Voicing a Young Character: Tips and Traps

Playing an age drastically different than yours can be a challenge, but can also be a fun and liberating opportunity. While there are certainly extensive cases of actors playing characters of different ages, the most consistently drastic shifts can be found in voice work, where it is not uncommon to play a character 20 or more years your junior or senior. Today, let’s focus on adults voicing characters that are children.

Media geared toward children is a different beast. It’s written, performed, designed and produced according to rules one doesn’t find in adult media. So how does one go about voicing a young character authentically?

Key Insights

Treat child characters with the same specificity, objectives, and emotional arcs you would apply to any adult role.

Avoid sing-song rhythms, exaggerated pitch, or clichés and instead focus on authenticity, placement, and sustainable vocal choices.

Energy and engagement matter more than speed or volume when capturing the spirit of a young character.

Get specific. There can be a tendency to let children characters be amorphous in their motivation, or to assume that most kids look at things the same way. But this is a disservice to both the actor and the story. Treat it like any other role. Score your script, choose your objectives and tactics with specificity and care, and let there be an arc in even the simplest scripts.

Many children’s shows or stories have repetitive elements, or even elements of rhyme. Falling into a sing-song intonation is an easy way to get trapped. There will be moments, of course, when you have to honor the rhyme and rhythm, but don’t let it flatten your performance. Even within repetition and rhyme, there is opportunity to build an arc, to make specific and motivated choices, to let your character make discoveries.

Find authenticity in pitch and timbre. The actual vocal choice can be difficult to nail. Unless it’s for specifically comedic purposes, you don’t want to overdo it. There is a temptation to automatically pitch your voice much higher, or give your character a childlike lisp. But this won’t be right for every character. Children are drawn to authenticity. You can lighten your tone without straining for a higher pitch. Playing around with the placement of your voice until you can find something both organic and sustainable is a worthwhile practice.

If you’re going to adopt one trope of children’s media, let it be energy. Taking this too far can lead to a performance that is frenetic and muddy, so don’t overcompensate. But you’ll want to infuse your voice with more brightness and vigor that is often found in adult characters. Think of it as active engagement, rather than speeding things up.

It’s easy to bring an adult’s cynicism with you to work. But while choosing a negative take on something in the script might be funny or realistic for adult-you, remember that you are modeling behavior and opinions for an impressionable audience who have yet to develop critical thinking skills. Therefore, being mindful of the message you are sending with your choices becomes a more sensitive matter.

Don’t make the easy choice. Many adults forget the nuances of childhood. Children are chronically underestimated, in capacity, intelligence and maturity. Don’t go for the first choice that just says “kid” to you. Try for curiosity instead of a wash of innocence. Maybe envy instead of a general pout. What happens if you fully subvert expectations?

Voicing characters in children’s media can be infinitely rewarding. The best thing you can do is buy in fully. Children can sense when they’re being patronized. Find the joy, and play and discover. Amplify the honesty at the core of your character’s emotional responses. The voice will follow the choices.

Key Takeaways

Authenticity resonates with young audiences, who can sense when a performance feels patronizing or forced.

Thoughtful vocal choices and emotional clarity help prevent performances from becoming flat or overly frenetic.

Subverting “easy” childlike tropes often leads to richer, more memorable voice performances in children’s media.