Hi, I'm Rachael MacFarlane. You might recognize my voice as Hayley from AMERICAN DAD. AMAA!

Do you have a favourite Roger the Alien alias?

That's such a great question... I think my favorite Roger alias would be Jenny Fromdabloc. And she dated Snot for a while, and the episode is absolutely hilarious. But I also really love Dr. Penguin, and one more: Genevieve Vavance.

If there was ever a revival of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, would you consider playing Mindy again (especially since you did Underfist)?

ABSOLUTELY. I loved "The Grim Adventures" - not only the Mindy character, but I also played Eris, the goddess of chaos, and that was one of my FAVORITE characters to play. Absolutely, that show was a lot of fun!>

How was Seth as a child? Was he tormenting you with all the horrors he presents in the shows?

Seth was a very, I think, typical older brother (and that's weird because I wouldn't necessarily use the word "typical" for Seth in many ways, at all).

Obviously his talent is not typical, his work ethic is not typical, but we fought a lot as kids as all brothers & sisters do, and then at the same time, he was incredibly generous and really really fun in a lot of ways too. We had a blast together as kids and fought a lot. We were very typical siblings.

Your father seems like a real character. Is that put on, or is that real?

My father is QUITE a character in real life. He's brilliant, he's one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, he has an incredible sense of humor, but that character he played in the FAMILY GUY CHRISTMAS EPISODE, which was also kind of the same character that he played in the video that my brother tweeted out when he announced he was hosting the Oscars - when my dad kept trying to give him these old bathing suits - that is the character that my brother and my father have come up with for him, because he's like, that is not like him, no.

Can you share an embarrassing story about Seth from his childhood?

No! He's my brother and I like him. Hahaha! Nice siblings don't share embarrassing stories about each other.

Do you have any funny stories about working with Sir Patrick Stewart?

Hehehehe.

Oh gosh! I mean, the funny thing about animation - and I think people understand this - is that we rarely get to work together in the same room. SO i've had the pleasure of meeting him several times, and we've gotten to do some table reads together, but we don't get to record together. But our episode- which I think was called Bullocks to Stan - he always refers to a line in that when he's downstairs in his bathrobe, opening the fridge talking to Stan, and he says "I had an interesting thought last night when I was staring at the back of your daughter's head..." which, of course, Patrick Stewart doesn't get to say a lot of times in his other work. Which is why he loves to do AMERICAN DAD and we love having him, it's such a treat.

What's the best thing about working on American Dad?

You know, I think AMERICAN DAD is one of the smartest, funniest shows right now in animation. And I think people are starting to recognize it, and they're seeing it no longer as the redheaded stepchild of FAMILY GUY, but as its own unique entity, and really starting to appreciate the writing. And I can honestly say that the episodes we've done so far for TBS so far have been some of our best. And it's just a smart, funny, inventive, fresh show to work on.

Back when it started in 2005, did you ever expect American Dad! to become the long-term success that it did? What is it like looking back on the old episodes and hearing all the characters' voices slowly evolve?

Such a good question.

You know, you hope obviously - you hope at the beginning that your show is gonna have a long run. We initially were under contract for 7 episodes, and i remember thinking "God, can you imagine if we make it to season 7, isn't that incredible?" and every year we would hold our breath - are we gonna get cancelled, what's gonna happen - and every year the show continued to roll and get picked up. And this is a conversation that a lot of us have on AMERICAN DAD frequently- I don't think any of us dreamed, and now with our move to TBS, the show could continue for quite some time, and it's really exciting because these characters still have a lot to say. And looking back at our earlier episodes, I don't think we've drifted too far from where we've started. I think it's just gotten sharper, and our writers have figured out what works and what doesn't in terms of character development, but unlike a lot of other shows, I think it's still getting stronger and stronger every season.

Will we see/hear Hayley sing on American Dad again? You have an amazing voice!

Thank you!

Hahaha! First of all, thank you, and yes - I think I can't remember if I sing in this new season, but I'm pretty sure i do, and honestly, the creators of the show are such fans of musical theater and the writers too, that it's hard to keep music out of our show. I mean it's been a really integral part of it. I mean, Scott has such a fantastic voice, and Dee's got a great voice,and Seth obviously has a great voice. We've all been hoping to do a BIG musical show coming up, so I will say yes, you will definitely hear Hayley sing again on American Dad.

What did you think of Cosmos?

I thought it was one of the best things i've seen on television in years! I thought it was brilliant. It was beautifully done, brilliantly hosted, the music was incredible, it was so exciting to see a science show get that kind of attention and also the ratings it pulled in. It was great to have a show that people could watch with their families and their kids. There are so many kids in my daughter's class who were inspired by it, at 5 and 6 years old. It's a testament to what Seth can get done, too, the fact that he got FOX to support that show.

Of your American Dad castmates, what is your favourite project each person has done?

Wow, that is a great question!

For Wendy Schaal, I would definitely say THE 'BURBS. I have always been a huge fan of that movie, as is my brother, that was one of our favorites. So i remember when she was first cast on the show, I remember him calling me and saying "Oh my god, you're not gonna believe this, but we got Mrs. Rumsfeld from THE 'BURBS to be in the show!"

For Scott Grimes... for ME, Scott's claim to fame was that he was Chad McKann on Who's the Boss, he was Samantha's boyfriend.

For Mike Barker - he's not an actor, he's our EP, so he hasn't played any other roles.

For Bradley Baker, I'd have to say Perry the Platypus from Phineas & Ferb, because it's hilarious, this back of the throat sound, and it's amazing. He only recorded it once, and they keep using it over and over again.

For Seth - I'm going out on a limb, and I'm gonna say: A Million Ways to Die in the West. He did a TREMENDOUS job in his first on-camera acting gig. He held his own with all these Oscar-winning actors, and I was like "holy crap!"

when Stan and Hayley are fighting does it ever feel like you're fighting with your big brother Seth?

Hehe. You know, Seth is such a brilliant voice actor that I would have to say the answer is NO. Stan doesn't sound anything like Seth. And also our dialogue is not the way we fought as kids or interact now. Also, Seth and I have been working together creatively, acting together since we were 6 and 7 years old, going from community theater to what we do now, so I have always been able to separate the two.

What are your similarities and differences compared to Haley?

My similarities with Hayley are that I am also very liberal, consider myself to be an environmentalist, and I used to wear Birkenstocks all through high school. I think our differences are that I don't smoke a lot of weed, and I have a really great relationship with my dad.

Hi Rachael!

Hayley Smith is one of my all-time favorite characters on TV. What's it like to play "the most environmentally-conscious, self-actualized feminist in the world"? What's your opinion of her?

Well, one of the things I love most about playing Hayley is that she's a really strong female character. Unlike Meg in Family Guy, who just gets crapped on all the time, Hayley actually has a lot to say and we've got some great female writers on our staff who really how to write for her. So I get a lot of good material. And also, Hayley's character was loosely based on Rob Reiner's character from ALL IN THE FAMILY - the meat head role, if you remember ALL IN THE FAMILY - he was the liberal, and obviously was always at war with his father in law, and that's sort of what Hayley was based on. I love playing Hayley, absolutely. There aren't a lot of people who are lucky enough to play the same character for a decade. So it's been a great opportunity to develop and get to know the character, and at this point, 200 episodes in, she's almost an extension of myself.

Do you think Hayley and Meg would get along?

Oh, let me think about this for a second...

Actually, I do think Hayley and Meg would get along. I think it would be a funny interaction to see. But I think Hayley is not an elitist, she's not a snob, I think Hayley is open to all different kinds of people, and i think Meg is so desperate for friends that if Hayley were to offer her friendship, Meg would greedily accept it.

What is your favourite Family guy episode?

WOW. That is a tough question. There are SO many... and I want to answer this question honestly...

So I really have to think.

I LOVE, love the episode where Stewie and Olivia get to team up at performing arts school and take their show on the road. Seth and I got to record a song together for it, which was really fun, and I cannot remember what that episode is called right now.

I was also a big fan of the episode "Wasted Talent."

Can you tell us what to expect from the characters on the newest season of American Dad? "Blonde Ambition" was hilarious, and I loved when you said, "Dude, that shit's tight."

Hahaha!

I will tell you that: "Dude, that shit's tight" was the first shit that anyone had gotten to say on AMERICAN DAD that is going to air on television, and I was very honored. Obviously that is one of the treats of being on cable, is that we get to say "shit" twice in an episode, and word on the street is that we get to say "Douchebag" once, so it's pretty exciting to be on cable!

And as far as Hayley goes, I know they mentioned this at Comic-Con, so I think i'm free to say this, but we have an episode called "Holy shit, Jeff's back!" so that kind of tells you about what Hayley sees and looks like, because her husband comes back from space. Jeff is one of my favorite characters on the show, and I'm super excited he's back in the picture. There is so much good material when he & Hayley are together!

Do you find yourself physically acting out whatever the character is doing while doing the voice?

Absolutely. I don't think you can do voiceover without being physically into it. I think that someone watching a voiceover session from the other side of the glass, not hearing what's going on, I must look INSANE, but yes, I can't do it without physically making hand gestures. Absolutely.

is there any characters from american dad based on you?

Gosh, I hope not!

I don't think so, I can't think of one. Honestly, Hayley is as close to me as anyone on that show, but I think Seth is smart enough and our other creators are smart enough to- I don't think these characters are based on anybody, I think they are creations.

do people recognise your voice in real life?

God, every once in a blue moon, someone will recognize my voice. I had a really funny moment a few months ago at a restaurant in Burbank. I was there with my husband, we were sitting in a booth, there was a couple sitting behind us, and I looked at my twitter comments later, and one of them said "OH MY GOD, I swear i was just sitting behind @GirlMacfarlane at blahblah restaurant in Burbank" and I just started cracking up! SO obviously they recognized my work. But more and more in voiceover, people don't recognize your face, they recognize your name. So that's what happens more frequently these days.

Hello, Rachael. Huge fan of you and your brother. You guys inspire me to try to make my super creative brother work on a project together. :)

My question is cliche and redundant, but I have to ask it since I have the chance. I watched I Know That Voice and it truly inspired me to look further into voice acting. Do you have advice or words of wisdom you can share?

Thanks for your time:) Can't wait to see more of your work.

-Candice

You know, I think if it's something that you really love doing, then you just have to keep doing it, and practice as MUCH as you can, and just really hone your craft, and the best bit of advice i could give, honestly, is one of my castmates, Dee Bradley Baker, who's one of the most prolific voice actors in Hollywood today, ANYWHERE, he's brilliant, out of the goodness of his heart, he created a website called http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com

And it literally gives you SO MUCH Information about finding an agent, about handling auditions, about how to maneuver into and through this industry, and i think it's just something he did because he's a really great guy and wants to help people. There's SO much information that someone just starting out can use. He's a great guy.

Which character from any other TV show would you put in American Dad, if only for one episode?

Any character? I think I'm gonna go with... Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones, because MAN I'd like to meet that dude, he's pretty hot. Plus, we're a really violent show, they're a violent show, it sort of makes sense.

What makes you the happiest in your life so far?

Aw. That's a nice question.

My kiddo. My child. She is the most spectacular being I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. And I have a pretty awesome husband too. So my family is my passion, everything. Which is one of the reasons I love doing voiceover, because it affords me the luxury of being able to spend a lot of time with them. Being able to pick my daughter up from school every day, and getting to really spend quality time with them - I don't think if you do a lot of on-camera work, you just don't get that. So that's my priority.

Would you merry Jeff in real life?

HAHAHA!

I wouldn't because i really like his wife, she's a great gal. BUT I will tell you that it's tempting, because the real Jeff Fisher is an incredible winemaker. His label is called HABIT, and if you can get your hands on a bottle, you are in for a treat because it's spectacular. He's so talented!

What are your top ten favourite movies?

The first ones are gonna be kind of corny.

I love THE SOUND OF MUSIC. I love THE WIZARD OF OZ. This one's kind of ridiculous, but I kind of love the movie MYSTIC PIZZA, I always have. I really loved UP. I saw one recently, actually, just on the flight the other day coming back from NY that i wanted to add to my favorites - it's called CHEF and Jon Favreau directed it, and I could watch it 10 more times. Just such a sweet, feel good movie with no drama added.

I really love the movie FOUL PLAY with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. I'm such a big fan of old movie musicals... I really love ANCHORS AWAY with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly...

SIGH

There are so many!

This is gonna be so ridiculous, but every time it's on- literally - I watch it. I frikkin' always watch THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. Not really that great, but for some reason very entertaining to me. I really, really loved the movie ANNIE. And let's leave it at that, and if I think of another one, I'll throw it out there.

Whats the difference between being on TBS and Fox? Is TBS more lenient on content? Either way, ive always enjoyed american dad, thanks for the voice!

You know, FOX was a really great home for 9 years, and I think we would all say that they were kind enough to let us stay on the air, to grow our fans, they didn't yank us after 1 or 2 seasons because we weren't bringing in massive numbers. They let us grow and find our groove, and we will always be grateful for them for sticking with us as long as they did. Going to TBS feels like a relaunch, it's the same AMERICAN DAD that everyone has come to know and love, but it just feels amped-up. It feels fresher, it feels like we are able to be the show that we always wanted to be -and not that we had a lOT of restrictions at FOX, but if there were any areas that we had to hold back, we don't have to do that anymore at TBS. We are all thrilled to be there. And the network has welcomed us with so much enthusiasm and excitement that we are hoping the show does GREAT for them and the fans love what this new partnership is creating!

How long have you been singing? And also, why is your family so good looking?

HAHA!

I have been singing forever. Since I can remember. I have been singing since I could talk. It has always been my passion and the thing that i love doing the most. And I hope to be doing it until I'm 90!

And why is my family so good looking? We weren't always so good-looking, haha... my parents are very cute, my mom was very beautiful and my father was very handsome. And a good gym and a spray tan go a long way.

Who are your comedic idols? Who do you think formed you humour growing up?

You know... honestly, this is kind of a lame answer, but it's really the truth, one of my comedy idols that not a lot of people experience was my mother. She was probably one of the funniest people I've ever met - she had the RAUNCHIEST brand of humor, Seth's brand of humor comes from my mother. Very sweet, she could talk to anyone, you would have never suspected by looking at her that she could be as FOUL as she was, but she had incredible comic timing, she could find the humor in anything which was a true gift of hers, and one that she passed onto us - that even in the darkest times of your life, you have to be able to find something to laugh at or you won't be able to survive. She was my comedic inspiration and one of my comic idols.

Since you know the Haley character very well, do you ever in normal situations in your life find "her" personality creeping in to normal thoughts? I mean, when I see a great movie I sometimes for the next couple of days would think "gee, I know how [awesome movie character] would react to this." Even though you don't actually act like they would, it's on your mind, does this happen to you too with your character?

Not YET, which is probably a good thing. I think I have a pretty solid separation between myself and Hayley. And even though we have some similarities, I think I might go out on a limb and say our age difference probably has a lot to do with that.

Do you think we'll ever see more Olivia in FG?

You know? If you remember the last time we saw Olivia, Stewie had burned down the Playhouse she was living in, and they did leave - there was a backdoor, because i remember asking Seth "Did she die?" and he said "We left a backdoor on the playhouse so we could bring her back."

So anything's possible!

Have you ever considered getting more into live-acting roles? On top of being talented, you are gorgeous girl.

Well, thank you very much.

Short answer is: no.

And the long answer is: I had an opportunity recently to dip my toes into on-camera, thanks to my darling brother I make a cameo in TED 2. And it was so time-consuming, it took SO long, to do ONE LINE, to just get around to it, and I just don't love it like I love voiceover. I would do stage, I would do theater, before i would do on-camera acting. It doesn't hold interest for me.

Have you ever pitched a joke that made it into an episode?

You know, it's funny, we were talking about this at Comic-Con. AMERICAN DAD is written much like a typical sitcom in terms of the number of writers that work on an episode. So our show is not an improv show, where the actors have a big say in what's in the script. on AMERICAN DAD, the writer's write and the actors say the words the writers write. So no, I have not pitched a joke that has wound up in the show.

I don't think I've pitched a joke, period. It's not like I pitched a joke and it got rejected.

Hi Rachael, do you have any idea about the new Family Guy movie? As someone said it before, it will be something that will be "a kind of movie that cannot be broadcast on TV". Really love your work! Looking forward to the new season of AD! Cheers :)

Aw, that's nice :)

I think the FAMILY GUY movie will happen. I do. I have no idea WHEN, you know? Who knows after TED 2 is done, what will lure Seth? What will entice him? What will be the next project he wants to take on... there's a possibility that it might be the FAMILY GUY movie, but it's all gonna depend on when he feels like he's ready and there's something to say. But I know that when it does finally materialize, it's gonna be incredible. Really. Can you imagine FAMILY GUY truly unfiltered? It's gonna be incredible.

If Jeff doesn't come back, are we going to see any other crazy love interests for Hayley this season?

Well, I already sorta blew that one didn't I?

But even though Jeff comes back, Hayley definitely - the door is always open, let's put it that way. She's only 18 for pete's sake!

I remember reading that Seth wanted to do a new Star Trek series. Are you a fan, and will this ever happen? :)

I can't imagine that it would? But then again, I would never say never when it comes to Seth. Because at this point in his career, you can never say never. And yes, I am a big fan of STAR TREK, TNG in particular.

How do YOU create voices for animated characters? What tips do you have for future voice actors?Thanks!

Well, it's funny, because out of all the voiceover that i do, Hayley is the easiest, because she just sounds like me, and that was the direction I was given going into the audition, was "Don't alter your voice, we want her to sound like a normal 18 year old, to just sound like you." So it's the easiest voiceover gig that I have. With every other character, I feel like I'll read the description, and then reread the script, and it's really more about just a feeling that i get, just a gut feeling of which direction to take that character in, whether she is going to be bitchy, or British, or one of the ones that i in my head is "Reese Witherspoon from ELECTION" - I sort of have a roster of character types that I go to in my repertoire and I pull one out and tweak it, but really it's more of a feeling when you read the script, and you mess around with it and work it.

Thanks so much for taking the time out to come shoot the shit with us! Question; in the wide world of VA (voice-acting), who is the one person you've wanted to work with the most? What makes them so appealing?

that's an interesting question, because I get to work with so many amazingly talented actors every single day... but my wish list would include on-camera actors, because in terms of voiceover, I've gotten to work with most of the heavy-hitting voice actors. But if we're going to go there, Tom Brady did a voice on FAMILY GUY once, so technically he's a voice actor! and Albert Brooks would be pretty cool.

Hey, Rachael, what's your favourite movie so far this year?

I'm totally going to backtrack to my last answer and say CHEF. I frikkin' loved that movie, it was so well done. It was like foodporn in that movie, and the acting was so good and the writing, I might watch it again tonight.

Hi Rachael,

Do you have any passion projects you'd love to get out there in the public eye? What are you doing when not working on AD and FG?

I have a LOT of passion projects that I would like to get out there, and that's exactly what I'm doing when I'm not working. When I'm not working on AMERICAN DAD or FAMILY GUY, I am working on other animated shows that i do. With the exception of ROBOT CHICKEN, most of the other animation that i do is for kids, I love it because I love doing stuff that i can show my daughter, that is obviously fun and she can't watch AMERICAN DAD. But yes, I am working on a children's book that I wrote, trying to finish and find an illustrator and make that happen... I have a bunch of passion projects that I am in the process of trying to get off the ground... shows that i am pitching, most of which are geared to kids... and that's the nature of the business, constantly brainstorming and moving forward, because these shows don't go on forever, so it's nice to have other things lined up. And I have a couple of REALLY exciting projects coming out in the next few months, but I get to do a lot of singing in one of them! It should be airing probably early December. Hasn't been announced yet, so that's all I can say about that.

Who's been the best guest star?

Um... I mean, if Patrick Stewart is still a guest star, he's been in SO MANY episodes... but I'll just say: he brings SO much to our show, and it's so INCREDIBLE that we have him as a part of our cast. But... I think we were the most SURPRISED to learn that a Kardashian was doing the show. That was a very bizarre nugget to find out, haha! But apparently she did a good job, so I guess that's all that matters.

So, Rach', if I can call you Rach', what's your favourite live-action television series?

Yes, you can call me Rach, that's fine. My favorite live action television series, right NOW, is Game of Thrones. I am a JUNKIE, a GoT junkie. It kills me that we have to wait a YEAR between seasons. It's PAINFUL! But I love everything about it, i think it's a tremendous, tremendous show. And I'm also a fan of BATES MOTEL, I think Vera is fantastic in it, and I really dig BATES MOTEL. And I actually really like THE LAYOVER with Anthony Bourdain, that's a good one.

You must have a great time doing what you do. I'm a huge fan of all Seth's work.

Are there any other animated shows you enjoy watching?

Yeah! I think I have one of the greatest jobs out there, I really do, it's so much fun, it truly is. It rarely, rarely feels like work, mainly because there are a lot of really awesome people who do voiceover, so it usually feels like hanging out with good friends.

I have a 5 year old, so a lot of the television that we watch in my house before 8 pm is Nick Jr. and Disney Jr and there's a kid's show on Nick Jr. It's a british show, and it's called Peppa Pig, and it's absolutely hilarious. I know it's geared towards little kids, but my husband and I love it. The humor is so dry, and it's just really beautifully done, and yeah, I'm a big fan of Peppa Pig.

Do you have or have you had a voice coach? What are some vocal warm ups you do? Thanks for doing this AMA!

You know, I was a musical theater major at the Boston Conservatory. So I not only studied voice in college, but i started taking voice lessons when I was 10, so I think the key is - honestly, for voiceover, I don't have warmups. I just kind of plop into the studio and do it. But for singing yeah, I wouldn't' be caught dead singing without warming up first. And if you want specifics, just basic scales, really. That's the way to do. And anything to warm up resonators, really. A lot of MMMM sounds get your resonators going.

Rachael , I am going to karaoke this Saturday. What song should I sing? I made a fool of myself last weekend trying to do Hook by Blues Traveler. What song would you do?

Uh, I would sing... SON OF A PREACHER MAN, that's always a good one. You can never go wrong with Journey at Karaoke. You could always RickRoll them with "Never Gonna Give you Up." Or you could really throw them for a loop and do "Part of your World" from THE LITTLE MERMAID. I really like that for karaoke!

Ms. MacFarlane, pancakes or waffles?

I am a waffle girl. Without a doubt. A good, thin belgian waffle that's a little chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside...yes. I make waffles a lot at our house with my waffle iron.

Best waffle I've ever had is at a restaurant called CHeeky's in Palm Springs. Best waffle I've ever had in my life.

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You know, I like the Simpsons. I do! I'm not going to sit here and say that I watch it, although I've seen probably (and this is going to be offensive to some animation fans out there) but I've only seen about 10 episodes in my life. But obviously like everybody else, I know the characters, and I would say that my favorite character is probably Marge. She really epitomizes the animated wife, that Lois and Francine and others followed in the footsteps of -where she's SO much smarter than her husband, and keeps the family together.