Interview with Christina Delaine

Lowe) How did you discover voiceover?

Delaine) Kids do funny voices, but I was that weird little kid walking around impersonating John Moschitta,the fast-talking guy who did the MicroMachine commercials, and acting out whole scenes from The Wizard of Oz, doing all the different character voices. Later on, when I had gotten out of grad school for acting and was cast in a popular show in NY, I quickly realized that despite its success, pretty much everyone in the cast had a day job besides acting to make ends meet, and they spent much of their day doing things they hated so they could do this one thing they loved for a few hours a night. So I made a vow that I would never do anything other than perform to make my living. VO was a natural fit for me. I started to aggressively pursue it,and it became the way for me to support my theater habit. 

Lowe) Influences? 

Delaine) As far as audiobooks go, I’d say my heroes and strongest influences are Barbara Rosenblat and Will Patton. Barbara was my first listening experience. My mom got me Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series, narrated by Barbara, and I was just blown away. I don’t think I could have asked for a better introduction to the art form. Barbara is a wonderful actor. Her ability to inhabit character is simply awe-inspiring, and her facility with accents and vocal characterization are unparalleled. I had no idea the breadth of acting and skill involved in audiobooks and her work just opened the door to this whole world for me. Will Patton is simply sublime. His acting is so beautiful, so effortless. He’s always so alive, spontaneous and existentially present within the text, just channeling the emotional subtext so fully. When I daydream about doing the job well and what that means, I imagine I’m the love child of Barbara and Will.

 

Fav authors and why? 

Every single author I narrate for! They pay my mortgage! Also, they picked me, and I’m a sucker for flattery! I am cheekily serious, but that’s also a hard question, and a long list. I was an English major in undergrad. My double focus was on Shakespeare and 19^th Century American Fiction, both of which I love, so Shakespeare, Hawthorne, and Irving are on the list for sure, but my tastes are wide and varied, and books are a huge part of my life. My dogs are Boo Radley, named after Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mockingbird", and Esme, named for the title-character in "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor" by J.D. Salinger. I’m a huge fan of Stephen King, especially when narrated by Will Patton, and my guilty pleasure is any kind of apocalyptic fiction. Give me a few zombies, a plague or a post-armageddon hellscape, and I’m a happy girl. Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series is a favorite.

What are you working on now, and what’s next?

I’m currently working on TAKE WHAT YOU NEED by Idra Novey for Penguin Random House Audio. What’s next is me taking a little time to work on children’s book I’ve been writing about my dog. Hopefully, one day, there will be an audio edition available! 

(Note: Will Patton narrates James Lee Burke, and my Rosenblat interview appears at this blog. Also, my audiobook The Final Plot of Valerie Lott drops today).