Nick Wolfhard talks about dubbing and animation

Scifipulse recently had the pleasure of conducting an interview Nick Wolfhard. He is a Leo Award nominated voice actor and a popular Twitch streamer. Wolfhard has voiced characters in the critically acclaimed “Smiling Friends” as well as characters in My Little Pony. In addition Nick has voiced characters in Beyblade Burst and World Trigger, and has also voiced characters in the films Under Wraps and Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness. Born in Vancouver, Canada; Nick has a younger brother, Finn, who also works as an actor. During this interview Nick shares his thoughts on society’s views on animation, as well as actors who inspire him and whether Superman could beat Goku in a singing contest.

SFP: What inspired you to become an actor?

Nick Wolfhard: I grew up watching cartoons and video games. Even as a child, my parents told me I wanted to be a cartoon character, but I don’t remember that, haha. However, I’ve always been fascinated by film, TV, and gaming, so being part of that world was the next best thing. I feel very honored to be able to do what I love for a living. To me, acting is the best job in the world, although I don’t even really consider it a job!

SFP: How does dubbing compare to acting in a live-action film?

Nick Wolfhard: I would say that voiceover and on camera, while similar, are still their own calibers. With voiceovers, I always find that there are so many specific tones to projects that contribute to how unique they become. With on camera, I would say it’s similar but can be more subtle, still has the same effect in terms of uniqueness, but you have to find it. Sometimes you can just fall into it, sometimes it can take a little bit to find the tone. That being said, I can say the same thing about voiceover and on camera; the best way to determine the tone of a project, in my experience, is to watch the project itself if it’s already been released. If not, then I would look at the writer’s older and newer shows, look at what kind of projects the casting director is casting the roles for, what kind of acting the director is typically going for, stuff like that.

SFP: Do you think animation is more accepted as a means of storytelling in Western culture than it was 20 years ago?

Nick Wolfhard: I think there has always been a lot of diversity in terms of storytelling over the decades. I mean, for example, in the 1970s and 80s, if you look at something like Don Bluth made compared to what someone likes Ralph Bakshi made, or even Chuck Jones with his short films throughout his career, these are three completely different styles of storytelling, I would say. Each creator has their own style and their own way of telling their own story and that’s what I love about animation. Even the same creator, one of my favorites is Gennady Tartakovskycan have very different ideas and styles, like from Dexter’s Laboratory to Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania to Primal. As far as greater acceptance, I would say that I think anime is MUCH more accepted than it used to be, and of course the 2010s with the sequel stories like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Steven Universe, I couldn’t be happier about it. I love that everyone gets to experience what I’ve loved my whole life, it’s such an incredible way to tell a story.

SFP: Do you have any advice for aspiring actors?

Nick Wolfhard: Be sure to take classes from someone who is currently in the industry and working, be patient with your career, grow as an actor through study but also through life experience. Don’t worry if you can’t make a living at it right away. If it’s something you love, I’ve always said to keep it as a hobby because one day, if you work really hard and get a little lucky, there’s a really good chance you WILL make a living at it. But even if that’s not the case, if it’s what you love, keep doing it.

SFP: Do you think anime and video games are capable of telling stories that media such as novels and live-action films are not able to?

Nick Wolfhard: Absolutely, I think animation and the interactive medium offer opportunities to tell stories in a completely unique way. You couldn’t do an animated short like Duck Amuck as a live-action film or a book, not to mention all the technological advantages of current consoles and PCs to tell a story, like using the SSD in Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart to travel from place to place, or in Spider Man 2 during a certain chase scene (I won’t give anything away, but those who have played it know what I mean). You can do that as a live-action film or a book, but to actually be able to control it is just so special.

SFP: What would be your dream role?

Nick Wolfhard: Johnny Joestar, that’s the dream.

SFP: Which actors inspire you?

Nick Wolfhard: As for the voice actors, there are so many that it is impossible to count them. Only a few of them are Nolan North, Chris Sabat, Grey Delisle, Kath Soucie , Yuri Löwenthal, John DiMaggio, Phil Lamarr, Steve Blum, Veronica Taylor, Daniel Castellaneta, Stephanie Sheh, Kari Wahlgren, Troy Baker, Billy West, Hank AzariaRwhether Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker….I guess that’s more than a few, huh, hahaha.

SFP: And finally, who would win a singing contest between Superman and Goku?

Nick Wolfhard: Goku and Superman are constantly changing. Goku grows stronger as the story goes on, Superman does the same, but it also depends on the run. You could have both characters fight each other, but it really depends on what status they have against each other.

Scifipulse We would like to express our warmest thanks and best wishes to Nick Wolfhard for taking the time to answer our questions.

Nick’s Instagram: Nick Wolfhard (@thewolfhard) • Instagram photos and videos

His Twitch: thewolfhard – Twitch

Nick’s Twitter: Nick Wolfhard (@Nick__Wolfhard) / X

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