From the NYT obituary for Arthur Anderson, who played Lucky in Lucky Charms ads and Ducky in Drake’s Cakes ads and who also had a role in the movies “Zelig” and “Midnight Cowboy” and parts on the TV shows “Car 54, Where Are You?” and “Law & Order" and appeared on stage — in "Julius Caesar" — with Orson Welles.
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8 comments:
He didn't play a leprechaun. He did the voice for one. To an American audience. You know, the same audience that accepts Sean Connery portraying an Irishman with his Scottish accent. Shit, it would be hard to find a kid that couldn't do that voice. Much less a professional actor.
And he didn't make himself famous for doing it.
"He attended the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan.."
Now known as ... American universities.
And, he ran a hell of a good accounting firm. Or so I am told.
@George
Doing the voice for a cartoon leprechaun is still PLAYING a leprechaun. Aren't those who speak in theatrical productions, whether for radio, cartoons, movies, TV, or onstage, whether seen by the audience or not, ACTORS, who PLAY roles?
@George
But I'm sure you're right about the genuineness, or lack thereof, of the accent.
"Char Char Binks said...
@George
Doing the voice for a cartoon leprechaun is still PLAYING a leprechaun. Aren't those who speak in theatrical productions, whether for radio, cartoons, movies, TV, or onstage, whether seen by the audience or not, ACTORS, who PLAY roles?"
Sorry, he read lines in an Irish accent. If you closed your eyes and didn't see the cartoon, it could have been any Irish person talking about cereal. He had nothing to do with the visual.
this ties into the cultural appropriation argument - is doing the frosted Lucky Charms voice the equivalent of Peter Sellers or Mickey Rooney playing an oriental/asian? Or ben kingsley doing Indian as Ghandi?
Is it only bad in those other cases because they also did stuff with their skin or squinted their eyes. Or, is this legitimate acting? After all Merly Streep made a career playing people with different accents. perhaps hollywood can't exist without cultural appropriation. Actors certainly can/t
There are six billion stories on the big planet, and this was one of them.
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