Illustration: Raul Allen

Sweet Talker

Maile Flanagan 鈥�87 is the acclaimed voice actor behind a surprising number of popular animated characters.聽

Maybe you鈥檝e never heard of Naruto Uzumaki, one of the most beloved Japanese anime characters of all time, but trust us, your children have. The superpowered ninja is the star of the animated series Naruto, which, decades after its debut, remains one of the most popular shows in the world. The instantly recognizable English-language version of Naruto鈥檚 voice is supplied by the Emmy Award鈥搘inning voice actor Maile Flanagan (who also sometimes appears onscreen herself, as she does as Tina in the ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet). With the recent news that a live-action Hollywood movie about Naruto is in the works, we asked Flanagan about the many distinctive characters she has voiced in her long career. Here鈥檚 a look at how she crafts the unique voices of her animated characters:

Illustration of Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki鈥�Naruto

鈥淗e was really little when we started鈥攈e was a little kid, so you鈥檝e got to sound like a little kid. But then he became a teenager, so there was an adjustment to pitch him lower. Then there was another time gap, and he鈥檚 a grown man, and that was a further pitch down.鈥�

Illustration of Matt Hornsby from Royal Crackers

Matt Hornsby鈥�Royal Crackers

鈥淗e鈥檚 not an active child, he鈥檚 a gamer. He sits down a lot, and takes his time. He鈥檚 also in a big household where a lot of people are yelling and screaming. What does that kid sound like? That kid doesn鈥檛 really want to be noticed. It鈥檚 a slower, quieter demeanor.鈥�

Illustration of Amy from The Loud House

础尘测鈥�The Loud House

鈥淚 have an old mouth guard from my dentist that doesn鈥檛 quite fit anymore. I did one part where I popped it in the top of my mouth and it was terribly uncomfortable, but it worked for the voice.鈥�

Illustration of Pinky Whitehead from Harriet the Spy

Pinky Whitehead鈥�Harriet the Spy

鈥淚f you鈥檙e lucky enough to get an artist rendering of the character beforehand, it just hits you. It鈥檚 like, 鈥極h, I know this guy.鈥� Sometimes it鈥檒l be like, he鈥檚 mumbling and drooling. So you play around with the mumbling and drooling.鈥�

Illustration of Piggley Winks from Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks

Piggley Winks鈥�Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks

鈥淲hen I did this show, I would listen to Irish music on the way in to get myself in the mood for voicing an Irish character. I would sing along a little bit, and get in the mood of that lilting way of speaking.鈥�

Illustration of Carlotta Lindell from Tiger & Bunny

Carlotta Lindell鈥�Tiger & Bunny

鈥淪he鈥檚 pretty sarcastic and direct, so I made her more of a wiseacre on everything she said. You just think of people that answer everything fluently, like someone at the DMV. Take a little bit of that and incorporate it.鈥澛犫椊

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