Giving Our Fellow Actors Their Due

http://www.onionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=4124

In this article in the onion, Billy West (voice of Fry on Futurama, Stimpy on Ren and Stimpy, and about a thousand other things) lays the smack down about non-voice actors getting paid MILLIONS for acting in animated films. I must admit, he makes a good point.

I will be the first to say I watch a film like Toy Story, and stay to see who played the different characters. I get tickled when a character is voiced by one of my favorite actors, like Kevin Spacey, or somebody like that. But let's think about this for a second: The voice actors who JUST do voices make maybe thousands of dollars per part. Unless they are fortunate enough to get a steady gig (like West), they are considered day players. On the other side, you've got Cameron Diaz as the highest paid voice in history, making $20 million for Shrek 2.

Imagine if you had a community theatre audition for your absolute FAVORITE SHOW OF ALL TIME. You meticulously pick out a song, practice practice practice, and try to get as much adlib and reading practice in as possible. You familiarize yourself with the characters, trying to get inside the tone of the show, and the place where the people involved are. You work and work, up until audition night, when the guy before you happens to be Freddie Prinze, Jr. The part goes to him immediately (even though he doesn't know how to act or sing), and you are asked to then COACH HIM on how he should do the part. How would YOU feel?

I dont mean to browbeat this point into you, but I think its something we really don't think about. Like I said, Im the first in line for a Pixar movie, and not only because of the story.