Let your Style Grow Out of Who you Actually Are.

Just be yourself. Only the hardest-thing-to-do—EVER—when you “try” to do it. But that’s exactly what voice actors do when they’re really in the zone.

Lately I’ve been thinking the problem isn’t so much Imposter Syndrome as it is the sheer effort we put into being someone else all day long. We’re constantly adjusting, smoothing, editing ourselves to please others. A polite smile for the barista when you’re already having a rough morning. Swallowing a cheeky comment because it might land wrong. Saying “I’m fine” when you’re anything but, because that’s what the moment seems to require.

We walk around with a whole range of emotions tucked neatly behind a veil of propriety. And I can’t help but wonder why? Who is that really serving? Certainly not you. We tell ourselves it keeps other people comfortable. Less awkward. Less unsure. But what would actually happen if, just once, you answered honestly?“I’m having a pretty crappy day. My car got towed, I tripped on the curb coming in, and then I dropped my coffee all over the lobby.”

That’s real. And we have real reactions to real things. Frustration. Humor. Embarrassment. Resilience. Those reactions are human, and humans recognize them instantly in one another. It’s how we connect.

Somewhere along the way, especially in performance-based work, we start to believe that polish is the goal. That neutrality is safer. That if we sand off the edges, we’ll be more broadly appealing. But what we lose in that process is the very thing that makes us compelling in the first place: specificity. Truth. You.

And that’s where this all circles back to voice acting.

When we approach a script, it’s tempting to reach for what’s worked before. The “friendly read.” The “confident corporate tone.” The familiar bag of tricks. They’re comfortable. They’re reliable. But they can also keep us one step removed from the copy, performing at it instead of responding to it.

Jimmy Stewart put it beautifully:“You have to develop a style that suits you and pursue it, not just develop a bag of tricks. Always be yourself.” He wasn’t talking about being untrained or unprepared. He was saying to let your style grow out of who you actually are. Your rhythms, your instincts, your lived experience. That’s what makes a performance honest. And honesty is what makes it unforgettable.

So for voice actors, the work is this: find the story in the copy and ask how you would genuinely respond. Joy? Uncertainty? Trepidation? Quiet confidence? Full-on, balls-out certainty? Answer that question with your authentic voice, not the one you think you’re supposed to use.

Because when you do, you connect. And I guarantee the listener has felt that way too.That connection? That’s everything.