Voice acting is a skill unto itself and it demands hard work to achieve an effective performance that relies only on the voice. There are many actors in the industry whose whole career is focused solely on vocal performances, but today, more well-known actors are cast in voice-only roles as a commercial opportunity to sell audiences on seeing the movie based on the fact that you can hear someone famous' voice in it.
Voice acting requires a different set of skills and some actors are just not cut out for it, but, there are some that are able to create an incredible performance without ever being physically seen. These are some great performances from great actors, some well-known, some not, who prove that their talents are not limited to only being able to create a performance using body language.
Scarlett Johansson - Her
Originally, Samantha Morton was cast as the voice of Joaquin Phoenix's virtual assistant, Samantha. However, director Spike Jonze decided to recast the role with Scarlett Johansson in post-production. The change proved effective as Scarlett Johannsson gives a heartbreaking, disembodied performance.
Phoenix's character falls in love with his virtual assistant, Samantha, even though he can't see her, leading to devastation. His heartbreak over a virtual assistant is only believable because of unseen Johannson's performance.
Eddie Murphy - Shrek
Eddie Murphy was no stranger to voice acting in an animated film, having previously voiced Mushu in Disney's Mulan, but he would ultimately create an even more iconic character with Donkey. And while Murphy's motormouth voice is completely recognizable, he's not his typical wise-cracking, smart-alec self but instead is neurotic, happy-go-lucky, at times annoying, but altogether lovable.
Most of the time, actors are recorded separately, yet despite that, Murphy and Myers have amazing chemistry that has made them a beloved duo. Shrek's popularity will ensure Murphy's voice will be heard for a very long time.
Amy Poehler - Inside Out
Inside Out is the Pixar masterpiece that explores children's emotions and tells them that sadness is okay. The movie takes place in the mind of a girl named Riley with the main characters being embodiments of her five emotions including Fear, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and the main character, Joy.
Amy Poehler portrays Joy, the most positive of the bunch, as well as their motivator. Inside Out utilizes Poehler's positive and optimistic personality used greatly on Parks and Recreation, but with added depth. Joy is, ultimately, vulnerable, and part of the movie's brilliance is that at some point Joy must give up some of her control and allow Riley to feel some of the other emotions after realizing they're important too. It's a beautiful "flaws vs strengths" performance that's achieved, solely, by a voice.
Jeremy Irons - The Lion King
Not many actors are naturally born with the voice of an evil villain, but Jeremy Irons is one of them. In The Lion King, Irons plays Scar, Mufasa's murderous brother, who attempts to kill little Simba and take over the pride.
Irons' voice oozes Shakespearean villainy, which is a talent gained through his classical acting training where he began as a dramatic theatrical actor. The result is a dark, dangerous, and menacing performance that could truly frighten children and adults alike.
Douglas Rain - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Prior to 2001, Douglas Rain was known for stage work and narration before being cast a Hal 9000 after director Stanley Kubrick heard his voice in a documentary. Since then, the performance has become iconic.
Rain created perhaps the most simplistically chilling performance of all time. Never has a calming voice been more sinister and creepy than the performance emoted by Rain's monotone voice. The film showcases Rain's immense skill as a voice actor that he was able to create such an iconic face-less character that causes audiences to be frightened of a red light.
Mercedes McCambridge - The Exorcist
When the demon Pazuzu possesses little Regan in The Exorcist, she loses Linda Blair's sweet voice and gains a monstrously terrifying one. Actress Mercedes McCambridge provided the voice, and for the role, Director William Friedkin bound her to a chair so that the demon sounded like it was struggling within restraints.
To get the right sound for the chilling voice, McCambridge swallowed raw eggs, smoked, and drank whisky. The tactics worked as that voice has haunted moviegoers' nightmares for decades.
Pat Welch - E.T
One acting credit viewers won't find in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is who played the title character. Uncredited for her work, E.T's voice was mostly provided by actress Pat Welsh. Like Mercedes McCambridge, her raspy voice was the result of smoking. Combined with her voice's low tonality, she was perfect to provide the voice director Steven Spielberg and sound designer Ben Burtt wanted. However, the rumor is, parts of the voice were also made up of animals, and other people, including actress Debra Winger.
While E.T doesn't say much, every time he does speak, he pulls at audiences' heartstrings, and Pat Welsh's creation will continue to have that effect on people for generations to come.
Robin Williams - Aladdin
Movie voice acting changed forever when mega-star Robin Williams was cast in Disney's 1992 blockbuster Aladdin. Prior to that, huge stars didn't really do animated films, but his success in the role began a trend that continues to this day.
Animators watched the legendary comedian improvise his dialogue and then animated based on his improvisations and famous imitations. In the end, Williams completely made the Genie character his own but preferred to be left off the marketing, since he was not the main character. Ultimately, Disney ignored his request and this soured his relationship with the company. However, Williams said that the Genie was his favorite role.
James Earl Jones - Star Wars
It's hard to imagine that one of the most famous voice actors once had a stutter. Luckily for audiences, he was able to overcome that and give some of the greatest vocal performances of all time. With Darth Vader, Jones created the personification of evil through a deep, booming, yet still very human voice that sends shivers down audiences' spine.
Jones initially declined credit for himself, claiming he was "just a special effect." However, by the third film, Jones became so recognizable for the role that he finally took the credit. Jones gives one unimitable performance that can never be replicated.
James Gandolfini - Where The Wild Things Are
For Where The Wild Things Are, James Gandolfini ditched his Sopranos' New Jersey accent and created a tender performance, playing the "Wild Thing" known as Carol.
It's an extremely sweet and moving performance, full of sadness, and proves what a talented actor the late Gandolfini was. Carol is not only a projection of the father figure, the main character, Max, lacks, but he's also the embodiment of Max's childish imagination. As Carol, Gandolfini delivers a full range of emotions, perhaps creating the most soulful and realistic performance ever created by an actor standing behind a microphone in a sound booth.