The idea of this article first came to mind after I had heard Rihanna in the new “Smurfs” trailer; I was a bit distracted from the trailer by the jarring tone of voice. Rihanna’s voice is very smooth and laid back, while Smurfette is usually depicted as bubbly and high-pitched. Smurfette has always been known as the only girl in the Smurf village, and depicted as hyperfeminine and girl next door vibes. I don’t think of Rihanna as the girl next door, more like the nonchalant tomboy. This isn’t to say Rihanna can’t voice act; she can! I just appreciate it more in her niche. Her actual voice worked for Trip in “Home,” but Smurfette’s character never fit that vibe. I just wish she had either changed her tone and tried something new, or that we had a different voice actress.
Rihanna isn’t the first celebrity voice actor to enter the pipeline; there have been many more before her, the most notorious recently being Chris Pratt.
Chris Pratt, beloved Star-Lord of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and Andy from “Parks and Recreation,” should never have set himself up for this. Also, whoever approached him for these roles needs some talking to. Now let it be known; Chris was amazing in The Lego Movie. This is due to him fitting the character, the quirky boy next door. This was also an original movie; I don’t know why Chris decided to voice-act two beloved childhood icons: Mario and Garfield. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” had me piping hot for ages because I am a very big Mario fan, and I did not want this man to do him dirty. Annoyingly enough, he did. He didn’t even try to put on an Italian accent, which was odd because that’s a well-known Mario fact. Also, I was waiting on the edge of my seat, hoping he would do the iconic ‘Let’s a go!’ and it was…what was expected. They made it somber and serious, and yes, Mario can be serious. That’s not the problem; the problem is it’s supposed to be an optimistic call for action, but now it’s giving superhero fighting. Sonic did it better, leaning into the fandom niche humor and characterization. Mario didn’t feel like Mario to me, he felt like Chris Pratt as a superhero. I feel like this could have been fixed with a more biblically accurate Mario voice. It’s not like they didn’t have other options … they did. The movie was a great film for the most part, I just really couldn’t handle the Mario face on Chris Pratt’s voice. Garfield was a bit redeemable being that Garfield doesn’t have an Italian accent. Still, it just felt awkward in some scenes; also, who asked for a Garfield movie? Because I sure didn’t, and I don’t know anyone else who did either. But even those fans weren’t asking for Chris Pratt, that’s for sure.
Megan Fox as Nitara in “Mortal Kombat 1.” Pack it up queen, because voice acting is not for you. This was by far the worst voice acting I have ever heard, which I knew was going to be rough. Especially with Mortal Kombat, where you have to act out getting hit and your knockouts; it’s a lot of vocal manipulation for what is going on to come across correctly. I don’t know if Megan was bored or if she just didn’t care, but her voice was monotonous, bland and the epitome of unseasoned chicken. It sucks; I wanted her to prove the haters wrong because when she was initially announced to be on it, I remember everyone clowning on her. This performance proved that you can’t just cast a celebrity in everything and expect it will be received well. I remember that not much was discussed about the game except everyone making fun of Megan Fox’s voice on it. I believe Megan could do it, I just think she needs to work hard on her emotion and have it come through.
Now our most recent celebrity voice actor that has entered the scene has been Zendaya as Shrek’s daughter in “Shrek 5.” The movie is supposed to come out in December 2026, but fans are already sharing their love for Zendaya coming into the scene. Most of the controversy over this film has been about the change of animation style and character designs, but I haven’t heard any real criticism or hate about Zendaya’s casting.
After I found these different examples, I found myself asking: What makes a good celebrity voice actor versus what makes a bad one? Well, I think it leads to these few things. First, is the character an original character or not? I believe if they are original, audiences are more likely to appeal to the switch due to them not having anything to compare to. Second, does the voice match the character? The voice needs to fit the character’s vibe; for example, Katy Perry as Smurfette fit extremely well with her bubbly and cheery personality that was shown with her vocal inflections. Finally, does this voice actor have a strong fanbase? People are willing to excuse anything if the actor/actress is beloved.
Overall, I think that public opinion about celebrity voice acting has taken a turn in the 21st century. I feel as though society has stronger expectations of celebrities and them recognizing their privilege. In the early 2000s, we had celebrities like Will Smith as Oscar in “Shark Tale,” Jack Black as Po in “Kung Fu Panda,” and so on. These celebrities fit their characters! It worked, but now I feel especially with the economy and the ‘eat the rich’ mindset, we have public opinion shifting. People feel like these hot-shot celebrities should stop taking away opportunities from other actors, especially since they can afford the loss of opportunity. Honestly, love them or hate them, movie companies are going to cast a big name rather than take a risk on someone who isn’t known. It sucks, but I hope that we can still acknowledge and respect the art that is voice acting.