Nolan North: The 'Biggest Voice' in Video Games

GamePro.com has a feature article and interview (including photo) with Nolan North, whom GamePro’s Blake Snow hails as “the biggest voice in video games.”

Although North is largely unrecognized in Hollywood by appearance for his work, he calls it a “perk” and enjoys the anonymity:

“I feel terrible for Brad Pitt. The anonymity of voice over is one the biggest advantages of the job. You make a great living, support your family, and nobody’s going to bother you.”

And even though the bulk of his work is video game voice acting, the article says North “periodically takes on minor TV acting roles to fill in the gaps,” and explains there’s “no pressure” when he auditions now, thanks to the blockbuster game titles he’s worked on.

He adds with a footnote, “[But] I don’t even have a headshot.”

North says that now he’s “basically…getting paid to do what [he] used to get detention for in seventh grade.” But “messing around with voice impressions” and “clowing around” seems to made him the success he is today.

When asked about recent union debates over residuals for voice actors in video games, North says, “In all fairness, hundreds of people are working 12 hour days for several years to make a game, so it’s unfair for me to expect residuals, given the amount of work I contribute,” he candidly says. “I don’t own the company; I’m lending my voice.”

But at the end of the day, North says it’s all about “good voice acting.”

“Good voice acting is when you don’t notice it, like how you don’t notice the dialogue in a movie — it’s just part of the story.”

And here’s a few bonus audio and video interviews with Nolan:

Previous news: 1.13.2010 — Nolan North in ‘Dark Void’