The radio dramas/comedies of the past, as well as our audio drama podcasts of today, are often described as “Theater of the Mind.” Before there was a television in every living room, these stories were told for the ears and allowed audiences to create the visual world in their own minds. Much like how a book, with descriptive paragraphs, paints a picture that is unique to each reader. The experience can be more intimate because it asks the audience to work alongside the creators to fill out the storytelling. But what it also does is expand the acting field for talent who would never be cast in roles, not because they can’t perform them well, but purely because the don’t look the part.
You may have noticed no where on this website, or in any of our social media marketing, are there photos of the cast. I learned this trick long ago from a professional voice actor. He told me that as soon as someone sees your face, they’ve categorized you into what you can or, more importantly, cannot play and you will have cut your audition opportunities down. I don’t look like how I’ve written (or performed) Madison. But my voice can take you there regardless. And many of my voice actors, especially the ones who have appeared in multiple episodes, certainly don’t always physically embody the character they’re portraying, be it tough guy thug, hard nosed detective, femme fatale or, certainly, the children! But this is not at all new to audio-only works (and can even include animation). Old time radio absolutely had amazing voice actors who Hollywood would never put on the screen in the same role.
“Gunsmoke.” The amazing, gritty voice talents of William Conrad (who voiced roles across all genres throughout his radio career) absolutely was the force behind the show’s success. But when it came time to adapt the long running Western to television, he was immediately dropped. Conrad was a fat man and didn’t embody what audiences envisioned in the role of Marshal Matt Dillion. And I label him a “fat man” because he found success later in television as the “fat man” in “Jake and the Fat Man.” Bob Bailey is another example. A favorite to audiences in the role of “Johnny Dollar,” as well as “George Valentine,” another suave yet hard-nosed detective type, Bailey lost out to an adaptation to screen as Johnny Dollar because he was 5’9″ and quite skinny. Hollywood didn’t think he looked like someone who could take on gangsters with his bare fists. Conversely, for our most recent episode, “The Story of Dr. Kildare,” co-star Lionel Barrymore, who played Dr. Gillespie, by the time the show had moved from films to radio, Barrymore was confined to a wheelchair. But with his voice transcending his physical limitations, he could continue in the role he originated.
For me, personally, I still see my manager only putting me up for voice roles in my own age-range and physical type. Which is a terrible shame. But my headshot has to be attached to my submissions, and the age old criticism that casting directors don’t have imaginations lingers on… so there ya go. But I’ve found new freedom in voice acting for audio drama podcasts, and hopefully the opportunities in this arena will reward all of the talented voice actors out there with great roles to play, even if Hollywood would never call them in for a first audition.
