I am Tom Kane and I'm a voice actor. I voice Yoda on Star Wars: The Clone Wars & other ridiculous silly voices like Avengers, Call of Duty, The Powerpuff Girls, and more. AMA!

You seem to voice the 'old yet wise' kind of characters. How does it feel taking over the role of voicing Woodhouse on Archer? Does it feel like a huge departure from your normal roles?

He's the OLDEST I've done. I think he's 100!

He was an existing character, so I had to match it pretty closely. I had done a few Archers before that, small supporting characters. Lots of Russians.

Hey everyone, thank you SO much... This was fun. But work beckons. I'm doing spots for a Bank here in town for the next hour, then TV Spots for "Mr. Peabody & Sherman". Thanks to Netflix for putting all this together, and go there and watch The Clone Wars!!!

Why was Professor Utonium trying to create perfect little girls in the first place?

Now that's a creepy thought that hadn't ever occurred to me... My wife & I just adopted ours. Hmmm.

You've voiced a lot of powerful characters (Magneto, Yoda, Ultron). Out of all of the characters you have voiced, who do you think would win in a fight?

Yoda. Hard to compete with The Force, it is. And a Light Saber? Coolest. Sci-Fi weapon. Ever.

Hey Tom Kane, thank you so much for doing this AMA, you're truly a legend of voice acting, it's 4 am here in Australia so hope you get to my questions

• What has been one of favourite jobs to voice act for?

• What made you interested in voice acting?

Thank you again for taking time out of your day for this, on behalf of this AMA I'd like to commend you on your amazing talent and wish you luck on your future projects

Geez, thanks for staying up! Cartoons are my fave, because it means so much to my kids... And all kids, I guess. I was the class clown, and now get paid for it. Today they'd have me on ADD medicine up to my eyeballs. My first grade teacher actually tied me to my chair with jump ropes more than once. I just was a good mimic, and applied it to acting. I started getting paid to do VO when I was 15.

Answer questions, you will?

Have been for an hour, I have.

[deleted]

LOL! Not usually. The voices in my head are still under my control, fortunately!

I DO still find myself walking thru the grocery store and repeating the TV commercials as I pass the products. The Lucky Charms guy, Tony the Tiger... People sometimes pull their kids into a different aisle.

What is your favorite impression of a famous person you like to do?

I like JFK. I've been hired to do him, Churchill, Hitler, Nixon... I was Clinton in Duckman a few time. And Carter.

Which character is easiest for u to do?

Prof. U. It's close to my actual Voice

British dialects are really easy for me as well. I book a LOT of those.

Hi Tom! Just one question, which voice is the most fun to do?

Fun? Well, the silly ones... HIM on PPGs especially. Yoda's my fave.

What was your least favorite character to play?

Hey, I'm an actor... ANY part is a good part! I don't honestly recall many I hated. I have turned down things I thought were just not decent or were mean-spirited. Only two times, maybe three in thirty years have I stopped a session in the middle and said, I'm sorry, I just can't do this.

Who was your favorite character to voice and why?

Yoda. I'm a Star Wars nut.

Have you ever temporarily lost your voice while voice acting? Perhaps due to over straining, etc... Or are there exercises that you do to prevent that from happening?

Maybe four or five times in 30+ years. Never done any exercises... Wouldn't even know what they would be. General with men, the more you abuse your voice the richer it sounds. I draw the line at smoking though.

How did you get your start in VO? Does it parallel other entertainment industries where knowing someone is particularly advantageous?

The getting started story is too long to type... Knowing people is good to get you in front of an Agent, but if you don't have the talent, you won't go anywhere.

First off I want to say thank you for the AMA. I always imagined voice acting being like the opening scene from Mrs. Doubtfire. So my question is out of all the voices you have done and characters you have played over the years. Which character and personality can you most readily identify with?

Professor Utonium from The Powerpuff Girls. He's a dorky dad who loves his kids. That's pretty much me.

What do you see as the biggest difference between performing for commercials and voice acting? How do you feel when switching between the roles?

(I'm asking this because I attended a panel at an anime convention with Todd Haberkorn and this was brought up)

For me, it's all the same. Almost nothing I do is in my real voice, even the "real guy" VOs are just another character to me. Actually, learning to not sound like you're reading off a script is one of the hardest things for people to learn, especially considering when you do cartoons and VGs, you're reading the script cold. No rehearsal at all.

How much money do you make in an average year?

Well, I am not typical, so it's of no real value for you to know... But a VO person in LA who works several times a week will make $50-100k a year.

Hello Mr. Tom Kane, Ima big fan and wanted to thank you for responding to my fan letter and autographing my Yoda Clone Wars trading card. Youre the best!

Thanks!

Do u like ur voice? Probably the most foolish question ever!

Favorite kind of : music/movies/novels?

Well, yes I do. I nitpick about some of the way it changes as I get older, but overall so far, so good.

I loved your work in the Arkham series as Quincy Sharp. Your voice had just the right mix of pompousness and insanity. Can you say if you're returning for Arkham Knight?

If Quincy is in it, I'll be there!

Thanks for doing this AMA Mr. Kane. I've been a fan of yours since Darwin (from the Wild Thornberries) and Professor Utonium/Him (from the Powerpuff Girls). Who has been the most difficult character you've voiced?

Burger King had me do voices for Star Trek toys in six other languages. Scotty doing a Scottish accent in German is ridiculous. Kirk in French was impossible.

What is the voice role that required the most preparation to do?

I've never really had to do that. I am really lazy... I have never taken a class or instruction. If a voice is there, great. If not, I mix and match a few elements together to see if that works, and if not, I recommend someone who can.

Hello Tom,

If you have one, can you post a picture of yourself with Yoda from the Star Wars set?

I don't know how to do that here, but there are some on my FB page, I think. I add some from the Netflix/Lucasfilm event last week.

Are you pleased with the new season of The Clone Wars and its storylines? If they asked you to do more, would you?

CW got better every season. It's probably good we didn't go to more seasons, or your TV would have exploded. Seriously, though, It is AWESOME that Netflix and Lucasfilm and Disney worked out the deal they did. The episodes they finished in Season 6 are incredible. The four-episode "Yoda Arc" is some of the best work I have done. Would I do more? In a second. I'm pestering Dave Filoni to throw me into "Rebels" a few times... He will.

If you could be anyone else for one day, who would that person be and why?

God. By the end of that day, a LOT would have changed... For the better, I hope.

Short of that, Superman... The President... Hmm...

Do you ever marvel at your own voice?

LOL! No, I'm not that full of myself. I DO marvel at some of my fellow VO folk, though. Corey Burton is amazing... Tom Kenny's work as The Ice King on Adventure Time is just breathtakingly good. Too many talented people to list.

How often do you do your job in pajamas?

Seriously, almost never. Maybe 10 time in 30 years. But basketball shorts and a t-shirt? All day.

Hi Tom, or should i call u the voice!?lol Waw, ur life is a big achievement ;-)

Do stranger People who u r talk to, say u ve got the voice of... Or u voice sounds like...one of ur characters? What do u like to do in ur freetime? Do u consider urself as a positive man?

I'm 6'5", which I think is intimidating to a lot of people, so they don't talk to me much. At a convention or something, it's different, because they're used to talking to us.

Free time? I have 7 older kids and two 4-year-olds, and I do all the grocery shopping and cooking. So no free time, really.

And yes, I think I'm pretty positive. I have my down moments like everyone, of course.

What's a normal work day/week like for you? For us with office jobs, our 9 to 5 routines can get tedious. I get the feeling you have more flexibility and fun with scheduling in your industry.

Edit: Thanks for doing this AMA!

I live in the Midwest now, so most of my clients are two hours behind in LA. I start working at 10 or 11am, occasionally go to the kitchen to get a soda or sandwich, work until 7pm or so, sometimes later.

Favorite Mexican food?

Steak Fajitas... Closely followed by Baja shrimp soft tacos. Cabbage...a little white sauce... Hey, it's noon here. Now I know what I'm doing for lunch after this is over! Thanks!

What voice are you asked to do most?

Yoda, then Prof U. Recently Takeo from COD is being requested.

Hi Tom! You've done work with Toteman Epilepsy Awareness Project. Thats awesome! Would you encourage individuals with Epilepsy to sign up for health insurance? Thanks!

SOME kind of health insurance, of course. If you mean Obamacare... Well unfortunately, any discussion of Health Care is now also about Politics, so I don't go there.

So is there a really close society of voice over actors that hang out regularly? Much like it seems actors and actresses run in the same circles. If so what "characters" are good friends of yours?

No, most VO peeps don't hang out regularly outside of sessions. Most have their own circle of friends, and the ones with families are pretty busy with that. Like most middle-aged men with a busy career and a family, I don't have many "friends" like you do when you're younger... But I consider some of the Clone Wars actors and Lucasfilm staff friends... I still have one good friend from all the way back in 9th grade.

Have you ever thought about going into the phone sex industry with your vocal abilities? Also will you be my friend and can I get your autograph?

Uh... Phone sex, no. Why would I take a 99% pay cut? Will I be your friend? Sure, in a say Hi at a Convention sort of way... An Autograph? Sure, send a SASE 9x11 envelope to my Agent or Manager.

Have you ever ordered a pizza(or anything else over the phone) in character?

Oh, many time when I was young, but I quickly learned they assume your full of BS, and don't actually make or deliver the pizza.

ive always wondered how someone gets into voice acting, so how did you start off?

Oh, that's WAY too long a story to type! Google my interviews... There should be something up there.

What's your favorite line you've done from The Powerpuff Girls?

Prof U talking to Mojo Jojo 9And doing a semi Charlton Heston): "Get your hands off her, you darned dirty ape!"

Probably Yoda. Professor Utonium after that

Describe your perfect Sunday.

Nice weather, work in the back yard a bit, go to the store, cook a big steak dinner for the fam, watch a couple hours of TV, read a bit of a book on my iPad, asleep by midnight.

Hello! Do you practice your different voice impressions everyday, so you won't loose them? And what led you to be a voice actor?

No, I have never practiced ever. But that does mean I have to ask clients to play me a piece of something they want me to replicate from the past. I'm doing Ultron again in a couple weeks, so I'll have to refresh my memory for that.

Hi Tom, thanks very much for listening to us all yammer away.

I have done several stints doing voiceovers, some online radio shows, and a few commercials. I enjoyed it enormously, and always wondered about "Could I do more of this on my own, and maybe get paid for it?" - I saw another comment where you said 'demo tapes aren't really done anymore'. I made a website that has a bio, about half a dozen demo tracks, and contact information. I sent the link to a couple agencies, companies, and producers, but never heard back. So I guess my question is twofold. 1) What am I doing wrong, or is it just 'there's a zillion people doing VO out there, seriously, go flip burgers.' - and 2) Do you have suggestions for places to send my information to, or is this really the point of an agent? Thanks again!

It could be a lot of things... Talent is not enough... you kind of have to get hit by lightning as well. Unfortunately, it is way too easy for mediocre talents to make demos, websites, etc., so even if you're really good, the people who might rep or hire you get so many contacts, they don't listen to most unless they're referred by someone they know. Again, concentrate on commercials. They exist everywhere, as opposed to cartoons, which you MUST be in LA to get into.

If there's a show or movie that you wished you could have worked on, what would it be?

Oh, so many! Star Trek... Avengers... Thor...

So I met this guy making sandwiches at the Publix deli who has the most amazing voice and looks like he could be a Klingon or Orc. I asked him if he ever considered voice acting and he said he has done some voice acting including doing seven voices for a PBS show for Back History Month but hasn't been able to make a steady living at it yet. I suggested looking into voice over for games because he just has that kind of voice I know gamers will love.

But how does someone break into voice acting for gaming? Is working with an agent the best thing or is sending demos an effective approach?

You need an Agent, for sure. But no one makes a living doing just games. And there are less than a half dozen who live on just cartoons. It just doesn't pay enough. You have to concentrate on commercials.

Sending out demos? You mean a CD? I don't think anyone does that anymore, really.

If you weren't in the entertainment industry, what would you do for a career?

I'd still be doing something creative, I hope. I have produced many commercials, and really like the editing process. If I wasn't a VO guy, I'd be an editor, no question about it.

If you could put five and only five roles that you've done on your resumè, what five would you put?

Wow, that gets tough after the first couple. Without thinking much, I'd say Yoda, Professor Utonium, Announcer for four (so far) Academy Awards shows, HAL9000, Mr. Herriman.

[deleted]

I am really lazy... I have never taken a class or instruction. And to be honest, I don't even know what voice exercises would be. For a singer, maybe, but not a VO guy. If I can do a voice, I do, and if not, I recommend someone who can.