Futurama's Billy West Breaks Down His Most Famous Character Voices | Vanity Fair

[@streetsampras]

I just realized Fry's voice is essentially grown up Doug and it's blowing my mind

[@davidsiler5505]

Wasn't there a career episode where Doug was going to be a delivery boy?

[@thebatonmaster]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@LadyEowyn]

I can't unhear that now.

[@davidsiler5505]

@@LadyEowyn good.

[@eruiluvatar5701]

He did that on purpose so that his voice could not be replaced. Regular speaking voices are much harder to replicate than a typical cartoony voice. He's a great voice actor, so nobody in their right mind would replace him, but he still did it just in case.

[@Tech-Sam]

It’s a shame this was done over Zoom. This man deserves a professional camera and sound crew.

[@Brucebod]

I know! I thought that was weird, too. How does he not have the best microphone in the world? He is awesome!

[@captaintrash3195]

Pandemic.

[@MrKramer13]

The new norm

[@nickpatrick7021]

Futurama's voice cast is unbelievably stacked. Might be the best ever

[@fathersfilk]

I agree except for Katey Sagal. Her voice always sounded overacted and out of place to me.

[@rso823]

@@fathersfilk No way, I'd say Leela was always meant to sound a little out of place considering she never had a childhood

[@ISBuckley8]

@@fathersfilkTo be fair, Katey is the only one of the main cast who's not a professional voice actor so I can imagine it was harder for her

[@fathersfilk]

@@ISBuckley8 Yeah I agree. It wasn't terrible or anything, it just always stood out to me as a little off and for whatever reason it was hard to ignore. A lot of other amazing voice actors to contend with as well

[@jbwarner8626]

Futurama is like a Who's Who of the greatest voice acting talent of our time. Billy West, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, Maurice LaMarche, Tom Kenny, Tress MacNeille, David Herman, you can't ask for better than this 😁

[@bondfool]

The voice cast of Futurama is made up of the best voice actors in the world.

[@pianoif]

The voice cast of Futurama is made up of mostly Billy West

[@iboughtmeth1384]

They are all very talented

[@juliandavidhoffer2022]

It’s by far got my favorite dialogue of any show.

[@stonemedia8901]

Truly! Billy West, Phil Lamarr, John DiMaggio and the other actors' names I don't remember!

[@toodumbcommercials]

Agreed!

[@SuperRedmenace]

I'm amazed by his humility. This dude is a very well accomplished voice actor and he looks back on his career with only admiration for those that inspired him.

[@SwtTeaLdy]

To me, his natural voice is what I imagine Marty McFly would sound like at that age.

[@radicallybean]

I mean, you could literally just look up what Michael J. Fox sounds like right now but okay.

[@SwtTeaLdy]

@@radicallybean LOL... Did u just, "Heeellloooo! McFly!" me? 🤣😂🤣

[@ARC117Studios]

@@radicallybean Michael J Fox doesn't even remotely sound the same. He has Parkinsons now, you moron. His voice is still his own, but not consistent.

[@LadyEowyn]

I hear it. And yeah, unfortunately, Michael J. Fox voice is no longer the same.

[@CiroGalli]

I was thinking about that before reading this. Fry's voice has a lot of Marty McFly.

[@heimdal8]

I read somewhere that Billy based Fry’s voice on himself so that it would be hard to replace him (since it’s very hard to replace a more natural sounding voice compared to a more over-the-top voice). That’s pretty smart!

[@haywoodjblome4768]

@@moviedetective303 I watched that video. The impression is decent but it isn't that similar, most people would easily tell the difference

[@walkingexistentaldread3079]

i’ve heard it’s the same reason you can’t replace Joe DiMaggio on Adventure Time. Jake The Dog is just his natural voice and most impressions online aren’t that accurate.

[@metalben005]

Billy west... what stupid, phony, made up name!

[@rainesages]

DiMaggio said in an interview "Jake the Dog is basically my voice, but with a hug around it, the way you'd talk all kindly to a little kid." Which really is the feeling you get hearing Jake

[@MarilynMonday]

​@@walkingexistentaldread3079*John Would be pretty hard to cast Joltin' Joe these days lol

[@mnamous9823]

It must be a strange feeling to know that *so many* are *huge* fans of yours but actually have no idea who you are, what your name is, or what you look like.

[@King_Jab]

Low key might be the best type of fame because you don't have people in your business every 5 minutes

[@bohemiia]

I didn't know was Billy West looked like until today.

[@JC-ln6on]

Reads like paradise to me.

[@blackguyofthesouth2161]

I knew all those things

[@losgryfog]

must feel like spider-man

[@michaelford3444]

I suddenly feel in the mood to watch Futurama.

[@Victoria-lq6gw]

I’m always in the mood to watch that show. It’s an absolute gift.

[@miguelelgueta5830]

Its such a good and timeless show, people will be watching Fururama in 2100 and still will be funny and clever

[@supafun33]

“Now Zoidberg is the popular one!”

[@Eblis840]

"wubeubwubub" 🐙🐙🐙

[@chriskeiser5809]

You still have Zoidberg. YOU ALL STILL HAVE ZOIDBERG!

[@davidsiler5505]

And your millisecond of fame is over.

[@davidsiler5505]

@@chriskeiser5809 are you Rasputin reincarnated?

[@LWT1331]

Who's intimidating who now, big city?

[@3_1_3rd_gaming]

Billy's definition of a true voice actor. It's not even fair that hollywood celebs get the title of a "voice actor", who basically plays themselves in movies. The way Billy broke down each character in Futurama so they'd all sound different in their own unique was was pretty deep too.

[@RoyCampbell61]

Billy West is my all time favorite voice actor. Modern day Mel Blanc.

[@officialanneboonchuy180]

Best for Woody and Bugs ever, when hearing Eric Bauza my ears would cringe a bleeding

[@2CrowStudios]

Him and Steve Blum are my top 2 for sure.

[@dupersuper6516]

They say that about Tom Kenny

[@ZehoOriginality]

Billy West came the closest to Mel Blanc's voice. He's like 98% there.

[@gianinabadami5341]

That and his ability to do two to three voices in one show

[@KevinTkt14]

@@gianinabadami5341 he does more than 3 on Futurama, he does at least 4 main characters and over 30 or 40 side characters

[@DavidTretheweydtreth]

@@KevinTkt14 my favorite is the credits for one of the movies. They showed all the faces he voiced and it practically filled the screen

[@sgt.pepper4362]

Google global truth project and read "The Present" to see the truth about life/death in four pages

[@normang3668]

@@sgt.pepper4362 No.

[@hardhatrayify]

He just sounds like fry naturally lol he did say he did use his own voice but out of character i still hear it lol

[@sunheat7012]

I met him at awesome con I thought I was talking to fry

[@averyweissman4093]

He used his voice but raised it to sound like he did in his younger days. That way the voice was hard to copy. I forgot exactly where I heard that though.

[@NerdMiGerd]

@@averyweissman4093 Sounds about right. Might explain why, at least to me, I feel like his voice for Fry wasn't as good in the later seasons. You could tell that by the time they revived the show again, Billy had gotten quite a bit older, and may have struggled a bit to sound like his younger self again.

[@rwdplz1]

"If William Shatner ran the Enterprise, and not Captain Kirk" I can't stop laughing

[@titaniusanglesmith2747]

12:29

[@TheSUPERPOTATO2000]

@@sgt.pepper4362 No

[@RazorFox]

You can really tell he likes doing Fry, there is so much love in that performance.

[@GrellSutcliffe_Mrs.Undertaker]

I met Billy at Ichibancon 2020 and I told him my favorite Futurama character was Zoidberg. He did the voice for me and I was ecstatic!

[@ISBuckley8]

Billy West's range on Futurama is nothing short of awesome. A lot of voice actors have a lot of range, but they may have a distinct voice that makes it easy to tell if it's them. For example, John DiMaggio is a fantastic voice actor, but his voice is so memorable that it's easy to pick out if he's behind the voice. Fry, Farnsworth, Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan all sound SUPER different, like they're not even the same person. I honestly wish that Billy West was more well-known since he always does so well!

[@glowinthedarktvwizard]

Billy West never fails to make me smile until my cheeks hurt. He contributed so much to my childhood, and he’s honestly one of my heroes. I also love that he has all the figurines of his characters, it’s so sweet.

[@0okamino]

I've found something even better for that than Billy West. It's Billy West and John DiMaggio together. On their own, each is great, but you put those two together and let them go, it's absolute pure gold.

[@finnjameson7844]

"If I stay in the part of the pool where people pee, shame on me" lol never hear that one before

[@44BlueFoxes]

It's a good one too :)

[@SlantedLand]

Futurama is the best animated show in the history of television.

[@THEBIGGESTSCUMBAG]

EASILY

[@Micolashcage1]

agreed. subtly amazing humor

[@zippo718]

No question. Also one of the few animated shows to make me shed a tear on multiple occasions. Man that show was something special.

[@mrrandomcuber]

Maybe Avatar The Last Airbender may be in that debate but Futurama is definitely a strong contender imo

[@boudicacelticwarrior1481]

Totally agree

[@FreihEitner]

Between Billy West and Tress McNeil about 70% of the Futurama cast is covered (then Maruice LaMarche covers another 15%), and every character feels unique. Incredible talents.

[@brynkasson8100]

I'm surprised Billy didn't mention that Zapp was originally supposed to be voiced by Phil Heartman before he was killed and Zapp's voice is basically just an impression of Phil.

[@sexagesimalian]

Yeah, that was a big disappointment in this interview.

[@whyit6158]

Hes said it in about 500 other interviews tho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@DanielAngel]

He's mentioned that in other interviews, I believe he said they were actually pretty close.

[@spencer2745]

Also Fry's first name Philip is a tribute to Phil Hartman

[@justin-vm3lq]

they might have just cut it out

[@Dave-sk9mn]

the man is a humble person, very decent and an amazing actor

[@somerandolad]

And pretty funny.

[@OddOneOut665]

This guy did Woody AND Bugs around the same period of time? Woooow. Hollywood really doesn't give VAs enough credit where it's due...

[@dest151]

You basically did every cartoon character voice I grew up loving as a kid and as an adult. Thank you

[@HypnoSwag]

He was also the Honey Nut Cheerios bee.

[@dannythomas417]

And Maurice is the Froot Loops bird.

[@Ukie26]

As someone who ADORED/ADORES Futurama, I’m so glad I finally got to see the man behind my favorite characters 💙

[@culturedivined]

futurama is still my favourite animated show ever, really miss it! Billy West you are a true legend my friend! 👍

[@eternalcoolrobby]

I find it incredibly hilarious that Billy West says that he can't come close to Mel Blanc because for the longest time I've though of him as our generation's Mel Blanc

[@andrewkupres4314]

Never realized he voiced SO many characters. Billy West. One of the best. Awesome video.

[@TrentJordan3198]

Billy West's first reaction to seeing Professor Farnsworth and saying he looks airplane food like a deceased piece of chicken made me laugh so hard.

[@SirKenchalot]

"Shut up and take my money!" Thanks Billy West for the laughs, especially Fry.

[@IceKoldKilla]

He definitely sounds like an older Fry. I love his voices. Never knew who he was until now. He's been a huge part of my childhood and I didn't know until now. I literally watched all of the shows and movies they showed here many times. Classics! I had even forgotten the name of the first show you talked about. Gonna look it up to rewatch. It's been maybe 20 years. The Ren & Stimpy Show. 😁

[@jimmy2shoes305]

Billy west is my absolute hero. I’ve no intention to get into voice acting, but his enthusiasm is matched only by his shining talent. I would love an hour in his company. Watching this is cereal-spitting funny. Every little thing he says cracks me up.

[@ShadowKaiserin]

That porkchop bark is the most realistic small dog bark I have ever heard and I can't believe it came out of a human being.

[@emiliaburgos5404]

He did such an amazing job in Futurama, especially with Fansworth and Zoidberg 💛 also love Branigans voice

[@jfishxx]

Billy West has been one of my favourite voice actors for so long. I've always been fascinated by the people behind the voices; and I love watching something animated and being able to recognize the voice actor. Billy is so sweet and funny, a legend in his own right as well.

[@stephlrideout]

Never noticed how similar Doug and Stimpy and Fry's voices are!

[@44BlueFoxes]

The red M & M is also very close to Fry.

[@basedbattledroid3507]

Also never realized that he did the voices for Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in space jam

[@stephlrideout]

@@basedbattledroid3507 I know, that was quite a surprise!

[@lukeyjud102]

The microphone may have to do with it

[@stephlrideout]

@@lukeyjud102 I'd say it's more the fact that it's coming out of the same person than the mic

[@0292-q3l]

Cant believe i never gave Futurama a chance years ago, started watching it around 2 months ago whilst looking for an adult type cartoon to watch, gave it a chance and im so hooked that all 11 series on Disney+ were watched in 2 months, now im waiting every monday for a new episode lol.

[@chelsey90]

Always loved Billy west from Doug to Futurama, even the red M&M.

[@Uncle_Smidge]

My mom worked in radio and, yeah, his description is sadly pretty apt. I am really glad he spoke about Doug, though. I adored Doug as a kid. It was nice to see a boy that was more soft spoken and thoughtful.

[@ghosthealthgames]

YES FUTURAMA IS OUTSTANDING.

[@danwelsh6706]

Some of the best comedy writing to grace the small screen that's a fact. It's got Math, History, politics and tech woven perfectly together

[@PotatoPenguinn]

Better than the simpsons

[@Roopaloooop]

Billy, I have loved you for years, and I always will. Thank you for all that you have done and will do. I find it to be a sense of pride to be able to pick your voice out in shows because you have such range. You'll always be my favorite.

[@deadbrain6801]

This dude is hands down my favorite voice actor

[@dannythomas417]

Mine is David Herman. And of course, Tress MacNeille for the women.

[@macbarrpup2451]

@deadbrain - He's mine too.

[@Vim-Wolf]

I went to my very first comic con specifically to meet Billy, he’s such a lovely guy. It got to the end of the day and he was sat there with a group of fans around him just doing voices.

[@fahimfaysal1925]

13:21 you know he really based Fry on himself when he mistakenly says his own name instead of Fry explaining the whole high school bully situation.

[@Killeemegee]

Philip J Fry sounds like Michael J Fox! I'm time travelling back to my childhood watching this now

[@juliafelippin9818]

Fry's voice sounds so young. it's incredible that he did Fry's, The Professor's and Dr. Zoidberg's voices

[@rong9tagger]

"if we can hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... Check mate!"

[@h0lly_blue]

I'd love to see Dee Bradley Baker, Mark Hamill, Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, Fred Tatasciore and many other voice actors get one of these character breakdowns, because I'm really enjoying where these are going

[@TheCaptinAwesomo]

So this guy was thinking he was gonna get nothing at the Futurama audition and he comes in and bags 4 different characters, including the main character.. And he just glosses over that?

[@canaisyoung3601]

It's more than four, if you count the one-shot characters, like that ball of energy with the extremely high voice (which West can naturally do. It wasn't pitched up on the track or digitally altered in any way).

[@DoctorProph3t]

“No mortal can replicate Mel Blanc...” He says it so matter-of-factly lol.

[@dstinnettmusic]

It’s true. Bugs Bunny sounds weird if you know the difference, and I grew up with a Billy West bugs bunny.

[@tgbluewolf]

@Chon Connor Have you heard Mel's son's version?

[@DylanCataldo]

I had the pleasure of meeting him at comic con and he was one of the nicest guys ever! All the voice over artists I met that year were so nice!

[@crackwitz]

a true master of the craft. it just blows my mind. many "voice actors" just lend their own voices to characters. he however actually has the skill to MAKE voices.

[@Durwood71]

That voice actors can do so many voices and do them consistently never ceases to amaze me. I saw an interview with Mel Blanc once saying he had around 400 "stock" voices that he could perform on demand. Even more amazing that they voice multiple characters in the same scene, and you can't tell it's the same actor.

[@DA-nk6gx]

I could listen to West for hours. One of the best out there.

[@alexmathewmendoza]

I always thought Billy's performance as Shaggy was underrated, but I think it flies under the radar because it was so brief.

[@KingGrio]

I wish this dude was still voicing Fry and Professor Farnsworth

[@dannythomas417]

Also Zoidberg!

[@joedivision7148]

Well it's coming back!

[@yukimaruzam]

Billy West studied, practiced, he understands so much about voice acting and his knowledge and skills show in everything he does. When I think of voice actors, I always consider Billy West as one of the greatest. Much appreciation for what he does so well, and congrats on another merry go round of Futurama!

[@dannyganelin9777]

I didn't know Billy was Bugs for Space Jam! He did great!

[@TheSlipperyNUwUdle]

I consider myself a big fan of the scooby doo franchise and voice actors in general, but my mind is blown that I couldn’t tell the difference between his voice and the original! The movie he’s in is my favorite scooby movie too.

[@johnnytee911]

He said Fry is his favorite. Come ooon. Billy. Make some calls. Bring him back

[@danwelsh6706]

He is starting to appear regularly on Disenchantment on netflix as well as Tress McNeal and he will be featured more in part 3 airing on the 20 September so get excited 🙉

[@lazlow9640]

@@danwelsh6706 GIVE US MCNEAL!

[@lovebirdharmonies]

Seriously though, how do we get them to bring it back, they all said they would do the show again if they ever got picked up by a network 🤔 what do we gotta do??

[@EPICbaconSTRIPS12]

@@lovebirdharmonies leave it be so it doesn't get ruined

[@iamatn3317]

Did not know he voiced Bugs lol SideNote: please bring back Futurama 😂

[@PotatoPenguinn]

Futurama doesn’t need season 11 it needs a 5th movie

[@domyboji]

He's brilliant! And as someone who recently turned 25, I appreciate this video more than I would have realised. He's part of what made Futurama so iconic.

[@christhos.ryther3386]

One of the best told artist's journeys. Thank you.

[@TheGamingZone-]

you might as well call Futurama the billy west show hes most the voices of the main characters arguing with himself lol

[@danwelsh6706]

Billy West has been a daily staple in my life for over 20 years and i thank him dearly for that.

[@megacrashthehedgehog5377]

Billy West is one of my favorite voice actors. He's so dedicated to his job, and I love hearing him talk about voice over.

[@maouprier]

TIL Ryan Stiles auditioned to be in Futurama. O_o (I'm a crazy Whose Line fan so this is big for me!!)

[@danielleking262]

What part did he audition for?? Fry ???

[@nthgth]

I'm thinking Bender

[@Marciestclair]

I respect this guy so much. Because he knows what he’s doing and he does it really well!

[@The_one_115]

One of my dreams is for the creators of Futurama to make new episodes and seasons.. and still hoping! Its one of my favorite cartoons its showed me a lot of joy and laughter through years even now. 👐🏿🙏🏿

[@grayonthewater]

Woah JK Simmons is the yellow m&m?!? Lol

[@stephenpastena8583]

That blew my mind. I had no idea.

[@davincent98]

It's true. NOW GIVE ME PICTURES OF SPIDERMAN!

[@buffalojoe78]

Yep. He got the job back when he was just starting to gain notoriety and just decided to stick with it.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

@@buffalojoe78 He's one of those actors that really can and will just do whatever he likes and people lap it up.

[@gbee23]

Just had the privilege of meeting Billy West at Tampa Bay Comic Con. He is such an amazing, talented, charismatic, and absolutely gem of a human being! ❤

[@woebegone_kenobi]

Fry will always sound exactly like how I hear Marty Mcfly in my head.

[@CiroGalli]

Totally.

[@nthgth]

100%

[@gohstprncss]

billy west's voice just makes me smile, he's brought so many awesome characters to life

[@dumbguy1]

His Zapp Brannigan honestly always reminded me of Phil Hartman

[@LudaChez]

It is an impression of Phil. Hartman was cast as Zapp but his tragic death happened. It's sort of a dedication to him

[@kenny995]

Futurama is one of my favorite shows with some of the best voice actors. Billy West really did amazing! I didn't know he was Doug either, it was a favorite show of mine as a kid.

[@legaiaflame]

True story: I met Billy West at a Comic-Con and got his autograph on my Final Fantasy 10 game thinking he was the voice of Tidus, mistaking him for James Arnold Taylor....

[@cristiansaucedo4707]

Lol do you at least like Futurama or any cartoon he did a voice in?

[@danielleking262]

lol omg

[@MultiFirelover]

Bruh omg. This makes me sad

[@metalgear696]

The good news is you got ffx signed by Billy west lol. It's something.

[@GazB85]

😂

[@cnett486]

His bugs is great, but his Elmer is utterly fantastic

[@alphabettical1]

He describes Tom Kenny, Sir Spongebob Squarepants himself, as 'the funniest thing in pants.' 14:02

[@RockismyAir]

He isnt wrong.

[@davincent98]

I keep getting them mixed up by face.

[@MyNameIsBucket]

You need to watch Mr. Show to fully appreciate Tom Kenny's comedic genius.

[@residentialbookworm1625]

Tom Kenny is just one of those people that exude sunlight and brilliance

[@MO-mt2ip]

Instead of the typical profanity he comes up with these brilliant descriptions.

[@d.thebeloved]

I'm not gonna lie when i first saw space jam i had a had a hard time getting used to him as Bugs or Dee Bradley Baker as Daffy since i am so attached to these characters and Mel Blanc, But i respect the fact that they tried their hardest to not only honor the characters bye studying and paying tribute to Mel Blanc's performance, but also adding thier own flare to it as to not have to characters become stale. If anybody had to be cast to carry on the legacy of these characters that i'm glad it was them, they have my absolute respect. btw can you guys get Tony Anselmo the voice of Donald Duck on one of these videos, i would love that!

[@parkjin961]

I've been waiting for this interview!!!! It's about time!

[@TRJ2241987]

I got to meet and talk with Billy a few years ago at a convention and got a picture and autograph....what a nice, nice, nice man he was.....man I really miss autograph shows

[@diegoandres3643]

You can tell her really loves his characters. Especially his Futurama characters!

[@michellehetzel8558]

The first movie I ever bought with my own money as a kid was space jam and yes it was on vhs there were no DVDs back then! So awesome to find out he voiced so many characters I love. Futurama is one of my all time favorites!

[@quaaludes7898]

Zapp Brannigan has to be one of my favourite characters

[@mazyoda_]

Billy West, your super power is making people laugh and smile using just your voice! Love you man!

[@randyj420]

Wonderful insight to his voices. The best voice talent since Mel Blanc - hands down. Futurama was so great - timeless. Never get tired of seeing an episode. Top shelf.

[@tomgerryinphilippines8817]

Knew Billy as a kid and he was a great guitarist as well with his best friend timmy Regan. Was always doing voices. Started out in radio in Boston on wbcn.

[@kaliturner1914]

This man is so under-appreciated!! Such a raw, natural talent.

[@aussieglen1]

Wow. Did NOT know that was the same guy doing R&S and Futurama... what a legend!

[@MrSeekerOfPeace]

*"If I stay in the part of the Pool where people Pee, shame on me"* Billy West on Talk Radio.

[@JeffIndigo]

An amazing voice actor! I was surprised to learn he voiced Rayman in the TV series!

[@blakewalker94]

This man's voice acting is absolutely amazing! It's astonishing to see his talent.

[@bw6138]

Thank you for being a part of my childhood. I miss the 90's so much!

[@ButterInMyMouth]

Thanks for all your contributions to my childhood! Definitely inspiring.

[@the2ndbestNameever]

Billy West: National Treasure

[@Lultschful]

"He was Shatner if Shatner ran the Enterprise, not Kirk." I love that. So accurate, hahaha

[@WEAKNESSBand]

I love Billy so much, it's crazy how many iconic characters he's voiced not to mention he seems like sweetest and most genuine kinda guy