posted on July 28th, 2009 in interviews
Josh Keaton has a list of credits that would make your jaw drop. Look him up on IMDB if you don’t believe us. We dare you. A seasoned talent who is currently portraying Peter Parker in the popular Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, Josh talks about his work as an actor and performer with our own Richard Caldwell.
Josh, you have an insane resume with years of work in animated series and movies, tv shows, video games and a recording career. I know that you started young, but was there ever a specific point that you remember making the decision that this was the path for you?
Thank you!
With respect to the entertainment industry in general or just with voice-overs?
Entertainment, in general.
Honestly, I really can’t think of one particular time. It’s been something I was always a part of. I was always the precocious little kid that was trying to get attention, and dancing on tables and doing all that. So yea it’s always pretty much been a lifelong thing, stuff that I’ve always wanted to do.
So you’re living the dream then?
Definitely.
In all the years that you have been in show business, what have been the biggest obstacles for you, I mean personally or professionally?
I’d say one of the biggest obstacles would be…I think things like typecasting or basically, just not fitting in with the Hollywood mold that a lot of things tend to go towards. If you’re not that blond-haired, blue-eyed Midwestern guy then you have to miss out on a lot of parts. And I would say that would be the biggest obstacle. Though that’s something that doesn’t exist so much with voice overs because, you know, nobody really sees your face. It’s really more about the voice and the acting.
You really just need to find your niche- in on camera acting as well.
Of all the mediums that you have worked in, and with everyone you’ve worked with and crossed paths with- who has taught you the most, or left the biggest impression on you?
Oh wow, that’s a good question. I would say, on camera- I really had a great time working on Will & Grace. That was really just a situation that showed me how much of a well-oiled machine a cast can be. It really kind of showed me how generous a lot of other actors are, because, I won’t name names but I’ve worked with some people that are pretty well known actors that aren’t really the most generous actors in the world. If it’s not their shot or their closeup they won’t come out to read with you. You’ll be doing your closeup with a script supervisor. That’s how it goes a lot of the time. Everyone on Will & Grace though, were like a family. They really went out of their way to welcome their guest cast and work on things, even during lunch. If there was a scene that might not have been clicking, something might have been a little off or it wasn’t working quite the way the writers wanted it- everybody would just work. Let’s get this right on the money. It was just nice to see that, and this was probably in their twilight years where the show had been on for many years, and was already super successful. Nobody was really pretentious, everybody was just great, down to earth nice people. It was nice for me to see that as an actor- to see “hey, you know, these people are on a number one hottest show and they’ve still got that down to earth attitude”.
So yea, in that medium that’s probably what I’d say.
In animation- I can’t really point it all on any one person. There have been so many directors I’ve worked with- Andrea Romano, Jaime Thomason- they show you the difference between how something has to be placed on camera versus how something has to be placed for voice. And it’s a real subtle change, but they’re masters at getting that out of any actor. I mean I could go on naming voice actors for days that I’ve learned from. But yea, I really can’t go with any one particular person. There have been so many people that I’ve met that have taught me so much.
As high profile as some of those gigs have been, that is something. Like with Will & Grace, for there to be the personal touch by the other actors, I think that is kind of reaffirming. It goes against the stereotype of the Hollywood experience, doesn’t it?
Yea. I mean I’m not to say that every other situation is gonna be the opposite of that. In varying degrees, but I’d probably have to say that that was possibly the most watched show that I’ve ever been on. Just to see that kind of success but still remaining grounded and staying very real- and it was. Reaffirming is the perfect word for it.
If not for the entertainment industry, if somehow you had been born without any of the charisma or talent necessary, where do you think you’d be today? What do you think you’d be doing?
Probably something to do with science. I’ve always been a huge science geek. I love astronomy, I love the history of the earth, evolution, and anything to do with living things. Or possibly something to do with animals. I’m a huge animal lover. If the entertainment industry had passed me by, that’s probably what I’d be doing- something to do with science or computers, or something to do with animals. Those are really my other passions.
I know you’ve been picking up more and more video game-related jobs in the last few years, especially with the new Leisure Suit Larry game. Are you an avid gamer?
I am a pretty avid gamer. I’ve been a gamer ever since I started playing my uncle’s Atari- the old 2600. We used to play golf, a lot of different games. I’ve been a gamer as long as I can remember. One of my main reasons for even getting into the video game voice overs, one of the reasons I was really excited to be a part of video game voice overs was that I remember when the technology that let us have voice acting in video games- I remember when that first came out.
I remember how, it almost seemed like an afterthought in a game, where there was very little thought given to the story, no thought given to the casting. And what sort of happened was that we had this absolutely atrocious voice acting that really took you out of the story at times. You’d be in the middle of this awesome game and then this scene would come on and you’d want to skip out of it. I saw that as a huge disservice. Because, when I play games I’m not just doing it for the button mashing, I like immersing myself in it. I like really being involved in the story and feeling like you’re living it. When you have a scene that comes on that’s completely devoid of any kind of emotional truth or anything like that- it just seems funny. Your BS meter starts going off like crazy and you don’t want to watch. That’s a huge disservice to the story. So I’m really glad that I can be a part of making that a more enjoyable experience.
I think the entire gaming industry has really been evolving over the last decade or so as a storytelling medium. Now we have guys like Clive Barker and John Woo designing games. It has to be a fun business to work in.
Oh sure, without a doubt. It’s nice to see that they’re giving a lot more import to the higher image and execution of all the voice acting segments especially. I’m sure I’m not the only one who sees things that way. I’m sure there are other people like me who really want to experience the story. It’s always a nice surprise now when you’re in the middle of it and the acting comes on and it’s just awesome. It is like watching a movie. It really makes the play aspect much more rewarding.
Does that level of interest for you carry over to comic books as well? I guess right now the Spectacular Spider-Man series might be the thing you’re best known for.
Yea, it definitely does. I mean I grew up reading Spider-Man comics- I grew up reading comics in general. I’m actually in a car right now with Matt Yackey and Dan Fraga, a couple of comic high rollers who’ve done a bunch of stuff. A lot of my friends are comic book guys, working in the business. That’s also something that’s always been a big part of my life, a huge influence. I think that also might have been one of the things that gave me an edge in getting the part of Spider-Man, with my background in it and the ready access to my friends that could fill in all the information that I may not have been familiar with. It really helped give me an insider’s perspective.
Was it kind of a twist taking on the role of Peter Parker when you’d already portrayed Harry Osborn in the movie tie-in video games?
There’s a little story I always have to tell regarding the video games. The first Spider-Man game that I did and voiced Harry Osborn I was officially cast as Spider-Man. I recorded the entire game as Spider-Man. After they finished all of my stuff they finally got the clearance to use Tobey’s audio from the film, but they didn’t want to waste all the audio they’d already recorded with me. So they put in a hidden mode of play that when you beat the game you could basically play through the game again- same scenario, same everything- same storyline, but with Harry Osborn and the Green Goblin. Treyarch was the publisher then, I believe. When they came out with the second version they had to use my audio for Harry which brought me back as Harry because they’d already gotten all of the spoken audio for Spider-Man 2. With Friend Or Foe- again, different production house that did that game- in that one I was cast as Harry outright.
The funny thing is that James Arnold Taylor, who plays Harry in our show played Spider-Man in that game. So there’s always been a little switcheroo going around.
I think with video games, there’s gonna be so many generations of a franchise. And all of these versions- they all have their own producers, their own writers- their own creative teams, so their casting choices are obviously going to reflect that. It’s not like there’s one casting house that casts every single Spider-Man video game. You know, everybody’s going to have a different take on it. That’s why with some ongoing franchises none of the actors are going to be the same.
I suspect taking vocal talents to the extreme is pursuing a career in the music industry. Something I’ve wondered- do you shy away at all from having the boyband experience in your background, from being in NO AUTHORITY before?
Oh no, not at all. I wear being a boyband survivor as a badge of pride! I had a great time in it. It was something I wouldn’t give up if I had the chance to go back and redo it. I got to meet Michael Jackson, which was awesome. The guys that signed us- we had our release party at Neverland. And that was a cool experience. And, I got to travel the world! I got to meet people in places that I’d never been before. It was a fantastic experience, and I learned so much about the industry in general. I really got my first look into music production, working with this really big producer, Rodney Jerkins- who was just getting his start at the time and has since just blown up. He’s put out so many things that I couldn’t even count. But yea- I really got my first intro to production and songwriting from that. I didn’t write any of the songs on those albums- which was probably one of the only things I wasn’t as happy with, but that’s pretty much where that was. A lot of the pop game, a lot of that changed with digital distribution or digital downloading, where record companies really aren’t spending as much- well, they’re really not spending anything- on developing artists so everything has to be ready made now if you want to get distributed. So you’re starting to see a lot more artists who have to write their own music now because record companies aren’t spending the money to put it all together. Actually I think for the record business that’s a good thing. It is a little more difficult for new artists to get any kind of financial backing for tours and all that, but at the same time it does give the little guy a little more of a shot because everybody can really have a voice on the internet.
Back to the origianl question- I definitely don’t shy away from that at all. I had a great time. It’s something that I look back fondly on to this day.
Are you still active in that realm, are you still pursuing music?
Yes, I am. I am still pursuing it both as a solo artist and also writing for other people. And then with a team of friends, we have kind of like a comedy group…
Well, we make these songs that are produced and written totally serious- they could be on the radio based on production value; but they’re dealing with some pretty out there subjects, that might not be safe for work. And that’s what we do.
And what about the future then? I know the Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust game just came out and the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series is ongoing for now, are there any other projects you have in the works that you’d care to share?
There’s one I just worked on that I can’t really talk much about, because of confidentiality agreements, which happens to be the rage with pretty much any project. All I can say is that it’s a first-rate project that’s pretty awesome, and that’s all I can say on that one.
Video game-wise there are a couple of things I’ve been doing work on, like Starcraft 2, which I will not allow myself to play, because I am a recovering World Of Warcraft fanatic. I lost the better part of a year to that game. So, I’m not letting myself play Starcraft 2, but I’m working on it! And then, there’s a Star Wars project that I’ve been doing some voices on.
Fantastic!
As young as you still are, you have worked in entertainment for twenty years, easy. With all the experience, have you ever thought about doing other things behind the scenes? Have you ever gotten the writing bug for cinema or video games, or even doing comic books?
Without a doubt. Basically, I like to tell stories. And whatever way I can do that, however many ways I can accomplish that whether it be songwriting and singing or being in a video game, or doing on camera or doing voice overs. It’s all in some way telling a story, and that’s what I love to do. Yea, I would definitely not rule out writing, definitely not rule out any other behind the scenes things. I think it would be a lot of fun; and the more I try, the more things I can say I have tried.
I think that’s a perfect point to check out on.
Thank you for taking out time from your schedule to talk with us.
No worries, man. Thank you for the interview!
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