you,

and you're on your
way home, you don't

want to be driving in your
car or riding on a bus saying,

oh, man, I should have done it.

That is the worst
feeling in the world.

So trust your instincts,
you are correct.

So trust your instincts,
you are correct.

One of the questions
that people like

to ask me is, how
do you do it all?

And I guess it all boils
down to really what is it

that you want.

And you have to prioritize it.

You can't make everybody
happy all the time.

There's a little bit
of a give and take.

So if you're putting attention
over here on the family,

your career could feel like
it's going down a little bit.

your career could feel like
it's going down a little bit.

Well, you got to
go back over there

and put a little bit more
attention on the career,

whether it's reading something
or being with a group

and taking an acting
class or a voice class.

And then you feel like,
gosh, I just need a break.

I need a vacation.

Well, you deserve that.

You should do that too.

Or you know, it makes me
feel good to volunteer

in the community.

But I think I can do that
on Saturday mornings.

But then you got to work
that out with the family.

It's all about kind of
like spinning the plates,

It's all about kind of
like spinning the plates,

like on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Plate number one is falling.

That's my family.

I got to go down
and spin that plate.

Oh no, my career.

I think I just lost an
opportunity for a job.

I've got to go back down there
and make a phone call and say,

look, I really blew it.

I'm so sorry.

Bam, bam, bam-- spin that
play a little bit more.

If you can get all those
plates going at the same time,

I'd say you're doing fantastic.

Probably the biggest
career obstacle

Probably the biggest
career obstacle

that I've had to
overcome was with a show

called "The Rugrats."

So I was a big fan of that show.

I knew it was going on.

It was the cutest animation.

It was so adorable.

Somehow, I missed out on
the audition for that.

But years later, I it
was like about eight--

eight-- seven,
eight years later,

Chris Kavanaugh, who was the
voice of Chuckie was retiring.

And they needed to replace her.

So they called me up.

So they called me up.

And I had this opportunity
to go in and do this.

But I was scared to
death, because Chris

had done such an amazing job
creating this little guy.

And Chuckie, the
little guy, he's

supposed to be two-years-old.

He's so scared.

He's afraid of clowns.

He's afraid of Angelica.

He's got an adenoidal problem.

He's got bad eyes.

He's got these big square
glasses with like Coke bottle

glasses.

glasses.

There's all kinds of things.

And she created this
amazing, amazing little guy.

What was that?

There's something down there.

No, that can't be.

Things don't live under beds.

CHRISTINE CAVANAUGH: It was
kind of like one of those things

where it was quite
daunting and a little bit

of a strange situation like to
come in and replace somebody.

That's like how am I ever
going to sound like him?

That's like how am I ever
going to sound like him?

So what I did was I hired
the director, Charlie.

And so I said, Charlie, I
want you to help me with this.

He said, OK.

So the casting director,
Barbara Wright,

she gave me a reference tape
so I could hear Chuckie.

And so I called her up.

I said, can you do me a favor?

Send me the script.

I need it in writing too.

So she sent me the script
of that particular episode.

So I got that.

And then I went to
Charlie's house.

And then I went to
Charlie's house.

And he had a studio right there.

So we worked, I mean, all day.

We worked maybe four
hours I guess on it.

And I just kept doing it.

And he's tweaking me.

And we just worked
it and worked it.

And then I was
hired to do the job.

They wanted to hear me do it.

And on that
particular day, there

must have been a dozen
people in the engineer booth.

no pressure at all.

And I'm doing this voicing.

And it's like-- (STARTS
TALKING LIKE CHUCKIE)

because, like,
when Chuckie talks,

he's got this whole
thing going on here.

he's got this whole
thing going on here.

And you listen to that.

He's placed in the
back of my throat.

And--

[GROWLING]

I don't like clowns.

[GROWLING]

And just like listening to
that over and over again so

I could sort of get
that same essence

that she had established
so beautifully.

Anyway, they're in there
and they're listening to it.

And I did the job.

And I was a little anxious.

And, OK-- no, they're
like, no, it's great.

I started to walk out.

And one of the best
compliments I ever

And one of the best
compliments I ever

got was somebody was walking
down the hall and said,

was that you?

I said, yeah.

And this person said
to me, oh my God, I

thought Chris came back.

That felt amazing.

I'm scared Tommy.

What if I'm allergic
to giant bugs.

Why would you be
allergic to giant buggies?

Because I'm allergic
to everything.

CHRISTINE CAVANAUGH: Sometimes
you're presented with something

that could appear to
be unsurmountable.

that could appear to
be unsurmountable.

You know, it's like I'll never--

I don't know how I'm ever
going to get through this.

How am I going to--

how am I going to survive that?

It's the worst thing that
could possibly happen.

I'll never make it
kind of a thing.

But you'll never
know till you try.

You know, I went in there
and I hired Charlie.

I insisted on having the
text, not just the tape.

I wanted to do this the
best that I could do it.

I gave it all my all.

Then I started to add my
own elements to Chuckie that

Then I started to add my
own elements to Chuckie that

are mine, that weren't hers.

You know, feel-- (STARTS
TALKING LIKE CHUCKIE)

so when I do Chuckie and I
say she says Phil and Lil.

I say "feel" and "leal."

I make a diphthong, like
it's two syllables almost,

those words.

And it's funny.

And it's just another
little element

that I got to do to add to
it to make him now he's mine.

He's definitely mine.

That feels good.

You know, I've been doing
this for like 40 years.

And honestly, I see me
doing it another 40 years.

And honestly, I see me
doing it another 40 years.

And if you can take
any of these lessons

that I've given you
on any aspect of it,

then that's awesome,
because it's a long journey

we got going here, folks.

If it can make it fun
for you along the way,

then by all means, go for it.

Everyone has a voice.

But it's up to you to
decide how you want

to use your voice in your life.

You can use your voice to put
forth a unique point of view,

to try to bring about
change in your community,

or you can use it to bring a
little joy to those around you.

I'm going to share a few stories
of how I've learned to harness

the power of my voice.

And I challenge you to
think about how you, too,

And I challenge you to
think about how you, too,

can go get vocal.

I was auditioning to do
the commencement speech

at my high school graduation.

And they were picking
five students to do it.

I thought, OK, so what I
want to do my speech about?

I talked to my teacher about
it, my-- my favorite teacher

of all time.

And he gave me this poem by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,

"lives of great men remind us
we can make our lives sublime

"lives of great men remind us
we can make our lives sublime

and in departing leave
behind us footprints

on the sands of time."

I thought, wow.

I love that.

It put, like, a
dream there for me.

It was like a vision that I
had for myself for my future.

So I wrote this whole speech.

So in front of the class, in
front of the senior class,

we had auditions.

And there were about maybe
12 of us all together.

And we one at a time went up
there and we gave our speeches.

And we one at a time went up
there and we gave our speeches.

So then later on in the day,
they announced the winner.

And I did not make
the finalists.

I didn't get selected.

And I was devastated.

So now I'm not going
to be able to do it.

I didn't even tell my mom and
dad I had written the speech.

I wanted to surprise them
at the actual commencement.

I told my mom on the
day of the graduation

that I had written the speech.

I said, but, Mom, I
didn't get selected.

I messed up.

She goes, no, you
are going to do it.

You're going to do it.

Let's do it right now.

So in our den, I stood up there.

So in our den, I stood up there.

There's my Aunt
Millie and my cousin.

There's Peggy and Suzy, and
some of my siblings were there.

And I did my speech,
and I did it perfect.

And I got a nice
round of applause.

And you know what?

It was the best
feeling that I got.

I kept my integrity.

And my mom said to
me, you know what?

That's the best speech.

Yours is the best speech of all.

And she gave me a
big hug and said

that I would have
plenty of opportunities

to make my mark on the world.

to make my mark on the world.

[APPLAUSE]

I actually believe that
it's the artist that makes

the difference in the world.

[CHEERING]

It's the artist who is
putting the future there

through films, photography,
theater, dance, sculpture,

music, and animation.

It's the artist who gives
hope in a troubled world.

It's the artist who gives
hope in a troubled world.

Not everyone has the luxury
to be paid as an artist.

But it's very important that
you find an outlet for yourself

as an artist.

And I encourage all of you
seniors, underclassman,

10-year-old boys, your brothers
and sisters, moms and dads

to follow your passion.

Life is an art, so make it
beautiful and make it your own.

[APPLAUSE]

You just never know how
big the stage will be

You just never know how
big the stage will be

or when the curtains will part.

But if you treat every
opportunity with intention,

you'll be ready when it's
time to step up to the mic.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

When I started out in the
early '80s doing voiceovers,

I never considered
that I was doing

something that was unusual
or not particularly done

a lot by women.

But when I go back
in the day and I

But when I go back
in the day and I

look at the history
of animation,

in particular voiceovers
for animation,

there weren't a lot of
women that were doing it.

It was a small group of women,
Lucille Bliss, June Foray,

Annie Singleton.

But the characters were
mostly written for men,

and there weren't
that many actresses

that were lending their voices.

It was a small cadre
of women that did that.

And by the way, they
didn't get credit for it.

And by the way, they
didn't get credit for it.

Mel Blanc who was the
only one that was actually

getting credit for it.

So it was an industry that
was mostly run by men.

And the writers were men.

And there were
exceptions to the rule,

but it wasn't broadly promoted.

So as the years went by, more
and more writers were women,

and they became more vocal.

And as time changed
and more women spoke up

about how they contributed,
there was more agreement

about how they contributed,
there was more agreement

that women can do this.

So at the time that I
got into the business,

I started, then, playing
with the other women that

were doing it successfully.

These women who
came before me left

footprints in the
sand for me to follow.

And gee whiz, it's-- it's--

it's been the joy of my life.

So whatever the
situation, don't ever

be afraid to speak up and
speak your mind about what

be afraid to speak up and
speak your mind about what

you feel is right.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

You know, creating voices for
characters, whether they're

yours or it's a picture that
you bring life to, it just--

it's for fun.

You just do it for fun.

And people, you know,
they enjoy that.

I get a lot of packages
delivered to my house,

you know, whether it's through
the mail or some delivery

you know, whether it's through
the mail or some delivery

service or whatever.

And to be honest with
you, they have found out

that it's me, that it's Nancy
Cartwright, voice of Bart

Simpson, blah, blah, blah.

And I kind of like to
have fun with that.

You know, if I'm home and I
know that somebody's delivering

something, I will go out and
speak in a character voice

and just make them smile.

Hi, Nancy.

Looks like there's
one for you today

(IN CHARACTER
VOICE) Oh, thanks.

I've been waiting for my
pickleball paddle for a month.

I've been waiting for my
pickleball paddle for a month.

[CHUCKLING] You'll have
to teach me how to play.

And I love doing that.

It makes people happy, you know?

And we could use more of that.

So if you're
wondering, how can I

use this voice acting
in my life, how

can I use it to, like,
have fun with it,

I've got some ideas for you.

One thing that you can do is to,
like, create these characters,

and you can call up people,
like, on their birthday

or their anniversary or
congratulations, you know,

glad to hear you have a baby
boy or a baby girl or, you know,

glad to hear you have a baby
boy or a baby girl or, you know,

some recognition
of something and do

it-- do it as a character
that you've created.

(IN BRITISH ACCENT)
Hello, popsicle.

This is your number
four giving you

a call to wish you an
extremely happy 92nd birthday.

Happy, happy birthday, popsicle!

(REGULAR VOICE) Another
thing you can do is you

can voice emojis.

My cell phone has these
cute little characters.

You just come up with different
voices for the giraffe

You just come up with different
voices for the giraffe

or for the elephant or
for the little panda bear.

Or there's even one of me, and
I just talk to my granddaughter.

And, oh, man, she loves that!

(IN CHARACTER VOICE) This
is your Nana speaking.

I know I don't look like Nana.

I don't even sound
like Nana, now, do I?

But this is Nana
speaking to you.

And I've got a long, long neck.

(REGULAR VOICE) She loves it
and it just brings a little--

[LAUGHING] a little joy.

I'm not sure who's happier,
if she's happier or me,

because I know I'm
making her smile.

because I know I'm
making her smile.

You can share some anecdote,
and you can share a voice just

off the top of your head
and make somebody laugh

and surprise somebody.

And they can-- you
can pop them out

of whatever funk
they might be in.

So you don't have to be a star.

You don't have to be
a celebrity to make

a difference on this planet.

And that's-- honest to
God, that is why I am here.

[LAUGHING] So I burp and fart
in order to change the world.

[LAUGHING] So I burp and fart
in order to change the world.

[BURPS] [LAUGHING]
But it's true.

You have to start somewhere.

[LAUGHING]

I've been so fortunate to
have had people in my life

to teach me the
tools of the trade.

So now I want to give you
three final tools to put

into your tool belt. And
that would be number one,

into your tool belt. And
that would be number one,

don't be afraid to make
mistakes because honestly,

you cannot make mistakes when
you're just learning how to do

this.

Just goof up as much as you
want because you know what?

It's all yours, and you can
edit as much as you like.

Practice, practice,
practice, but

don't be afraid of goofing up.

Second thing is
make strong choices

on who your characters are.

You know, make sure
there's a differentiation

between your characters.

Don't have them blending
into each other.

Make them very individual.

Make them very individual.

And finally, don't ever
think that you're not

going to get the job
because you haven't done it

before, you don't
have any connections,

you don't know how to do it.

Don't let those thoughts
enter your mind.

Go for it.

And if you get your first
job because of Master Class,

you got to let me know.

I'm there for you, man.

[LAUGHING] I hope
that you take with you

all these tools and all
these techniques and ideas

all these tools and all
these techniques and ideas

and tips and tricks
that I have given you.

I got a lot of this from my
mentor, from Daws Butler.

And now I'm going to
pass my tool belt,

take my tool belt off.

I'm going to pass
it over to you guys

so that you can carry on and
have the luck and fun that I've

had my whole career.

Here's to you guys.

Can we play it one
more time, Jeff?

JEFF: Sure.

No problem.

Stand by.

Come on, everyone.

Hop in.

Hop in.

See you later or whatever.

Ugh.

Signing off.

Oh, and don't let the
door hit you on the way out.

Oh!

[ENGINE STARTING]

Good luck, everyone!

Y'all stay out of trouble
and check your messages.

Onto the next record.

Let's go!

(SINGING) I'm no-effort girl.

Ugh.

(SINGING) I'm no-effort girl.

And she, she, and boring
to save the whole world.

And she, she, and boring
to save the whole world.