Post by Timothy on Nov 4, 2007 9:45:13 GMT -5
Here it is! DC's interview with legendary Batman: The Animated Series voice actor Paul Williams of "The Penguin" fame! He was a terrific person to talk with, and I'm especially excited about this interview because I organized it for my very special lady friend "papillon" here on DC 
Note: All "..." are from original correspondence and are unedited.
___________________________________________________
1.) tomstoyz asks, "Do you plan on doing any other Batman-related projects? If not, what are you doing now?"
Paul Williams:
No .. I loved doing voice over when I lived in Los Angeles .. It was close and easy work with some wonderful actors. I live at the beach now and am not really pursuing acting jobs. I say 'yes' when the phone rings but most of my time is spent working on musicals in various stages of development.
"Happy Days, a new musical" based on the Tv series is the furthest along. I wrote it with Garry Marshall and it just closed a wonderful run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. It will be on the road for over a year starting at the Goodspeed theatre in Connecticut April 11th for 12 weeks .. then the La Mirada in California ... and so on. Down the line we hope to be on Broadway.
I also have musicals based on "chicken soup for the soul", "phantom of the Paradise" and "emmett Otters Jugband Christmas" in the early stages of development.
I still enjoy performing .. I'm playing the Gold Coast in Vegas later this month ... then the Carpenter Theatre in Long Beach December 1st... and I am very active as a speaker in the area of Recovery. I'm 17 years sober and very grateful to have my life back.
2.) papillon asks "Your voice for the Penguin seems so natural. Do you know why that might be, and how did you prepare yourself for recording as Oswald?"
Paul Williams:
The character is so well known and has been played by wonderful actors. I loved Burgess Meridiths live action Penguin .. and DeVito was terrific. But, I wanted to keep him 'right sized' for the small screen ... The animation was so amazing. I didn't want to try to get broader than neccesary.
3.) Batdad asks, "Do you have any advice for people trying to break into voice acting?"
Paul Williams:
No. I'm not much on advice but I'm a great cheerleader. When you love doing something I say listen to your heart. Joseph Campbell said it best. "Follow your Bliss!" .. If acting is what you must do then go for it. You need to learn your craft though. You problbly won't be given the 'learn by doing' opportunities that I had.
Note: All "..." are from original correspondence and are unedited.
___________________________________________________
1.) tomstoyz asks, "Do you plan on doing any other Batman-related projects? If not, what are you doing now?"
Paul Williams:
No .. I loved doing voice over when I lived in Los Angeles .. It was close and easy work with some wonderful actors. I live at the beach now and am not really pursuing acting jobs. I say 'yes' when the phone rings but most of my time is spent working on musicals in various stages of development.
"Happy Days, a new musical" based on the Tv series is the furthest along. I wrote it with Garry Marshall and it just closed a wonderful run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. It will be on the road for over a year starting at the Goodspeed theatre in Connecticut April 11th for 12 weeks .. then the La Mirada in California ... and so on. Down the line we hope to be on Broadway.
I also have musicals based on "chicken soup for the soul", "phantom of the Paradise" and "emmett Otters Jugband Christmas" in the early stages of development.
I still enjoy performing .. I'm playing the Gold Coast in Vegas later this month ... then the Carpenter Theatre in Long Beach December 1st... and I am very active as a speaker in the area of Recovery. I'm 17 years sober and very grateful to have my life back.
2.) papillon asks "Your voice for the Penguin seems so natural. Do you know why that might be, and how did you prepare yourself for recording as Oswald?"
Paul Williams:
The character is so well known and has been played by wonderful actors. I loved Burgess Meridiths live action Penguin .. and DeVito was terrific. But, I wanted to keep him 'right sized' for the small screen ... The animation was so amazing. I didn't want to try to get broader than neccesary.
3.) Batdad asks, "Do you have any advice for people trying to break into voice acting?"
Paul Williams:
No. I'm not much on advice but I'm a great cheerleader. When you love doing something I say listen to your heart. Joseph Campbell said it best. "Follow your Bliss!" .. If acting is what you must do then go for it. You need to learn your craft though. You problbly won't be given the 'learn by doing' opportunities that I had.
