Voice actress Tara Strong says playing Harley Quinn has “become my therapy”

Tara Strong is a pioneer in the world of voice acting. With over 600 credits, she is the voice of Raven, Batgirl and Harley Quinn in shows such as Teen Titans, Teen Titans Go!, Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls and My Little Pony.

Later this year, the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS) will honor Strong with the Voice Arts Legacy Award for Arts and Entertainment. Cree Summer will present the award on December 15 at the Voiceover Career Expo at the Marriott Convention Center.

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Strong spoke with diversity about how she takes care of her voice and the empowering impact her work as the voice of superheroes has on inspiring young viewers.

What is it like to go on a journey with some of these characters, including heroines like Harley Quinn and Batgirl?

It’s a tremendous responsibility and honor. I feel so lucky to have been able to lend my voice to characters who empower girls and friends of girls and women. Many of these characters didn’t start out as the stars of the show. When I booked Batgirl, there were some great female empowerment episodes in that show. Between The Powerpuff Girls and all the amazing, very strong female DC and Marvel characters I’ve played over the years, Harley is probably the one that reflects my life the most.

Harley started out as a battered woman. She’s a henchman of the Joker. In the comics, she had no origin story. She was created for the show based on the gorgeous Arleen Sorkin and people fell in love with her.

Over the years, Harley has become her source of strength, and Harley has become my therapy. There were phrases she said that I wanted to say to my partner at the time. There are moments when you feel the strength to distance yourself from situations. There were moments when I felt most connected to her development.

Raven has brought so much magic to children and adults too. I meet people who say they wanted to kill themselves or didn’t know who they were and how important their magic was to them.

What’s it like when you go to conventions and hear stories from fans about the connection they had with your voice and these characters?

It’s rewarding and humbling. There was a girl dressed like Raven and her mother was crying. I went over to see if she was OK. She said her daughter was severely autistic and hadn’t spoken in five years. When she heard I was coming, she didn’t shut up.

It gives me goosebumps to be part of helping this girl come out of her shell.

What happens if you get a sore throat or even lose your voice?

It’s challenging when you lose your voice because you need it. I take very good care of my voice. I treat it like any other muscle in my body that I train. I take singing lessons. I warm up my voice. I don’t go to concerts or games and shout. I don’t smoke and I don’t abuse the royal jewels.

I make sure I stay hydrated. During sessions I drink three drinks: cold water and Zevia because I like things that are fizzy and don’t have aspartame. I’m also vegan, so I drink an oat milk latte and something warm. To stay hydrated I switch drinks depending on my mood.

Looking back, when did you realize that you could have a career as a voice actor?

I loved cartoons. My sister and I would go and watch The Smurfs and The Flintstones every Saturday morning. But I didn’t know at that age that I would make a career out of it. I just wanted to be an actress. I love singing, dancing and acting.

It wasn’t until I got the role of Batgirl right after 101 Dalmatians and The Powerpuff Girls that I thought, “Oh, this is a career in itself.”

When you look at your resume, you switch from one voice to another. How do you switch voices?

Once I create a character, it’s an entity that lives on in my brain, and when it’s their turn to come down and act, they see it in the script and come down, and that way I don’t confuse them.

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