2.Meet the Voice Behind ‘Teen Titans’ Beast Boy
3.Meet the Voice Behind Cyborg, Aqualad and “Lion King’s” Rafiki
4.Meet the Voice of Batman
5.Geeking Out With Actor Dante Basco from “Hook” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender”
6.Bringing a New Voice to Cartoons
7.Meet the Voice of Winnie the Pooh … and Tigger, Too!
8.The Brain Behind Pinky (And Other ‘90s Cartoon Classics)
9.The Incredible Athletes of Sierra Leone’s Amputee Soccer Club
10.Hippie Hogs: Making Solar Bikes Sexy
11.Multi-Cultural By Design
12.The Library That Checks Out Dead Animals
13.How Mario Got His Mustache (and His Name!)
14.The Art of Becoming Santa Claus
15.Growing Coffee In the Shadow of a Volcano
16.This Village in India Plants 111 Trees Every Time a Girl Is Born
17.Saving an Ancient Language Through Pop Music
18.How This Mexican Chef Is Changing Perceptions With Food
19.The Only B-Girl in Alaska
20.Japan’s Eerie Garden of Stone Cold Stares
21.Turning Precious Metals into Art
22.A Wikipaella Co-Founder Teaches Us the Right Way to Make Valencian Paella
23.Turkey’s Ancient Art of Painting on Water
24.Elevating the Underground: Subway Opera
25.Jojo Gomez Embraces Her Curves and Encourages Others to Do the Same
Actors live many lives. They inhabit the souls, mull over the ideas and speak the words of the characters they play. Some actors say those figments of imagination become beloved friends. The legendary Tara Strong says they live in her head and come down to play when the time is right. For over 30 years, Tara has lent her voice to some of film and television’s most beloved cartoons. She’s played Dil Pickles in “Rugrats,” Bubbles in “The Powerpuff Girls,” Timmy Turner in “The Fairly OddParents,” Raven in “Teen Titans,” Twilight Sparkle in “My Little Pony.” And that’s just some of them!
So how did this mega-talented grown-up make her way onto kids’ television screens around the world? Like a lot of little ones, Tara loved to talk in funny voices. She’d convince her mom to put on fake accents while they were running errands around her hometown of Toronto, Ontario. But the skills she developed through this playful rouse eventually turned into real work. At age 13, Tara landed her first animated series, “Hello Kitty.” She voiced the series’ title role and her buddy Cree Summer, herself a voice-acting superstar, was Catnip. All these years later, play is at the heart of everything Tara does. Even before she books a job, directors ask her to experiment—making the character a touch older, no younger!, now try it a bit gruffer—until they land on the perfect combination. And some of the biggest fun comes when Tara and her co-actors get to record together in-person. Working off one another’s energy means stronger performances across the board.
See the thing about voice acting is that it’s just that: acting. Not surprisingly, many of Tara’s adoring fans have their own dreams of vocal glory. What does she tell them when they ask for advice? Well, Tara’s adamant that anyone who aspires to work in her hyper-competitive field put in the work and the time. Her first piece of advice? Take acting classes; learning how to read a script, develop a character and collaborate with other actors is a must. And since the best of the best have sharp ears and an ability to mimic, singing lessons wouldn’t hurt either.
So whether you’re putting in the work to land your first gig or merely admiring Tara's incredible career from afar, let her tenacity and playful spirit inspire you towards your own great big adventure.
16 videos | 45 min
27 videos | 58 min
10 videos | 30 min
9 videos | 22 min