On the hunt for a convincing Sam Elliot impression, we partnered with Scott Whyte to voice radio for First Fidelity’s “Born to Bank” campaign. It went so well, Scott agreed to hop on a second call with us to discuss his craft. To our delight, that call not only revealed a wealth of insights but also our new creative partner as the face of Gunnar Stahl from Mighty Ducks, the voice of a demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites, and a performer in loop groups, such as FAB LOOPERS, for shows like White Lotus, Yellowstone, and 9 Perfect Strangers.
Into the Giant Machine of Creativity with Scott Whyte
By Fresh Produce
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s on your mind in the studio?
Scott Whyte: What I’m going to have for lunch or dinner, probably. (laughs) You know, it all really depends on the job. I was a child actor, and as you get older, you transition from ‘Hey, look at me,’ to ‘How do I serve the project?’ If it’s an animation project, let’s keep the room fun. If it’s the Conjuring, let’s keep in the tone of this strange place that allows us to respond to noises and creature sounds. My head is always in the game of what the project is and what piece fits where in the giant machine of creativity.
This file is being shared with permission granted by Scott Whyte.
How do you get yourself into that headspace?
SW: I have preset tracks that I’ll play when I’m recording. I get to work on Blizzard’s Diablo video game, and they have a great director who introduced me to this concept. There’ll be this moody, dark music playing that, when you start speaking, you immediately hear if you fit the tone. One of my jobs is also to voice-match well-known actors. For that, I’m listening to clips and repeating them over and over in my head.
You delivered a Sam Elliot impression for our work on First Fidelity Bank. How did you learn to execute different inflections?
SW: Growing up, I had an ear for voices and tuning into sounds. I loved going into my own world and being creative. All of that playing around is really feeding me as an adult. For accents, I have voices that I anchor onto. If it’s Liverpool, I’m thinking of The Beatles and Ozzy Osbourne. There are phrases or vocal inflections that they do, and specific ways they say words. The accents come when I try to do the impression.
What context do you need to voice a character?
SW: Is it a human or a creature? With humans, you want to get in their heads and understand where they’re coming from. Just like, not all villains are bad guys, because they think they’re doing the good thing. With creatures, you want to know their instinct. Are they killers? Are they zombies that just want to eat? If there are key things that resonate with a character, I can work with a few verbs or attributes and take it from there.
How often do you know an animated character’s visual attributes?
SW: Usually, we’ll have some sort of image that we can work with. We’ll see animatics or storyboard concepts. But sometimes, you walk into a room, and you have the main character voice, but the client will say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this other character. He’s a knight with big teeth.’ That’s where, in those rooms of creativity, you don’t want to be the serious actor. You want to bring the energy that’s needed for the project. Always be ready to play, and things will figure themselves out.
Repetition is fundamental to video games. How do you keep characters fresh?
SW: The character description sets what I need to do. Sometimes, things are written so well that the character’s right there. Sometimes, if I’m an evil Kingdom leader, I’m pointing out why I would say, ‘Well, you cannot do that,’ instead of ‘Oh, you can’t do that.’
There are little nuances where the character can bleed through, and I try to find and fight for those. Other than that, I respect what’s been written. The sign of a good writer and a good creative team is when I can walk in and go, ‘My job’s done. I just have to read this out loud.’
In a recording session, what does unhelpful direction look like?
SW: I appreciate someone saying, ‘No, that’s not working. Let’s do something else,’ versus someone trying to tiptoe around my feelings. Just say I sucked, and let’s figure it out. You’re the client. I’m the tool. Tell me what you want, and I’ll translate it. Everyone who’s there is there for a specific purpose. I come into the studio with my tools. If you don’t like that tool, tell me, and let me pull out another to improve.
What should writers know about how their words land in the recording booth?
SW: A good writer has the idea or the persona in their head, the angle that the person is talking from, and can give good notes. Never underestimate the connection of the script, even if the words aren’t feeding the character. You create a blank slate for an actor to come in and go, ‘It’s written like a conversational piece. Let me add that warmth to it now.’ That’s my tool. When it’s not feeling right, read it out loud. It’s like being the voice actor. Know what you’re trying to get across, and let the words flow that way.
What type of character do you get cast most often?
SW: My whole career, I’ve been riding the bad guy coattails. But I enjoy that because I love finding the nuances of why the bad guy is bad, and what he’s doing to feel justified.
What about a character you don’t get cast often, but would love to try?
SW: I’d love to do more animation projects. They’re fun. You walk into the room, and it’s a giant, creative, laughing community. There’s not a lot of ego in that.
This file is being shared with permission granted by Scott Whyte.
How has your own voice surprised you?
SW: There have been a few moments, actually. Things that I’ve worked hard at—like this project I got to voice-match Morgan Freeman on. I recorded the temp, and he heard my voice and said, ‘He’s good, just leave that.’ And that’s happened on more than one occasion. Every once in a while, I get a call, ‘Tom Hardy’s doing another movie and you’re the guy.’ But those things take practice. The version one impression is not as good as it is years later, as I’ve been working on it.
Are there parts of the work that still make you uncomfortable?
SW: I did an episode of Full House, and for that week, John Stamos became a friend. When the crowd came in, his first thing would be to flub a line, and everyone would laugh at his expense, and the expectations would drop. That stuck with me.
There’s an element of nervousness no matter the job, so I’ll start a session, I’ll make a joke, or I’ll mess up a cue on purpose. I say the wrong thing to put the blame on me and let everyone else relax.
Does your sensitivity to tone make you better at picking up conversational cues?
SW: Oh, yes. Tone is everything in voice-over. There are so many notes in the human voice, and you have to be in tune with them. Intent is half the puzzle, but so is knowing your own melodies.
What do you do outside of your job that connects back to your craft?
SW: My wife and I create music. She’s the singer-songwriter. I’m the musician and producer. Being a musician, playing music, hearing notes and melodies—it all helps in my voice acting.
What’s the biggest takeaway from your career?
SW: You grab what you’re given and put your best foot forward, and it either works or it doesn’t. That’s how I’ve been able to disassociate with rejection and hearing so many nos. If I do 30 auditions a week and don’t hear from any, it’s easy to go, ‘Wow, that’s 30 times I sucked,’ but being in the business as long as I have, it’s really about being the best thing for a team.
I love turning actors on to clients. I feel just as happy helping a client find the right tool for their machine, and I’m very happy to walk away thinking, ‘Good. I connected two good people. That’s my job for this project.’ It’s not just Scott shows up and does his dance, and that’s it. I really love being part of the team.
