Sound Bites - Jason Gray-Stanford
How did you get started in voice acting?
When I got into the business, I started doing a lot of theater, and film and television, and it was actually an open call for a series and I went in, did the auditions, and I got a call back... then another call back, and wound up not getting the part, but...
What was the series?
It was
Stone Protectors. But it was a really interesting facet of the business, so I just kept going back. They liked the work I did, even though I didn't get the part and they kept calling me back, and eventually I got a few parts here and there... and here I am today.
Do you do anything special to prepare yourself for a role? Like research of any kind?
Yeah, it all depends on what the role is, and, you know, what the characters are like, but I always try and do some kind of vocal warm-up, whether it's humming or singing or something, because it's important to just be prepared when you get in there---especially if you're running a voice for a couple of hours and it's a high voice or whatever it might be but I think it's important to do some sort of warm-up and I try to do that.
It probably helps you get a real good feel for the character, too, right?
Yeah, well, you know, you can do different things with your voice to help you click into a character.
When doing a character translated from the Japanese, do you want to hear the Japanese, to see how that voice-actor handled the part?
Yeah, actually I really like to listen to the Japanese in my headphones. A lot of people don't like it, and just like to go on their own, but I like it, because I find it really helps me for timing. I can hear how long he's got to say it, and what he---well, not so much what he does with it, because it's a different language, and we have different inflections and whatnot---but more for the timing. So I know when the next line comes in, and I can kind of match it up like that, and it really doesn't bother me, I just go right over the top of it.
Is there much room for improvisation in your voice-acting roles, or are you held pretty strictly to the script?
Well, I guess there's always room for improvisation. It depends, because sometimes what the writer has written down is often what they're thinking in their mind, and you're thinking something a little different. So, not great changes, but it's okay to change a few words here and there.
Sort of going with what you feel, right?
That's right, and then once you get the hang of your character, that's when you can let him go a little, and it's not so much you improvising, but it's your character going on with what he's saying. So, yeah, there's definitely room for improv.
Do you ever watch the animation you're in?
Oh yeah. Definitely, I'm a narcissist. [LAUGHS] Of course I do. It's actually really cool to see your voice up there, because as a young lad I watched Saturday morning cartoons...
Oh, so you did watch animation before you got into voice-acting.
Yes, oh yes, definitely. I think everybody does. I always watched cartoons and I think it's great and I know if I was between six and twelve now, and I was watching someone I knew doing those voices, I'd be fascinated by it.
Do you have a "type" of character that you're usually cast for? Like a tough guy or something like that?
[IN A 'BILL AND TED' VOICE] Yeah, I kinda, you know, do a "surfer" guy. [LAUGHS] Actually, I do a lot, I do some kids... I do teens and even as young as ten or eleven, depending on what the production company is looking for. I haven't quite got into the manly end of it. There are so many men and women out there who are very talented at this business, and have a lot more experience than I do, who are very very good at what they do, and Those Big Man Voices [DEEP BASSO VOICE] ...like, YEAH...those elude me at the moment. So I'm in for the cool punks right now.
Hey, y'know that's a good place to be. Do you have a favorite character that you've played?
Actually yeah, I have to say Joe Higashi.
[1] He's a comical tough guy. If I could be anyone in the world, I would be him. He's a good lookin' cool guy, he's got witty lines, he's got great hair and a great body. It would be him. [LAUGHS] But I like 'em all, you've gotta like 'em all. You've got to find something in each one that you can connect to and you really like.
Do you also do live-action work?
I do indeed. That's actually what I started out doing.
What was the first show you did?
Oh, god, the first show I did. We'd have to go way, way back to grade school...[LAUGHS]
Something that somebody'd know, that you've been in?
Well, there's lots of shows, like The X-Files. I did the first season of The X-Files, when it wasn't quite so popular. I feel I'm one of the mainstays of The X-Files that got the show to where it had to get to, to be so popular. [LAUGHS] But I did a lot of theater, because I was classically trained at UBC, the University of British Columbia, and I did a lot of stage when I first got out of school, then I got right into film and TV---it's a great business!---and then into voices, and now I do as much as I can.
So you're doing both right now?
Right now, I'm doing both. Sometimes I don't do as much as I'd like. [LAUGHS]
So how does voice-acting compare to live-action work?
To tell you the truth, voice-acting is a hell of a lot more fun. It's wild, when you get in a room with, like, five or six other people and you're all goin' at it... because it doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter what you wear... you just go. And it's your voice. You don't get seen, you don't have to worry about your face being up on screen, and going "Oh, I hate that... oh, look at my hair. I look terrible." [LAUGHS] It's just fun. It's real fun.
Do you ever get any fan mail?
In fact, I just started getting some fan mail. [LAUGHS] I'm very, very excited.
What kind of stuff did they send you?
Just questions, basically Like a little letter with questions about some of the characters that I've played, and asking for a response, and actually I just wrote a letter back and sent a picture and stuff. I think it's great. I think it's absolutely fantastic that someone cares enough to write. But, yeah, I just started getting some...it's kinda cool. [LAUGHS]
Do you get more mail from women than men, or...?
I don't know, actually---probably more men. I think most of the cartoons that I've done are geared towards, you know, like, younger fellas.
Any closing words for your fans?
Yeah...keep watching those cartoons, and hopefully you'll keep hearing my voice.
Fan mail for Cathy Weseluck can be sent to:
Jason Gray-Stanford c/o Carrier Talent
928-470 Granville Street
Vancouver B.C. Canada V6C 1V5
Footnotes
- [1] While Joe Higashi is the only character he mentions in the interview, at this point in his career he had not yet played Yusaku Godai from Maison Ikkoku, the role that most fans of Rumiko Takahashi associate him with. At this point his anime roles included: Joe Higashi from Fatal Fury, "Ran," Green Legend Ran, Yuta, Mermaid's Scar, Ogre Slayer, Ogre Slayer, Haruhiko Kazama, Please Save My Earth, Shinnosuke, Ranma 1/2, and Kento of Hardrock from Ronin Warriors.
