Paul-Mikél Williams

FOR ALL THE VIEWERS READING, PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.

Hey, everyone! I’m Paul-Mikél Williams. You may have heard my voice as Darius Bowman in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, or Feather in The Wild Robot, just to name a couple. On the on-camera side, I’ve worked on The Upshaws, Sydney To The Max, Raven’s Home, and Westworld to name a few more.

PLEASE TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.

This is honestly the best question of all. It’s a bit of a long story, but my mom is amazing, and so are her instincts and for the industry. Her passion and relentless ambition have gone a long way toward getting me here. Back in 2015, when I started getting into on-camera commercial work, she took me along with her to several acting/casting industry workshops after someone suggested she become a voice actor. One of them was hosted by SAG/AFTRA at their Wilshire location, and the one and only Michael Bell was heading the class! After he finished greeting everyone, my mom approached him on his way out and asked what he thought about her doing audio books. I remember he paused, gave a thoughtful look and a brief explanation. Afterward, he turned his attention to me, and gently asked who I was and if I was interested in voiceover.

“Yeah, but he’s not ready for VO yet”, my mom replied. He invited us to walk with him to the parking lot, and continued to share his experience and wisdom for at least 30 minutes. I was only about 9 years old at the time and didn’t know who he was by name, but once I learned that he voiced my brother's favorite character in Metal Gear Solid 3 - “The Fear”, a character I’d also heard by watching my brother’s playthrough of the game - I started fanboying and instantly got my brother on the phone with him. My brother was more starstruck than I was! The rest is pretty much history.

My mom followed his recommendation to the letter, focusing on helping me with voiceover first because the industry was shifting its focus toward casting real youth instead of “adults playing younger.” My first stop on the new journey was “Lynnanne Zager’s ADR Looping level 1.” That was back in 2018, and to this day, I still take classes with voice over greats whenever I’m able, and after all these years of nurturing my dream, my mom finally had the chance to begin her VO career not too long ago as well! I’ve heard recordings of her classes and auditions, and she’s amazing at it

PLEASE SHARE A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT YOU WANTED TO BE INSPIRED TO BE A PART OF THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.

I think there have been moments across my whole life that have inspired me to do voice acting. When I was younger, before my teens, I would love to play pretend and act like Cartoon Network characters like Mordecai from Regular Show or Gumball from The Amazing World Of Gumball. From then on, I always wanted to have some part in the

process, whether it was writing, drawing, or voice acting. As I got older, those dreams became clear to me, and I had no idea how attainable they truly were if I just committed to them. Sometimes I would stay up on weekends a little later to watch Dragon Ball Z Kai on Toonami, and my brother was a huge fan of Dragon Ball too, so he kind of instantly got me hooked on it 

PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND HOW YOU OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES.

I think a big challenge in the voice over world is patience and consistency. There’s never a lack of jobs that you can submit yourself for, and that can create feelings of both intimidation and restlessness. You may feel like you go out for dozens or even hundreds of jobs a month and not one of them follows up, or you’ll see auditions that you don’t think you have the skill for or you simply don’t want to do. What I do is remind myself that I’m a voice over actor because it’s my dream, and I’m good at it. I’m not afraid to say I’m good at voice acting. Voice acting isn’t just making character voices, either. It’s embodying that character when the rest of your body can’t, and being a storyteller in a medium that even some on-camera actors can’t master.

And burnout is real, too. It’s okay to take a break, but be careful that your breaks don’t turn into procrastination, or excuses to not do your auditions at all.

JAPAN IS KNOWN FOR SO MANY GREAT ICONIC VOICE OVER PEOPLE, SUCH AS CHARACTERS FROM ANIME OR MOVIES AND DUBBED TV SHOWS. WHO IS SOMEONE INSPIRATIONAL THAT YOU ADMIRE IN THIS INDUSTRY?

6A. Natsuki Hanae is by far my greatest inspiration in anime voiceover currently. Every character he’s played, from Ken Kaneki in Tokyo Ghoul to Tanjiro in Demon Slayer, to Okarun in DanDaDan have all been amazing characters with so much energy and liveliness. Though I rely on subtitles to understand what he’s saying, I never have to doubt how he’s saying it, and I’ve tried to implement that ability of his into my own voice acting as well.

IS THERE ANY PROJECT OR PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH OR COLLABORATE WITH?

 I would love to get into the dubbing scene for anime. I love watching anime, and the voice acting for shonen anime specifically, especially in recent years, has been so raw and emotional across every genre that it keeps me hooked. I’m currently watching shows like DanDaDan, Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer, and beyond the animation, I’d love to work with the Voiceover Actors for some of the main characters in each series.

PLEASE TALK ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF WORK YOU ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON.

Right now, I’m focused more so on the television side of voice over and on-camera. I like episodic voice over in the sense that I have a longer time to portray my character’s arc. I did some work recently as Feather in The Wild Robot for a couple days at Dreamworks, and that was a really fun experience! It’s the first time I’ve worked on an animated feature

before, and it was a great way to dip my feet into that new avenue. I’d love to delve into both and work on both sides simultaneously. I think I’m ready for it now that I’ve warmed up!

PLEASE TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT HOLLYWOOD ENTERTAINMENT.

What I like about Hollywood entertainment is the authenticity and relatability that actors are allowed to bring to work. A little slice of who we are is present and every character, and now more than ever, we’re able to share who we are, our culture, and ourselves with the world in a way we weren’t previously able to. Black paleontologists, Indian doctors, Kenyan-Mexican sci-fi robots (to reference those that I’ve seen on projects I’ve worked on) are something you didn’t get to see not even 20 or 30 years ago. Slowly, the limit that’s set on how much of ourselves we can express is being lifted, and seeing other actors’ life experiences through the roles they portray, and how they magnify them, is what makes Hollywood’s entertainment spectacular in my eyes.

WHAT VOICE OVERS DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST FROM HOLLYWOOD?

As far as actors, Frank Welker, Keith David, Tara Strong and Steve Blum are my biggest highlights. The voices they have done are absolutely iconic and ones that I’ve grown up on. Their range alone gives me chills, and I aspire to be just like them soon. I’ve been blessed to be able to meet all of them over these past years, and they are all just as down to earth and friendly as you’d expect. That’s voice actors for you!

NOW IN TODAY'S SOCIETY, EVERYTHING IS DONE BY REMOTE WORK. DO YOU ENJOY THIS PROCESS, OR DO YOU PREFER TO SHOW UP AT THE STUDIO?

This is a GREAT question. Remote work has definitely made it a bit more tedious for the majority of voice actors, I’d say, but after the adjustments, many of us have settled just fine. Working remotely also makes me somewhat anxious due to fear of something going wrong, but trading it for the commute isn’t bad at all. Personally, I enjoy working in the studio more because of the atmosphere and the intimacy. It feels much easier to work when I’m close to the director/producers. Voice over is very collaborative, and the studio feels like the perfect breeding ground for that creativity.

WHAT TYPE OF SPECIALTY IN VOICE OVER WORK DO YOU LIKE TO FOCUS ON, OR DO YOU HAVE SEVERAL TYPES?

I like working on 3D animation the most, but I really like dubbing as well! I once did a dub for a French show on Disney+ called “Parallels”, and I can honestly say it was refreshing to try a new type of voice acting. I’ve also voiced a few characters in video games like 11:11 Legends of Runeterra way back when, and those were really enjoyable experiences. I’d say I have the most experience in 3D animation, but there’s no one category that I like more over others.

WHAT'S A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VOICE OVER ACTOR?

Lots of practice and auditions! Even when auditions are slowed, especially in a time like this where the industry has a lot of uncertainty, I focus on keeping my voice intact - I don’t scream often, I do tongue twisters and vocal drills to stay ready for any auditions I do get, and I bring a little bit of myself into the booth every time I record, even if for an audition. Authenticity is what I aim for. Of course, I make an effort to eat healthy so that I can sustain my body (and voice) for when I use it. But otherwise, I focus on my other passions like writing, gaming and exercising to stay occupied when things slow down.

WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE THAT IS INTERESTED IN VOICE OVER WORK?

First, I’ll say the path into voiceover is not easy. It’s definitely an investment, and will require some sacrifices if it’s your dream and passion like it is mine. But as long as you stay focused and dedicate as much time as you can to honing your craft, you will succeed no matter what. If jobs don’t find you, the next best step is to make your own! Write projects, voice your own scripts - whatever you need to do to achieve your dream, is what you do.

Push yourself, because your ability to drive yourself is

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT MAKES A GOOD VOICE OVER ACTOR?

I think that “a good voice over actor” is someone who’s comfortable in their own skin, and okay with inviting strangers into not only the world they create, but also their comfort zone as well. The best voice over actors are able to connect to the deepest parts of themselves and combine different aspects of their character and personality to fill in what they can’t relate to. For all actors, letting your walls down and letting your natural ego go is a key aspect of the craft.

YOU ARE CURRENTLY ACTIVE AS A VOICE OVER. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2025? WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU FOR 2025?

In 2025, I plan on moving more behind the camera, and working in both the cast and crew sides of the industry by fleshing out one of my passion projects. I can’t say much about anything else, since it’s all super secret and locked away. You know how it is. 😉 But I can promise you that it will be big!

CAN YOU SHARE ANY EXCITING PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON NOW?

Most recently, the third season of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory premiered! Other than that, everything is under tight lock and key. I will keep all of my social media updated with my latest news once I can announce it, however! 😊

IF SOMEONE WANTS TO HIRE YOU FOR ANY VOICE OVER WORK, CAN YOU PLEASE LIST YOUR WEBSITE AND HOW PEOPLE CAN REACH YOU?