BurbankLeader.com has a photo and interview with Dee Bradley Baker discussing his role as the grouchy screwdriver “Turner” on Playhouse Disney’s Handy Manny.
Baker says he has been performing since he was 9. “The school I was going to was producing the musical ‘Oliver.’ I auditioned, I’d never done a play before, and they gave me the role of Oliver.”
Baker says he’s “done a show almost every year since, if not on a stage, then in a theme park or other venues”: “I have always performed because I liked doing it so much.”
Baker adds that he enjoys being a voice actor as opposed to on-camera because he likes the anonymity and it gives him an opportunity to play a variety of characters.
“If you get on [an on-camera] show that’s a big hit, that might be the last show you ever do, or at least the only show you’ll do while it’s up and running. Off camera as a voice actor, I can do something for Disney or monsters for a game for teenagers. It offers great flexibility. Anonymity is a valuable asset of the career; you can go buy a rutabaga and not be mobbed at the grocery store.”
And as a bonus, here’s an interview with Baker on StarWars.com from Nov. 9th discussing his roles as the clone troopers and Queen Karina on Cartoon Network’s The Clone Wars.
Baker recently appeared in a supporting role on Nick’s Big Time Rush (previously reported here).
And so you don’t have to look them up on YouTube, here’s a few fairly recent video interviews:
– “Game On Grapevine” on Clone Wars, Daffy Duck and Monster SFX:
– MaximoTV on ‘Handy Manny’:
– BigShinyRobot.com at Comic-Con:
You can keep up with Baker’s current and upcoming projects via Twitter (@deebradleybaker) and his official site DeeBaker.com.
