British actor Matthew Wolf is one of the most recognisable voices in the business. Lending his vocals to a variety of different animated features, video games and more, and more recently picking up a role in E! original series The Royals, he's constantly going from strength to strength in his career.
Matthew Wolf
We got the opportunity to chat to Matthew about his Royals role, comparing the world of on-screen acting to voice acting work and much more. Read on to find out what he had to say.
How does it feel to be part of the cast of The Royals on E!?
The Royals is one of those shows where you can just see the cast are having a good time making it. That's why it's such a fun show to watch. They are a tight bunch after season 1, but everyone was very welcoming and I am in touch with one or two castmembers since the end of the season. As long as you show up knowing what you're doing and [are] ready to work, you'll always get along fine!
Can you tell us a little bit about the casting process and how you got the role on the show?
Well, I spend a lot of my time in Los Angeles and was there when I was asked to read for the part. So I put something on tape, we sent them that and about a week later they offered me the part. It was a pretty quick and easy process compared to some other situations.
Mark Schwahn (creator) told me later he just saw something in my audition that was what he was trying to achieve with this character, an ambiguity where you're not sure if you love him or hate him, something hidden.
What can you tell us about your character, Jeffrey Stuart?
Jeffrey Stuart is an interesting character on the show, while he's trying to bring down 'The House', he has perhaps a justifiable motive. He's essentially a good guy, but so twisted by years of plotting revenge that he's perhaps slightly mad. Of course that's great fun to play!
How did you find the response to your character in the States?
The response on social media was really good. Audiences always love these kinds of characters, the ones you love to hate. They are often the most interesting. I think people always relate to someone's dark side! A lot of the fans have said they'd like to see Jeffrey back next season.
You're also a voice acting talent which is a really interesting world - how did you find your way onto that career path?
Well, I've always enjoyed playing around with accents and characters since I was a kid and I guess I have what people call a 'good ear' for it, so it was only natural really that I would use it in this way.
Once you do a few smaller jobs, people start to get to know what you can do and things just progress from there. I seem to be able to do a lot of different accents, which is very useful to video game and animation makers, and they like to use you, so I've been fortunate to be involved in some of the really popular games.
What tips do you have for people who may want to follow into voice acting?
The first and best thing you can do for yourself is make a voice reel. It doesn't have to be top quality, just good enough, and with home tech today it's easy enough. Focus on the voices/accents etc. you do best, the things you know you should be used for. Don't try to include anything you're not really comfortable doing. Once you have that reel it makes it much easier when you meet the right person, or a friend can pass it along to someone they know in the business.
Are there any big differences in the on-screen and voiceover world aside from the obvious?
Today's game players are so much more sophisticated... They want real and subtle performances. The same in radio drama and animation. So the performance is very much the same as with on-screen.
A director once told me that giving a performance with a microphone right up to your mouth is like an extreme close-up camera shot. You can't get away with anything untrue.
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
I'm waiting to hear if Jeffrey Stuart will be back for more on The Royals, which starts shooting season 3 in June. There are a couple of other TV things I've been talking about, something possibly for Amazon and a network thing.
And I've just completed work on a game for 2K Entertainment that I think is going to be huge with the fans. I play an Irish character, but I can't say more than that.