Rob Paulsen - Voice Actor Behind Animaniacs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jimmy Neutron | AW03
/Welcome to Alicyn’s Wonderland. Join us as we journey through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole into the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games.
This episode is extra special because we are joined by the living legend, Rob Paulsen. Rob is practically everywhere. He has voiced some of the most iconic characters in cartoons today, including Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Pinky (Pinky and the Brain), Yakko (Animaniacs), and Carl Wheezer (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius). Get ready to be inspired as we hear all about his struggles with work and his bout with cancer. We laughed, we cried, well, I cried, in this touching episode. You don’t want to miss it!
Show Notes:
[15:00] What was Rob struggling with circa 2009, and how did he overcome it?
[25:58] His stint as a voice director for Nickelodeon.
[41:05] How he conquered his bout with throat cancer.
[51:47] What is your advice to people dealing with or caring for those with cancer?
[1:14:10] Audience question: How to deal with failure in auditions?
[1:25:23] Rob does his voices for all his characters.
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TikTok: @alicynpackard
YouTube: Alicyn Packard
Twitter: @Alicyn
Transcript :
Intro
Welcome to Alicyn’s Wonderland, I’m your host Alicyn Packard. Join us as we journey through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole into the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games.
Hey, do a girl a favor and please subscribe to this podcast, and go on iTunes and leave us a good review. If you like the show, please help spread the word, it really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much.
Alicyn
Thank you guys so much for tuning in live. This is Alicyn's Wonderland, and tonight's guest is the one, the only, the living legend, Rob Paulsen. We're so excited to have him on the show today. Let's see if Rob has joined us quite yet. Not quite yet. So I have to tell you guys, Rob and I did a little pre-interview. And Rob had me in tears. I'm so inspired by everything that he does both as an artist and performer, but also the way that he gets back to so many different organizations, charities, and people. So I'm really happy to welcome Rob onto the show tonight. You guys will join me in adding some hearts and some love for Rob Paulsen. Here we go guys. Yeah, just right. Hi, Rob.
Rob
Hi, sweetie. Can you see me yet? Let's see, it says I'm connecting.
Alicyn
I see you.
Rob
Oh, good. I don't see. Oh, here we are. Hi! Is that, is that bright enough? Let me see, my glasses. Hi, Alicyn. Or should I say, "Oh, Alison, I know Instagram is killing you Oh, Alison." Hi!
Alicyn
Hi, baby. How are you?
Rob
Well, I am breathing and I'm not in jail, but the day is not over yet. Thanks to you, I am having such a glorious afternoon. And I was, but look, you guys, Alicyn's not supposed to hear this, so don't listen.
Alicyn
La la la la.
Rob
She is so delightful. She is so delightful. And I, you, Sweet Alicyn sent me a text yesterday saying, "Do you have any questions?" And I say, "Yeah, one. Why the hell haven't we done this before?" So grateful that you're having me as a guest, sweetie. So, thank you.
Alicyn
I'm so glad that you agreed to be on the show. It was so funny, because I was reading your book and remembering back to when Talking Tunes started, and I forgot that we were actually on the same podcast network.
Rob
Oh.
Alicyn
And Chris Pope.
Rob
Yeah. Oh, you know, yeah, that's right. You know Chris. Didn't he send? Did you go to some conventions with him as well?
Alicyn
I, you know, we, I don't think we ever did any cons. But um.
Rob
Oh, Chris was great. He's the one who said, you know, you should do a podcast. And I thought, "What the hell is that?" And I was, I started to be guest. This was 10 years ago.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Rob
And I had been on several podcasts, as a guest. And I thought, well, the setup seems fairly rudimentary. I'm not a big tech guy, but you clearly don't have to be an MIT grad, and of which I'm certainly not. But it was this, I owe Chris a huge debt of thanks, because it was such a good idea. I had a ball. I was finally able to make a couple of bucks on it. But like everything else that a lot of us in this business do, we don't start out as actors and performers thinking about, someday I'm going to be rich. I really didn't, I don't do very well in the money department. If that is my, if that's where I'm starting. I make, I can make a lot of money if I do what makes my soul happy. And that was the only reason I did the podcast. So good for you, kiddo. You're killing it.
Alicyn
It's funny to now have it back, I, as we talked on the phone, back in the day, when I was doing it with Chris, I just, I didn't realize that you have to keep putting them out, and be consistent, and create this schedule.
Rob
It's a lot of work.
Alicyn
It's work. It's a lot of work, and when It's a one person show, it's kind of it's a bit much, but this is great. And Instagram just makes it easy.
Rob
Oh, yeah.
Alicyn
When you come on and do these lives, and it's like we can have the audience here. Like, there's 150 people in the room right now, here to watch. Thank you everybody that's just joining in. If you don't even know what this show is, it's called Alicyn's Wonderland. It's a weekly "podcast," I use that term loosely.
Rob
How precious is that. Alicyn's Wonderland, love that.
Alicyn
It's really punny. But back, yeah, back to you, Rob. How's your day going, first of all?
Rob
Great. I have a little place on the Central Coast up in San Simeon. I bought the Hearst Castle, I got a nice residual check. So I took it away from Chris Hardwick. But no, I have a little place on the beach up there in San Simeon, and I had to work today at two in Burbank. So I was up there working on it, and I left today about I don't know 9:30 this morning. Got there 45 minutes early had a nice day, and I'm a big car geek so I take side roads and go entirely to little spirited rides.
Alicyn
What are you driving these days?
Rob
I have a, the best car I've ever had. It seems like they always get that way, but I've had more than my share of really lovely rides. I get to have one badass car at a time. I don't have, you know, Jay Leno type stuff. But I have a Mercedes Benz AMG GTC coupe, which is a, you know, a sports car and oh my goodness, it's just so much fun. So it was a 230-mile ride and I got to work, I worked for 45 minutes singing a song for Pinky, and here I am talking to the beautiful Alicyn Packard. Life was pretty damn swell, kid.
Alicyn
Nice. Did you hit the beach yet?
Rob
Did I what?
Alicyn
Hit the beach?
Rob
Oh, well, I'm back in LA now. Yeah, well I left the beach but when I was up there, it's right on the ocean so I get out and walk around and enjoy it but it was pretty chilly. It was about, it was 47 and blowing. So it's definitely not, for me, beach weather. But it doesn't matter you just look out the window, I think, next stop Japan, this is the coolest thing in the world. So fortunate, but because it's up there, yeah? As a, as a total gearhead, cars and motorcycles now that the, the ride or drive up there is just stunning, you know, you've been up the right up the coast and go through Gaviota and Santa Barbara, and and onto the wine country, and then you're, it's just Cambria and San Luis Obispo, and then it's basically the southern tip of Big Sur. And it's stunning. So I'm, it's not a big deal, "Hey, you got to come home. I'm sorry you have to come home." "Wait I'm coming home to sing and get paid for it. Don't apologize. I'm happy to come home."
Alicyn
Is this for Season Three?
Rob
This one was, no, it was a song for season two. An episode of Pinky and the Brain, and it was very clever. Let's put it this way, it was a Pinky rap. Which is pretty, these kids are so smart to write this stuff Alicyn. I'm so grateful. Well, hell, I'm grateful period that you just put a period right there, because you and I are cut from the same cloth. This sweet girl, as you guys know, apart from the fact that she's stunningly beautiful. She is so, really lives her life in gratitude. And we had not spoken in a while, we're able to catch up a week or so, 10 days ago. And you really are, you're just, you're the realist of deals, my friend. But I, when you get the chance to work on a show like Animaniacs again, not only with Mr. Spielberg running the show, but the crop and he did all the you know, he hired the showrunner and all this stuff, made sure that of that trust. Maurice and I were in, it was his call and I'm incredibly grateful. But we now have a staff of writers, all of them are very good. But they grew up watching the show. So not only do they really get the ethos of what the show is about, but it's, it's wonderful to see people who are 30, 35. And when they hear, you know, they're behind the glass, not right at the moment, I was in the studio by myself with one engineer, and everybody else was on a zoom call. But under normal circumstances, as you know, everybody's on the other side of the glass. And it was the most adorable thing when we first started doing the new ones because Mo and I would just start to riff as Pinky and the Brain. And these sweet kids on the other side of the glass would start to get tearful, because they think, they're going, "Oh, my God, I wrote that. And it's coming out of this knuckleheads mouth, and it's Pinky and the Brain, saying the words that I wrote, after I was inspired to do what I do and move to Hollywood, like, like I did a zillion years ago. I'm making it Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad, look at I'm writing for Pinky." It's wonderful. And it's so unique. All of us who are lucky enough just to make a dime, pay for baby food, cat food, toilet paper and gasoline, doing something we would do for free, have already won the, the the lottery of, you know, of life, in terms of our, of our work, but to get another crack at something like this, with a brand new crop of writers who were inspired by the original show, and I'll be damned, it's really good. And so, yeah.
Alicyn
Yeah, it is really good.
Rob
I'm really proud of it. Yeah, it's turned out great.
Alicyn
Do you know when we're gonna get some more episodes?
Rob
That I don't know. There are 13 more in the can which will be delivered this year. But as you know, yeah, I mean, who knows when, in fact, for probably the first year, after we started working on what is out there now, once we got about two or three months into it, the question was, "Well, hey, why don't we do, when do I, when can I start blasting this out on social media? I have a publicist, when can I let her know?" And, and the folks at Hulu say, "I don't know, well, maybe six months, I don't know." And that like a fall season, like we're, you know, normal. "Now, I don't know, we might might be really small, might release some once." And what, you know, I start to realize, I'm an old Hollywood dog. And when I moved here, it was all about, with respect to animation, saturday morning, of course, that's gone the way of the dinosaur. But the beauty of the streaming platforms for consuming entertainment, as we all do is, you know the binge issue and be able to watch 100 episodes of Animaniacs, from 1993 to 1999. And then watch a brand new one, five seconds later. It's remarkable. But, and for creators, the, I pitched a number of shows that, you know, Hulu, Amazon, all that stuff. And they're very keen to give creators free rein, because they're not limited. Or they're not beholden to advertisers. We don't have to worry about how much cereal are we selling or people buying action figures. It is really about Netflix saying, okay, what's the budget? 12 million bucks? Here's your 12 million bucks. You know, we'd like to see what you're doing. But a lot of times, they're, they're really I mean, they're, they're looking for content. And there's so many creative folks. Oh, my God. And the creators are given free-ish rein to do what they're inspired to do. And that's why you get things like "The Handmaid's Tale." It was the first drama of the streaming generation to win a Primetime Emmy, you know, for Best Drama. That's a big deal. And pay, a paid service, with no advertisers, and not a 22-minute show, with 11 minutes for commercials. It's half an hour. And what a glorious time. I mean, there's never a bad time to make your living doing something that makes you and others happy. But what a wonderful time to be in our positions, and look at, we've got 130 sweet people who are paying attention to some old knucklehead who gets paid to do what used to get him in trouble seventh grade.
Alicyn
That's very cute though.
Rob
Thank you. I do appreciate, but it's so great. And I, like you, have this authentic excitement, to be able to be young enough to have credibility and work, but old enough to have seen how things had changed. And I just embrace it. It's remarkable to be alive at this time.
Alicyn
Well, I love how you went into that in your book. I mean, first of all, and for anybody that has not yet read or I'm sure there's an audio book, I read the book, but Rob's book "Voice Lessons" came out in 2019 and it is, wow.
Rob
Thank you Sweet.
Alicyn
You take everybody through the highs and lows, not just of your career, but recovering from cancer and going through all that. And you know, one of the most, I think, eye-opening parts of the book was when you talked about, in circa 2009, how you kind of felt like you were at a career low and that things had changed, you were no longer going in for auditions, and you had to kind of reinvent yourself. And I think a lot of us can really relate to that with social media becoming such a big part of things. I'm curious to hear you, you know, hear your thoughts on that.
Rob
Thank you. And I love being in a position now where, I mean look, kiddo, no one gets out of here without a couple of dings, nobody does. Financial, disease, fight, divorce, whatever. Everybody, everybody takes a couple of shots. And 10 years ago, I had a period where it was like the first of the year in 2010. And it's not unusual for me to have a slow January, but then January turned in February, turn into March. And it was Deadsville, and it just felt super Deadsville, and I did what a lot of us do. And I thought I was beyond this, but I started to panic. I started, "Oh my god. Oh my god," you know, the Emmy and the Peabody and all the anties and all that stuff, all those, and five bucks will get you a latte, man. And I, you know, thank God I have, we all have friends who get it because we're all in this business and they were all, "Dude come on. Everybody who needs to know who you are knows it, you're going to get something." And I just went right down the sort of self-pity rabbit hole and panic about, I've got this house, I've got the another, I don't know if I can, you know, my, and my predilection for nice cars. Yeah, I'm a golf nut. And so I was like, I'll play more golf. And then it was like, no, it's not not fun to play golf, if you're out here, because you're, and you're burning money that you really don't have to spend. But I'll tell you what, and I really did, I had to be on my own for a while, I was having a pretty difficult time. But what I did was, finally, get a hold of myself and did a lot of soul searching. Not unlike a lot of people, whether you call it a midlife crisis, or downsize. You know, I mean, look, I'm 65 years old, had I been in corporate America, I would have been downsized 10 years ago, 12 years ago. And what I did was have the gift, I don't know how, but I found it, the gift of a little bit of clarity. And I was able to settle down, I got over myself. And I was able to get, remind myself what it was that got me out here from Michigan, 43 years ago, which was exactly what we touched on at the beginning of our chat, the utter joy that my soul, and it sounds hyperbolic, but it's true, the utter joy that I bring to my own soul by doing what I do naturally, which is be joyful. Sing, create, act, come up with stuff, do it for its own sake, art for the sake of the art. And I'll be damned within, you know, the auditions come and go. And then, one or two came back. So this was probably march of 2010. And April came along, start, you know, I got a couple of gigs and it started to go like this. But then I got a call one day from Cynthia McLain over at SBV. And she said, "I was actually working at Nickelodeon." And she said, Oh, I know. But before, before that, Oh, I know what I did. That's when I came up with my podcast. I was really dead, and I looked at my phone one day, and I just had this, like we're talking about, I've been a guest on several podcasts and I thought well, maybe I should try this. Everybody from whom anyone would want to hear about what we do, almost, is on my phone. I can call Mark Hamill, I can call Kevin Conway, I can call Tress MacNeille, Nancy Cartwright, you know all the, I didn't call Alicyn Packard because she was, I didn't feel that she would lower her standards for me. But now that I know you have, once I get this thing back up, you're on.
Alicyn
Limbo right under the standards.
Rob
Yeah, baby. Thank you. Isn't she charming? Oh my god. So I, I felt I'll try this. Chris Pope. I had, I don't remember how we met. But he was the one who said, "Why don't you try doing a podcast?" So, I did. The first half, a dozen or so, were just me taking questions and stuff. Then I thought, well, this is getting pretty boring for everybody. So I called Maurice. And he said, "Yeah, I'll be on." So I took my little microphone and over there, everybody loved it. And it really started doing well. But it was just the choice, Alicyn, to move forward in some direction, any direction, to set, to just not wallow in self-pity, to not just go, "Oh my god," but nobody gives a shit that I was having a hard time. This is my choice. Nobody ever shoved the gun in any actor's mouth to be an actor. So it doesn't matter that it was, I was 50 something years old, it slowed down, it does for everybody, at different times, and we never know when. But I was pretty, I had gotten very comfortable that, "Alright, I've been doing this for 30 years now. And I know some years are better than those. But I'm good." Well, all of a sudden, two or three months, it was really bad. And I'm not used to that. And after I flipped out, I get the podcast, and I promise you all of you out there listening, irrespective of what you do for a living, when you find yourself buried in your own, just, mud. Any positive movement, anything to start, to grease that wheel is critical. So I started with the podcast, I got my confidence back. I, I felt a certain sense of extra confidence because I had no problem calling Nancy Cartwright or Dan Castleman, and then they say, "Sure I'm on." Nobody said "Geez, Rob, I don't know" or "Who is this?" They're like, "Sure. I'm happy to do it." And it was this instant credibility with all these people I'd known anyway. But it translated to the audience. Got my confidence back, auditions started coming up. Cynthia said, "Hey, you're at Nickelodeon working today. Did you know that Viacom who owns Nickelodeon bought the rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And you know, you were brought by Ella, 100 years ago. But they want to have you come in and read for the new TMNT." And I said, not out of arrogance, "Do they know who I am?" Only because I knew that there were several iterations of the show that had nothing to do with the original voice cast. And I want to make it clear, folks, I don't draw 'em, I don't write 'em. It's the characters that are famous. I'm incredibly humbled that Alicyn is making a fuss over me. But it's true. We don't draw, it, the characters become famous. We're an integral part of it.
Alicyn
I had a huge crush on Raphael.
Rob
Well, thank you. That alone has made my day.
Alicyn
My sister was all Michelangelo. But I was all Raphael.
Rob
I just talked to Townsend yesterday, so.
Alicyn
Really? We were huge into the ninja turtles.
Rob
Oh, yeah. And and it's still giant. So Nickelodeon bought the franchise, they're doing a new version. They know who you are, Rob, they just thought you might be good for their vision of what they want from Donatello. And I said, "I'm happy to read." I, you know, I just don't want to get in there. And have him say, "Oh, shit, that's right. He was Raphael. Well, he's here. Let's throw the old guy a bone." I didn't want to embarrass them. Or me, frankly, I was almost the victim of my own ageism. And Cynthia, because I was like, "You know, I was 53." And she said, "Well it doesn't bother them? They asked for you. So maybe you, maybe you ought to get over your bad self." And I walked in for the, I had, what, four callbacks? Because it's a big deal, it's a big franchise. The last day of the callback, I walk in and the other two guys reading for Donatello were Jon Cryer and Jason Bateman, and I don't know either of them well, but I kind of know Jason, I said, "Dude, this is, wow. Nice to meet you. Good to see you. What are you doing here?" He said, "What are you talking about? This is Ninja Turtles, bro." Wait a minute, you're, you're kind of on the road to being bad. And I got the job. And not only did it make me feel like I was back. But I got to do a reboot, that turned out to be really successful. And it was absolutely due to me getting out of my own way, and finding something that was as instrumental in my creativity as being a 10 year old and imitating Elvis Presley, when I was a kid, it really was that simple. At 65 years old, the same Jones I had at 9, 10, 12, 18, 27, 35, to create and perform ,and chat with my friend Alicyn is not any different than it was at those ages. And I, I found my way back and now I have real, authentic, anecdotal, real time experience that I can share with people. And that is what turned out great. And because of that, I had my confidence back, I was rolling, Randy Rogel and I started to, I started doing my podcast live at the Jon Lovitz club and the improv and then Randy and I put together an Animaniacs in concert thing. Warner Brothers gave us a licensing deal doing, you know, orchestras around the country. And I ain't look back. It's it's been 10 years.
Alicyn
And you also, when did they bring you in as a voice director?
Rob
Oh, how about that? Well. Yeah, this is, it was actually like, I think it was the second or third to the last show of the 2012-2016 Ninja Turtles. It was, I was Donatello, Sean Ashton was Raphael, Greg Cipes was Mikey and originally, Jason Biggs was Leo, and then he was replaced by Seth Green. And it was an excellent show, it turned out great. And at the end of it, Gene Vassilaros, who was the head of casting in those days at Nickelodeon, called me into his office and typical actor, the first thing I thought was, "Oh, my God, I'm getting fired." And I thought, "Wait, I can't get fired, the show's over." And we're so insecure. And he said, Well, you know, that Tom Kenny is directing SpongeBob. And Tom's a dear friend of all of ours, and it's working out really well. And I think they figured there's nobody in Hollywood with more turtle DNA than yours truly. So they said it worked out great with Tom and you know, all the actors and you're comfortable in this, would you ever consider voice directing? I said, sure. But let's make it a, a, let's make it a sort of break in period or, you know, let's see how the first, say, month goes, for both of us. Obviously, they paid me but it wasn't how I was making my living. And I, if I wasn't delivering what the producers wanted, I didn't want to, I wanted to make the take the onus off, right off the bat. So in a, you know, let's do a probation thing, after the first month, let's talk, if you guys are happy with what I'm doing, and I'm delivering and it's worth it, let's try. I had a blast. I had a blast. The actors were fabulous. The Turtles this time were two African-Americans, which was phenomenal to see that excitement from the actors. And April, was also an African American actress, Kat Graham, from Vampire Diaries. But yet, and April was an African-American in the show. And it was so wonderful to be part of that. And watch how these kids who are in their 30s now, grown up watching turtles and flipped out that they got to be Raph, Donnie, and all that, Raph, Donnie, and all that, and there was a clear component of "Wow, I am a black kid, and I'm a ninja turtle." It was priceless to see that. And I had the best time. They were so delightful to me. Made some new friends with the actors. And so that's how that happened. But remember, also I had the incredible good fortune to learn literally at the feet of the masters. Gordon Han, Andre Romano, Jenny McShane, Kris Zimmerman, Sue Blu, over and over and over and I've done, I don't know 2500 half-hours in cartoons and worked with, like you, profoundly gifted people who are, audience members out there, you need to hear this. They're the nicest, most unpretentious, down to earth, kind people you'll ever meet and, and Uber creative. So the timing was excellent. And it ran its course, we did it for two years, boom. And my podcast was finally able to be monetized. When Chris Hardwick, a dear friend, and one thing led to another, and he was on my podcast a couple of times, I've been on his. And one day, the folks at Nerdist called and said, "You ever thought about doing this on camera?" I said, "Sure." And they said, "Okay, we'll pay you. And we have a studio. And we shoot it with four HD cameras, and we edit it, and we'll take care of booking your guests." And I did that for 90 episodes, but they came to me. So that, that's what I'm saying to you. It's not because I'm a big celebrity. It's because I was doing the same thing I did. Like I said, that got me out here from Michigan, I was doing it again, only in a different showbiz space. And it was in the era of social media, one thing led to another had a couple of months where my podcast had over a million downloads, and I wasn't making any money, but I was having the time of my life, but people paid attention. So all of a sudden, these guys running this thing at Nerdist said, Oh, man, we really dig your podcast. We love it. We listen to it all the time. And of course, we don't know that. Unless you're able to get the metrics and who, it's not like ratings at the Nielsen company. So and, you know, I don't get walking down the street and people say, Oh, my god, there's the guy from Talking to us, you know, but it's just, it's been an incredible gift. And now my friends like Alicyn and others have these wonderful podcasts. And they're informative, they're entertaining, they're inspirational. It's, it's a great time to be alive, isn't it?
Alicyn
It is. You know, I think there's such an abundance of amazing animated television on, I, it blows my mind. I have a five year old and he watches, he loves Animaniacs I mean, there's something.
Rob
Does he really?
Alicyn
Yes, You should check out my story today.
Rob
I saw that, you said, Yeah, honey, Rob Paulsen's there. You know, he's the actor. Oh, my God, how precious is that sweet little boy.
Alicyn
He's like, "Can I watch something." And it's, you know, pre-pandemic, we were much more limited with the, you know, we wouldn't watch TV, only on the weekends. And you know, he's just getting older. And this is where we're at. So, at least I make sure that he watches good TV. But it's amazing. You know, the amount of shows that he can watch at any time. And like he recently discovered Monster High and like Ever After High. He's just getting into those shows, and they haven't been on the air in years. So it's just so crazy to see how, how kids are consuming cartoons and animation these days.
Rob
Amazing. And they can watch all the stuff that I grew up watching. And yeah, they can watch Looney Tunes that were, some of which were made in, I mean bugs is 80 now. So they can watch Looney Tunes and original Warner Brothers Disney programming, programming, but animation from the 50s, the 40s in the 50s and then watch brand new episodes of Animaniacs or Bob's Burgers or Emmy, primetime animation has never been bigger. When I was a kid, there were several primetime shows that were huge Jonny Quest, the original Jonny Quest with Tim Matheson, was shot at quest in the m id 60s. And the first regular gig I got was a reboot of Jonny Quest in the mid 80s, in which I got to be Hadji and oh my god. Yeah, it's the coolest time to be a performer and a consumer of entertainment. I can, I can watch Bridge on the River Kwai, and then watch, you know, Chinatown. I can watch the original A Star is Born with Janet Gaynor and Frederick March from 1937. And then watch the new one. Yes. Astonishing. And so yeah, it's a great time. For sure.
Alicyn
There's definitely, yeah, I'm curious to see how it plays out. I mean, careers like yours. And you know, some of the people that we've had on the show, I mean, if you look at Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille who haven't been on the show, but their careers and the amount of roles that they've been able to do I feel that it's it's shifted somewhat, there's more opportunity, but there's a lot more, the pool of talent is just so. And they want diverse voices. They want, you know, different types of people.
Rob
Yes, that is absolutely true. And of course, we all know about the advent of, of celebrity talent that are being brought into the mix. And I know there are actors who have a problem with that, our dear, one of my dearest friends, Billy West, that kind of gets sticks in his craw. And I understand it from a, what's the word, it's not ethical, it's, I understand it when you say, "Dude don't you already, don't you already have enough?" But, you know, I came out here not knowing his soul. So did Brad Pitt. If Brad Pitt has reached a point where he can say, he can do whatever he wants and wins an Oscar and all that stuff, and I'm a big fan of his. But if you're a producer, Alicyn, and you say, you know, I got a half a million bucks. And I just really think Brad Pitt would be the best dragon for this animated feature I'm doing. My job, I think then is to, if I can get an audition, be so good, so good, that at least it makes you think, and go Jesus, I can get Rob for double scale. And he can give me half a dozen other or Mo or Billy, or you know, name it, Roger Craig Smith, or Deborah, any of those incredible actors. But I just really want to use Brad, because he's got the name and I can get him on all the chat shows and all that stuff. But if you ain't got a script, you could have Jesus and be the talking dragon. It doesn't matter. And so that's my job. I have no issue with a producer spending their money or studio's money any way they like. And I have to tell you, that tide is turning. When Animaniacs came along, at this time, Mr. Spielberg got ahold of us and made sure he had a headshot of Tress, Jess, Mo, and me, which he blew up to three feet by four feet, and took it to every pitch and Mr. Spielberg went to every pitch himself, not by himself, but he went, because it was important to him. And from the get go, it was what the, whether it was Apple, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, wherever. Just so you know, folks, whomever is going to pony up this dough, it's we're not going to get Liam Neeson to be the Brain and Russell Brand to be Pinky. Rob, Maurice, Tress, and Jess, are the authentic characters. They do it at a higher level. They're better than they were 20 years ago, they can still do it. And the audience watch authenticity of these characters. It's not about Brad Pitt being Yakko. It's not, right? And that's from the king of Hollywood. So that was a huge boon to us personally. And I think that the, while, certainly you know, Ryan Reynolds was Sonic and there will be more celebrities doing it. But also they want to do it. Like I said, I was at Jason Bateman, and Jason Bateman, and this was, you know, what, eight years ago, they wanted to be on Ninja Turtles. Now, David Tennant came and did a 12 episode arc on the 2012 version. And he's like, "Oh, I'm so, so grateful to be a ninja turtle". And I love this guy on Broadchurch. This is a doctor who's crazy about being on, on Turtles. So animation has never been bigger. You're correct. There is more competition for the roles. But there's also more product. And I guarantee you that in your career, you will work with someone who's a fan of yours. I did it with Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon on Rick and Morty. And they'll say, you know, Miss Packard, I'm such a fan. And I just got this development deal. And I really would love for you to be, et cetera. And they prefer to use world class actors who have expertise in this realm. And so I'm really grateful for many reasons that Mr. Spielberg decided to use, but it's a great, it's great for others to see. It's great for other studio execs to see. Wow. Animaniacs is like the number one show on Hulu, it's kicking the shit out of everybody. And I don't think I recognize any of these names. But as soon as I hear him talk, speak, that's Yakko I'm a 41 year old studio exec. I love Pinky and the Brain. Those are the real guys. What a great idea. And it's killing it. So all of this trickles down. It really does, it, people start to go, "Well, why should I spend a million bucks to get Cate Blanchett, Alicyn Packard's, she's fantastic. And she can do everything that you know. And, you know, as she deserves the money, but she's not going to cost."
Alicyn
She's cheap.
Rob
Yeah. So am I. So anyway, it's I'm so glad that you you brought that up because that whole journey from going, what is happening with my life to what, pitch. I'm wearing long sleeve shirts 24/7, because my arms are black and blue. And it started with getting out of my own way and saying, "How did, what, how did I do this?" When I first came out here, and it was that simple. I just had to figure it out.
Alicyn
Yeah, that's great. Totally inspiring.
Promo
Hey guys, this is Alicyn Packard. Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that if you like the show, please please please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much.
Rob
Thank you.
Alicyn
So um, you know, obviously, I mean, one of the quotes that I pulled from your book that really, I, it really caught me was when your cancer doctors said, "My job is to save your life, not your career." I'm confident. We can but we can save you but we're almost gonna have to kill you for.
Rob
Yeah, that was pretty, that was rough.
Alicyn
Which by the way, do you have a voice for what he sound like?
Rob
I'm sorry, say Oh, yes, I do. I'm happy to. This was, it was great, because it was my my radiation oncologist, Dr. Henry M. Polsky. And it was our first time meeting. And this is you know, the first time and hopefully the only time I will be diagnosed with cancer but it's pretty remarkable once one is, has to deal with this. If you're incredibly fortunate, like I am to have great health insurance, great family, all that stuff. They, the doctors start to suss you out. You know, they they kind of see what you're about. Is this is this guy, Rob Paulsen freaked, is he absolutely beside himself? That happens and you just have to learn how to deal with that, you know, from from their perspective, but I was already 60 years old. I had a wonderful career and all that stuff already. And like I said, a great family and all of that, but and I had, I was pretty philosophical about it. I didn't flip out. I didn't lose my mind. And the doctor when I first met him, he's a Russian guy, sounds like Goldfinger. And he comes in, he says, "Mr. Paulson, is pleasure to meet you. My name is Dr. Leon Polsky. And I feel certain we can cure you. But before we do, we almost have to kill you." And I started laughing because it was like in Goldfinger, where you know, James Bond is on the thing with the laser coming up towards his crotch. And as, as Goldfinger is leaving the torture chamber, James Bond said, "You expect me to talk Goldfinger," and he says, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." And I thought, "Oh my God, this makes me so happy." And we became fast friends. And, and his reason for telling me that was that I had asked for the doctors to be utterly straight up. It wasn't, I wasn't dealing with my little boy, God forbid a child or a 30 year old father with a brand new baby, or it wasn't that it was a guy who got you know, I had a wonderful life and a wonderful career, even if the worst had been the issue. You know, I had nothing about which to be sad. I had a hell of a run. Great friends, one of whom I'm speaking to now. Lovely fans, incredibly wonderful fans. Really impossible to quantify how much love those people give all of us. And if they say, you know, they said, you know, you better go home and get your stuff in order. We'll keep you, we'll keep you comfortable. But you're fixing to punch your ticket. That, that happens all the time. But that's not what they said. They said it's going to be difficult at what the treatment for obvious reasons mouth throat. It's pretty rough. But they were virtually sure they can cure me and they did. But they and they thought I shouldn't be able to speak but there would be some side effects. They just weren't sure exactly where the side effects would be very clear where they were irradiating but, man. They did a remarkable job. I'm, any of us who are fortunate enough to have world class healthcare and, and be able to pay for it and have insurance, thank you Screen Actors Guild, that's an incredible blessing to be able to head into something like that, and being able to let go and trust the people who are doing it. And I had a very a wonderful epiphany in this not far from here on the couch, I remember going into the the deleterious side effects of the radiation are cumulative. That is to say, I was, you know, I'd mark off every day on my radiation calendar. And, you know, write some silly little week one, you know, week one, ohh what fun, week two, wohoo, week three, yes siree, whatever, whatever it took, always making jokes, humor is like air to me. And but the doctor said, "Well, look, you asked for this. You asked to be to be kept apprised of how this works. When you're over with your, when you're done with your radiation doesn't mean that the bad shits done, that the fun really begins after that, because the, the effects of the radiation start to take its toll." And that's when it got really brutal. So from March of, to march to July, it was pretty rough. Then I remember, I was sitting on that couch, and I'm a singer, longer than I've been doing anything. And I was having trouble eating, swallowing, speaking, services. But I remember sitting on that couch and I was doing something on my computer. And I was listening to an old Kenny Loggins album that, remember when it came out. And I was singing along at some of his songs a zillion times, hell i'd sung it for money on stage, when I was a kid, and I was hitting the notes, I put the song out again, and I did it again in full voice, and I really did, I kind of lost it, I just thought, Oh, my God, I, I think I'm going to be able to do this. And any, any time any one of us is able to experience something that we that is precious to us that we thought we might lose, whether it's getting to, you know, hold our mother or father's hand, once they get back from a stroke, or get your sweet baby out of the hospital after leukemia, and you really have that experience of, as they say, the dark night of the soul, which all of us do at certain points. But to, to have done that, and have it end up being okay was a really big deal, you know? And I also, one of the things that I had, that most other people who go through what I did don't have, is hundreds of experiences through the years, either on the phone or in person with children and families who often didn't make it. But mom and dad would get a hold of the child life specialist and say, "Can not fail call my little girl or my kid lives for Animaniacs" we all do it, you've done it, everybody does it. And so I had that as just a profound gift in what real suffering is, real struggle is. I didn't have to deal with that. My son is healthy, happy, great shape. But those children and their parents were, unbeknownst to them, the the tools that helped me get through my own circumstance. And many of them once they found out what had been going on with me, sent me emails, cards, we just want you to, here's a picture of you speaking to Chad, he's been gone now for eight or nine years, but you will never know what Raphael meant to Chad, and by extension us and I just want you to know that we're praying for you, we're thinking about you. We tell Chad that, you know all that stuff.
Alicyn
I love that story.
Rob
Ain't that something?
Alicyn
It's in the book, guys. Amazon.com.
Rob
Thank you. And it also, by the way, it's a multi-purpose book. You can take that book when you have a wonky table and you can shove it under the leg and it will flatten it out. So, you can do that too.
Alicyn
You can also, you know, I believe the paper helps compost, no?
Rob
Yes. Oh totally grind it up you, if you've got a little shredder, and of course I'm all about shredders. But if you do that you, see that? How's that for a little TMNT baboom? But no, I'm really the often people say, you know, there's a silver lining in my case, the cancer experience was a platinum lining, it was brutal for my family, it was difficult to deal with. But now thanks to the kindness of people like you who have me on, we never know when someone's going to hear this, or watch this. And say, "Oh my god, Dad, I was listening to Alicyn Packard and she had this guy on Ron Pullman, whatever. But check this out, you were just diagnosed with this type of thing that he had, and this guy that we're watching right now in 2021 in Animaniacs. Hear that guy singing, he had throat cancer just like you, Dad, you got this." And, and that is why the book is important. That is why the kindness of people like you is important. Because ultimately, I mean, we really pretty much are all here to do that, don't you think? To really try to help each other through our shit?
Alicyn
Yeah, and I think when it comes to cancer, a lot of times we don't know the best way to help.
Rob
Totally. Excellent point.
Alicyn
You know, you know, in, I wonder if you have any advice. You know, you want to be empathetic, you also want to be supportive. And sometimes empathy is just getting in the hole. But sometimes also people want to be lifted up. And I, people like you and I that tend to be like, Hey, here's the joke. Here's this and that. We also don't want to come into the scene and try and like force, force, joy or levity into the situation when it's not there. So I'm curious if you have any advice for people dealing with that?
Rob
Well, I think sounds trite, but it's true. It, everybody is different. And when it's something that is that profound in one's life, then what I, what I tell people now is, again, you hear it all the time. So you mostly hear it from me, is don't be afraid to say "I can't do this." Or "I don't think, I don't think I'm gonna make this." Or say, you know for me, it's difficult to say, "No, I just don't think I want to do anything today. I'm just going to hook myself up to my IV for fluids and take a handful of Vicodin or listen to Pink Floyd. I'm out."
Alicyn
Why wait for cancer for that?
Rob
That's right. Let's just say, I just tried to find the, "Thank you very much."
Alicyn
Friday night.
Rob
How can you not love this? You see? That's why we love Alicyn Packard. But for me, it was learning how to be okay with not being how you and I are. That's a very convoluted way of saying it. But I had to be okay with not being Mr. Happy. Because I'm used to being, even if people don't want me to be, I'm used to forcing my humor on. And that's how I am. That's just the cloth, I'm cut from. You get it?
Alicyn
I know, I know.
Rob
Right? You get it. And so I had to be, to learn to just say, "I am not okay. And I don't even have to, I don't even want to try to fake it." It was the most brutal experience I've ever been through in my life. But I was told it was going to be. Nothing happened to me that was a surprise. I really recommend doing that. By "that" I mean, I recommend that if you're an adult with a child who is going to go through a difficult circumstance, or is it you going through it, as an adult. I recommend getting straight, though, I really do. When it started to get gnarly. I didn't panic. I didn't like it. But I didn't think, "Is this normal? Oh my God. I can't taste anything. I mean anything. Is this normal?" I was told, that's going to happen. I was told, you're going to lose weight. I was told, your mouth is going to develop really, you know, lots of sores and you have to have a special thing called the magic mouthwash. That's his tried and true thing and you use it and it's going to be rough. It's part of the deal. You are going to be fine. We're talking about a cure, not a remission, but we almost have to kill you. And I am grateful, and I was, during the treatment, grateful that I knew that. So my best advice in addition to just being able to let go and let people ask for help and accept it, is to ask a lot of questions. And even if it doesn't, even if it's difficult, and it's very uncomfortable at the first, you know, I prefer to know what I'm, what I'm up against. And I truly believe it would have been more difficult for me, had I continually be surprised, woke up with a new symptom or, you know, I, "Oh my God, I was throwing up for two hours last night, is that normal?" Well, it was, it was a smart move to, to know what I was up against. I was also able to, I think, comfort my wife to some extent by saying, "I'm okay, I mean, I'm not okay. But I'm going to be okay." And I had one circumstance where I got up one night to get a drink of water. And I stood up too fast, I lost 50 pounds, and I was really scared, and I stood up too fast. And the next thing I knew I woke up on the floor, I passed out. And I dinged my noggin a little bit, you know, cut my lip, not a big deal. But you know, I didn't hit the edge of a coffee table, that could have killed me. But I woke up and I was trying to sit up, and I just kept falling over. And my wife said, "That's it, I'm calling the ambulance." And by the time they got here, I was fine. And I could say, "Come on, let's not. It's a $2,000 ambulance rides." She said, "We have insurance. Shut up." I had, of course, she was right. It was a, it was a smart move. And I think that being able to reassure the people who love you, is also a big deal. Because as we all know that when you're a caregiver, that's just tantamount to being the person receiving the treatment. If you're up 24/7, taking your loved one to the bathroom, or, you know, trying to get some fluids in him, or whatever it takes. It's brutal. In a lot of ways, it was easier on me because I've just, no big deal what, whatever you need to go through it. And if it means you knock you out, you go to sleep for five days, whatever. So a lot of ways it was easier for me, if you have to sit there looking at somebody, and if I cough the wrong way. Oh, my God is, what's his, so having that opportunity to comfort the people who are doing the comforting, I think is really critical. And, and I, again, I'm now an expert. And I, and the biggest gift I have, is this empathy. When I say to someone, whether it's on the phone, or literally holding someone's hand now, when I say I get it, I really get it. And I wouldn't want people to go through it. But if you got to go through it, you might as well be in a position to do some good with it. And authentically be able to say, "I understand." And if there's anything I can answer for you, ask me, because I know what I'm talking about. And like I said, I, we do ultimately sort of feel like that's why we're all here, to help this, whether it's on a person to person level or opportunities like this, you know that you're giving me, so.
Alicyn
And speaking of opportunities, you became the 2021 Throat and Mouth Cancer spokesperson?
Rob
I am, I am the Head and Neck.
Alicyn
Head and Neck, sorry.
Rob
No. I'm the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. That's okay, I just, I, my mouth, I open it to change feet. But um, I am.
Alicyn
Wow, what an honor.
Rob
Thank you. It is. And they reached out to my publicist, and they were very smart to use me because of the type of cancer I had and what I do. It is powerful to read a story about this type of treatment, and then find out that the guy who had it is able to work at a high level as if nothing's ever happened. I didn't want to be a guy where people said, "God, I'm so glad they're doing that show guy, I got to tell you that Rob Paulson sounds pretty good for a guy with throat cancer." I want people to say "What? Sounds fine to me." And, and that's what's happened. So they were, they were smart to use a guy like me in this position to discuss it. Thank you. Yeah, I am, I'm in my second year. Thank you. I, the guy who did it before me, is the guy of whom I'm a huge fan of, I'm a big sports nut, and that was Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills. He did this for a couple years before me for the Head Neck Cancer Alliance. And then before him, Michael Douglas did it. And it's turned out to be a real incredible opportunity to, to get to help, the book has been used as a tool as well. And yeah, I'm a lottery winner, and I know it. Very lucky fellow.
Alicyn
Did COVID affect any of your plans for the book?
Rob
No, the book was released in October of 2019. So the only thing it did affect, like you, was work, in a traditional sense, and speaking engagements and things that I, Randy Rogel and I were kicking the hell out Animaniacs in concert, had a lot of gigs that were kinda botched, but, man, it really is turning out to be not a bad idea, not a bad thing. Because since everybody's been cooped up, Animaniacs has come along. And, you know, 2020 gave us a whole pile of crappy lemons, but we were able to make a giant vat of Acme lemonade and spring it on this, you know, joy-starved world. And while our little show isn't going to change the world, it's certainly got a lot of attention and make people happy. And then now, we have this wonderful platform to remind people about Animaniacs in concert and ICM books, Randy and me in our show, and we're getting, we've got, I think, nine concerts coming up at the end of the, very end of this year in the first of next year. And they're just like, crazy. It's so much fun. So, you know, there's the silver lining of COVID. I mean, it's, it's kind of like they're always there, if you're willing to look for 'em. And it sounds a little more, sort of, overwrought than I think it is, but it's really true. If you have the sort of personality like an Alicyn Packard where you can say, "All right, well, I think I better learn how to make this different kind of lemonade." Because as I said earlier, we all have our shit, we all get dinged, we have all, have to deal with things. And, and if you are predisposed to joy, and kindness and empathy, it seems like all of those things that are the best of the human experience, like love, comes from most unexpected places, Cartoons, who would have thunk? Remarkable, truly.
Alicyn
Yeah. And just as you say, you know, searching for the silver linings, being aware of gratitude, if the opposite can be true, because the human brain is sort of wired to be on the lookout for what's wrong.
Rob
Yeah.
Alicyn
So, you know, looking for joy. And gratitude is not necessarily the default. It's something that you work towards, that you'd actually work on, to get those feelings to make you be able to generate those feelings for others.
Rob
That's exactly right, sweetie. It is, it is to be sure, something that we have to cultivate. Yes, I think that is absolutely true. Even you know, people like you and me who are in the happy business, as evidenced by my, and the book, by my little mid career crisis. It was there, I just had to find it again, I just had to say, where people use the phrase, finding your joy. And that's true. I had, had nothing but joy. I'm making a living. I'm a blue collar worker in the dream factory, man. I'm so incredibly blessed. But life gets in the way. And when your job is to be joyful and happy, and the you know, the normal everyday stuff gets in the way, career slowdown, money, taxes.
Alicyn
Global pandemic.
Rob
All of that, global pandemic, it requires a certain amount of discipline to keep, kind of, keep your, you know, your nose to the joyful grindstone if it were, as it were. You know what I mean, I, that phrase, "We're all in this together," has never been more true. Ever. In the history of human civilization, that is not hyperbole, never has the phrase, "We're all in this together," been more true. Whether we decide to use that and help each other, to not only understand one another, keep them laughing, entertain them, find out new vaccines for COVID, is a remarkable time and a lot of negative ways too. But there are opportunities there to be joyful, and be positive and creative and help. And the biggest thing I had to learn to do, or I'm sorry, the biggest, I think, I think I've learned to do from my experience, is to really learn what living in the moment means. Our buddy Ram Dass, who's you know, gone on to the great playground in the sky, "Be here now." Really three simple words, "Be here now." And that is, for me, much easier said than done. Precisely what I had to learn to do. I had to get out of my own way, not worried about the stuff. Even God can't change the past. So that's gone. But what happens to me in the future is dictated by how I behave now. And how I embrace now. And when I was able to do that, things started making sense. And they still do. So I'm really grateful for the experience of being able to say, "Yeah, wow, right now, today. Everybody's, everyone's all right, everything's okay. And I am gonna do my best, right now." And it is a pretty cool thing, when you're able to look around and say, "Man, I wouldn't be anywhere else, but here, right now," or "I'm here right now. And I'm making the changes necessary to leave. I know what's going on. And I'm going to get out, I'm not going to worry about what's going to happen when I do. I'm not going to 'what if' myself, I know that I got to extricate myself from this situation." And that's difficult for, it was for me, so.
Alicyn
Are you talking about 2009-ish, are you talking about?
Rob
Well, yeah, I was talking about, that was ,I was talking about when I had that career slump? I was all worried about, "God, what if I don't, if I don't get another gig? What if I, what?"
Alicyn
Yeah.
Rob
Nothing had happened yet. I was just living in that constant fear of, "If I don't, because I didn't, I should have." Utter wasted energy. And, and I'm so grateful that I found a way out of it. And it was nothing mystical, it was nothing special. I'm not special. I'm not unique. It was this. Oh, wait a minute. How did you get here? How did you have this incredible run to this point? And what has happened? Have you pissed anybody off? No. Do other people go through clear career sense? Of course. So how do you deal with right now to make choices that are cognizant, thoughtful, creative choices, so that instead of saying what if you can say "Oh, I can't wait till, I'm so excited about," but and there's a significant difference between "What if" and, "Oh, boy." And that's where I am. I honestly, I one more thing, clearly, I was happy to be cast as Yakko, I haven't shut up for an hour. But the other thing that is a profound, almost, daily epiphany, we live in Los Angeles, and it can happen anywhere, but in a city like this, if one is open to it, if one pays attention, lives in the moment, one can have a dozen "there but for the grace of God" moments every day, every day. Now, with the pandemic and the way it's really crippled people financially, you know, you drive down Laurel Canyon, drive down Sunset Boulevard, you drive under overpasses, tent cities, everywhere.
Alicyn
Everywhere, yeah.
Rob
Utterly heartbreaking. And we all spiff people a couple of bucks. I, I fought in the last couple of years, I give people you know, some money or whatever. I often chat with them. Most of the time, the folks are not dissimilar to you and me. And the line that we walk on a daily basis is so tenuous, people who had a great gig and it just and they just had to find a way to survive, let alone have a groovy sports car and go to the beach and I had this incredible example of my own gratitude and how precious my own circumstance was. I was starting to really get beat up by the radiation. And I was driving home from my treatment, one day. I was at Sherman Way, and I don't know Cold Water. I mean, Sherman Way and White Oak, I think. And there was a woman who looked to be about my age, who was pushing a cart across the street full of plastic stuff that she was presumably going to turn in for some money. And immediately, and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and immediately, I looked at her and I thought, "Wow, I'm sitting this fancy smashing car, I'm going home to a nice big king-sized bed with people who love me. I got everything I need to get through this." Where does that lady go? If she's lucky enough to be diagnosed with a similar cancer or whatever, a health crisis? Where does she go to get the treatment? Then, when she gets treated and feels like shit, where does she go to feel like shit, and who helps her not feel like shit? What she got, how much health care she gonna get for 100 plastic bottles? And it was, this woman taught me a lesson simply by her existence. And now, when I see people in those circumstances, every single day, or a news flash from Syria, and seeing the children, and these brutal concentration, or not concentration, sorry, the brutal refugee camps. A couple months ago, there was a sweet little boy, you know, literally playing in the dirt in Syria wearing a ninja turtle t-shirt. And it, the, the biggest gift I've gotten, in addition to my health, is the sense of empathy. Where I see other people and it immediately reminds me if you're this far away, son, all the time. So be here now. And I, I've always been a nice guy. I want to be a better one. And, and that is what this whole experience is helping me to do. So I am telling you, Alicyn, that it's just a wonderful thing, and to be able to share it with you and your audience, it's a privilege for which I've worked really hard. It is a privilege, for sure.
Alicyn
Be here now, baby.
Rob
Yeah, baby. You got that right. BHNB!
Alicyn
Thank you, for the, yeah, Rob's TED Talk. It was.
Rob
My pleasure. My, truly my pleasure. Thank you and your audience for giving me an hour and 15 minutes of your precious time.
Alicyn
I know. I don't know if you've a heart out or if you want to take a couple questions from the audeince.
Rob
Sure. Go ahead.
Alicyn
Okay, um, guys, I think you noticed that the question boxes down there, I see there's 17 questions, and we'll maybe get to just a few, but feel free to ask any questions.
Rob
You can see me okay, right? It still looks, it looks like I'm in a bar.
Alicyn
It's a little, it's a little dark. But um,
Rob
Alright. Well, at least you can hear me,
Alicyn
It goes on like night mode at 7am. Anyways, so also, guys, there is like a little airplane at the bottom. If you have anybody that you're like, Oh my God, my friend is the biggest Rob Paulson fan, you can click on that and send them this link. We'll go through a couple more questions. It's getting dark over there. Did you, can't find me?
Rob
Oh, I actually that's my friend Ashley Well, who's a wonderful actress, by the way.
Alicyn
Hi, Ashley.
Rob
Let me see if I can get a little brighter here. Is this any better? That's better. Yeah.
Alicyn
Okay, this is a question from EpicVoiceGuy. He, his question is, what's the next step when you're auditioning for cartoons for a decade, and only booked two out of thousands.
Rob
Bless your heart. John, well, John Bailey, by the way is an incredibly talented man. You hear this guy?
Alicyn
Transformers.
Rob
Yeah, transformers, and he does these deep fakes on his, guys follow EpicVoiceGuy, follow him, he'll blow your mind. Really lovely guy and really talented. I'll tell you, John. I really don't know, I, like Alicyn touched on it earlier and that there's an enormous amount of product, an enormous amount of actors. I think one of the biggest issues I have with the way things are done now, these are the auditions, is that we don't get to audition in front of people.
Alicyn
I know.
Rob
I miss that.
Alicyn
I miss that so much.
Rob
Totally. And you know what it's like if you're in there, I mean, most of the shows that I got, that people know, were the traditional audition where I'd go in and I'd see, you know, you get sized and you work on a little bit, and there are half a dozen people on the other side of the glass, and you can work them. As soon as you do something that gets a rise, you go, Oh, great. I've set the hook a little bit. I got a lot of improv background, a lot of us do, you, you Tress, Phil, all of them, you know. And so I would try stuff. And inevitably, when you're going to do a live audition, the producers will say, "That was great, John. You got anything else?" And you know, knowing John, he probably does, he's got something in the back of his mind, or if he's worked up something. And of course, they love to see people jumping and playing, John would say, "You bet I got something." And even if you don't get the gig, you, you, red flag yourself. You walk out of the audition and people go, "God, that Alicyn Packard, she's fantastic. I'm not sure about this critter. But boy, did she kill it. And she was fearless. She came up with a couple of things that were great." You know what, say that and, and a year later, that just happened to me so many times, where I'll get a gig, doing an audition, or having done an audition a year before, year and a half before and the producer will say, "You, we had you in here before to do this. You remember that?" "God, I really don't?" "Well, we have it." And they'll play it. Yeah, well, that we think is perfect for this. And boom, I'll get the gig. But when you're relegated to doing it at home, even if you have a world class studio, the fact is that if there's a, it is sometimes I'll get an audition for 10 lines. And I think I have my ego in check. But there's a point at which you'd go. Jesus just called John Bailey, call Frank, called D'baker, call Jeff Bennett, anybody, Jim Cummings, they can do it in their sleep. But they want to audition it. And I have no problem auditioning, but nobody is there. They give you a little paragraph. So you do your best with that. Maybe throw in something of your own choice. And in my experience, John, most of the time, I see, if I see something that I've audition for, and I didn't get it. And by the way, I don't get most stuff. Like a lot, because they might audition 300 people for the talking goat and who's cooking the soup. And you know what I mean? And while they give you a little breakdown, you're pretty much left to your own devices. Yeah, and so that, that is a big problem to me, John, because you're not able to go and work the room and show people what you can do on the spur of the moment or pique their interest and have them say, "Hey, John, try that again." Or "Do that thing, only more." So all of that is to say that I really don't know. All I know, is that, I continue to practice because it's what I do. I practice every day. I don't think of it as practice. It's innate. I create all the time. I sing songs, I write songs, I sing songs in character. I just sent Maurice a St. Patrick's Day video. Totally silly, but I riff it's, I just do it. And it inevitably ends up inspiring something that I use to work down the road. So all I can say is a guy like John, you know your chops are outrageous. And just keep doing what you do. Obviously no guarantees, and like I said when things get slow and I start to feel sorry for my bad self, I get myself.
Alicyn
Casting couch, John.
Rob
That's right. Yeah. And I'm old so the casting couch for me is something on which I nap. The, I just don't feel, I feel sorry for myself a little bit and I get over it because as I said, ain't nobody forced me to be here, ever. And young act doesn't it get hard? Well, I guess but this is a choice. Not as hard as pouring hot tar on the freeway in august or running a farm. I, this is a choice to be an actor. So when it sucks, would you rather be somewhere else? "I think I would." Okay, and it's not a bad thing we all know actors who've said, I've had enough. Or you say, "You know what, this is where I want to be." And that's what I say to myself, but I haven't gotten a gig that I've audition for it my agents office, or at home in two years, I audition all the time. Because it's, you know, part of the job, but I really, and, and when I do audition in person, I at least get a couple of callbacks. And I ended up working on the show in some way. You know, like, a lot of, yeah, you didn't get the gig, but always, but we don't have that anymore. And it's just, sadly, just the way it is, so.
Alicyn
It's maybe more democratizing in a way because whoever sounds more like that character, whereas they just hit what, whoever hits the bull's eye that day, whereas it's like, "Okay, I need to hit a little left or right, or with some direction, maybe somebody else could get there." Do you coach with any, do you ever coach? Or is it just.
Rob
I have, but, I have, but I'm not a very good teacher. There's so many good ones. Steve Blum. Dee Bradley Baker, Scott, Iwanttobeavoiceactor.com, check that out. It's fantastic. Richie Horvitz is excellent. Charlie Adler, there are so many really good teachers. I'm not one of them. What I am good at is giving people real time, 40 year career information, because I find myself there in a fairly unique position and that I'm working pretty much every day. And, you know, while it certainly goes like this and that, I can talk about stuff that I did years ago, how things have changed, what I still continue to do, how I, you know, what works for me 10 years ago, and today. And so that is something I do, I do seminars often where I'll do literally q&a for an hour and a half and demonstrate things but I'm not a particularly good coach. However, there are a lot, do you coach?
Alicyn
Do I? No. I mean, I coach with other guys, I attend coaching, I get coaching. You hear it from everybody, it's always good to get input and try again. Debi Derryberry.
Rob
Another one. Oh my god. Yeah.
Alicyn
Those guys are all great. Yeah. It was. Sorry, I think I lost my train of thought, I had. I wanted to know with, you know, all the conventions, kind of going online and digital. Do you have any upcoming conventions that people can meet you at?
Rob
Oh. Well, I do have an upcoming, I have an upcoming signing thing. I've done a number of 'em Instagram Live. This is, it works beautifully.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Rob
Folks can go to my, well right now what I'm doing is helping an organization I represent called Boo2Bullying. And if they go, folks find me on Instagram. Rob_Paulsen with an E. That's kind of my Jones at the moment, is helping those folks raise some dota to have, help schools doing community outreach for bullying and getting a hold of kids like that when they're young. And, but yeah, I do. And to the extent, I do online signings or conventions, and all that, I always let people know on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, I'm going to be doing you know, such and such con, on zoom and all that. I've done a lot of stuff for wizard world, probably half a dozen events for wizard world in the last few months. But I missed The Real McCoy, I shot the other day. And yeah, I just love, I love meeting the folks. And we always make it clear "Look, man, I got to charge something because it offsets the cost to the promoter to bring a bunch of actors here. But this is not how I make my living. I want to meet people, you don't have to buy a goddamn thing. I want to talk to you because I can't get enough of the of the times when people come up, you know, so many people, wonderful folk say, "Oh my god, you're the voice of my childhood and my childhood was great, and the kind of cartoons, and it's back and now I'm watching with my kids and my grandkids," but in every show there are half a dozen and people come up and say Mr. Paulson, but for Ninja Turtles, Animaniacs, Jimmy Neutron, Pinky and the Brain, you know, Mighty Max, The Tick, Goof Troop, all that stuff. But for that, my childhood was a mess. I was in the foster system. I had went to three or four different homes. But as long as there was a TV, I hear that so much. And when I see, you know, grown men get tearful when they talk about how Ninja Turtles got them and their brother through their parents acrimonious divorce. I hear that stuff all the time, and I can't get enough of it. So that's why I really miss the live experience. And so I hope my little shot does the trick is I'm ready to hit the road, baby.
Alicyn
Yeah, baby. Yeah, that's so exciting. Gosh so many questions, a lot of them are just "Hi, how are you doing? Do you know you?" Would you do a voice request?
Rob
(As Yakko) Okay, which one?
Alicyn
Raphael, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Rob
Raphael? Sure. I can say, (As Raphael) Shredder, you tin-faced geek, get back here and taste cold turtle steel.
Alicyn
Thank you. Um, okay, um, do you feel like doing some Yakko and.
Rob
(As Yakko) Sure, I can totally do Yakko and say, "Hello, Alicyn." I got to tell you something. I have, I've been all over. I've been to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Republic Dominican, Cuba, Carribean, Greenland, El Salvador too Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, Guyana and still, Guatemala, Bolivia, then Argentina and Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua, Bermuda, Bahamas, Tobago, San Juan. Alicyn's got me on her podcast. I can't believe that I'm still on or whatever, but yeah, that's me. Look, what happens to your sweet face? Isn't that most remarkable thing? (As Carl Wheezer) I don't know if I start being Carl Wheezer? Are you gonna finish that croissant? Look, you look at your beautiful face, you're all happy and you can't even help it.
Alicyn
You're hurting my cheeks.
Rob
I love that.
Alicyn
I guess I'm not laughing enough lately. I'm like out of shape. Ow. I'm gonna pull something
Rob
(As Carl Wheezer) Ow, my scapula.
Alicyn
That was so great, Rob. Well, let's just, I want to end it on a high note that was so lovely.
Rob
It's my pleasure.
Alicyn
It is, I'm so grateful that you came on the show. You are such an inspiration to so many people. And that energy that you call forth from the universe is very aligned with what I hope to create as well. So thank you for inspiring me. I'm going to be lit up all week long.
Rob
It is so my pleasure. And as I've been saying for years on my podcast, and I'm telling you, as an old Hollywood dog and a cancer guy and all that other stuff. Laughter, honey, is so the best medicine and the cool thing is you can't OD and the refills are free. So kids, for God's sake, laugh from your soul every damn day as often as you can. And be here now.
Alicyn
Be Here Now. Thanks for tuning in everybody. I know we had some people on this show from the start to the finish. If you liked the show, tune in next week.
Rob
Oh yeah, man.
Alicyn
Griffin Burns, coming on. Big anime guy and we have a whole bunch of people lined up. So I'm really excited for the future. And if you like it, go ahead and subscribe. Thanks, Rob.
Rob
(As Pinky) My great pleasure. And I should tell the Brain that you said hello, and have a lovely day and thank you all very much for paying attention. And I am a profoundly grateful man. Thank you, Alicyn, you are just precious. The bee's knees, baby.
Alicyn
Oh, thank you. Okay. Bye, everybody.
Rob
Bye, you guys. Thank you. Bye, sweetie.
Alicyn
Bye.
Outro
Thanks for tuning in to Alicyn’s Wonderland, where we explore the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games. Please remember to subscribe and leave us a review. For more episodes of Alicyn’s Wonderland, please visit us at www.alicynpackard.com. See you next week.