While there are a lot of things that contribute to a great performance of an actor, it feels like people tend to overlook how much can be done with just a voice. Animated movies have been a great platform to show the talents of vocal performances that help bring these stories to life, but what about those actors who use just their voice in a live-action movie?
When the audience is able to see live-action performers in a movie, it makes it all the more impressive when a voice-only performance really stands out. When looking specifically at voice-only performances, that doesn't include motion-capture performances nor performances by puppeteers. These actors managed to deliver powerful and memorable performances while being completely off-screen.
10 Paul Bettany - Iron Man (2008)
Credit is usually rightly given to Robert Downey Jr. for being the MCU's first hero in Iron Man, but that movie also introduced another Marvel hero. J.A.R.V.I.S. was introduced as the artificial intelligence program that ran much of Tony Stark's life.
Paul Bettany's dry and sarcastic performance allowed for great banter between Tony and J.A.R.V.I.S., which gave the latter much more personality. He was seen as one of Tony's strongest allies and Bettany's performance made the transition from J.A.R.V.I.S. to Vision feel surprisingly natural.
9 Levi Stubbs - Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
The horror-comedy-musical Little Shop of Horrors is a delightful and fun gem worth seeking out. It follows a timid shopkeeper who discovers an alien plant that grows with incredible speed, and things get complicated when the plant starts talking and demands to be fed humans.
Levi Stubbs, the lead vocalist for the Four Tops, is unsurprisingly terrific when the plant, Audrey II, sings. However, he also brings a lot of humor and attitude to the killer flower. His iconic delivery of the line "Feed me Seymour" is hilarious, scary, and a little sympathetic.
8 Christine Cavanaugh - Babe (1995)
It's still a little strange to think George Miller, the man behind the Mad Max franchise, is also responsible for writing the talking pig movie Babe. As unlikely as it seems, Babe is a charming, funny, and wildly crowd-pleasing family movie with an adorable titular character.
Christine Cavanaugh's performance as the innocent little pig makes the audience immediately fall in love with him. She infuses the role with a sense of child-like wonder, hilarious goofiness, and prideful determination that makes this underdog story work so well.
7 James Gandolfini - Where The Wild Things Are (2009)
Speaking of filmmakers who feel like strange choices for family-friendly movies, Spike Jonze adapted the beloved children's book Where the Wild Things Are into a weighty drama. The movie follows a young boy who runs away from home and ends up on an island where the strange creatures make him their king.
Though the movie isn't for everyone, the creature designs are great, with Carol as the central figure. James Gandolfini makes for a wonderful choice for the role, bringing warmth and humor to the part that proves yet again, he was so much more than just Tony Soprano.
6 Peter Cullen - Transformers (2007)
Despite the steady decline of Michael Bay's Transformer movies, there are still many who regard the first movie as a fun summer blockbuster. While Bay certainly indulges some of his worst tendencies as a filmmaker, Peter Cullen's performance as Optimus Prime provides some much-needed heart.
Bringing back Cullen, who voices the role in the animated series, was a brilliant move. He knows how to play this role to perfection, bringing a heroic leadership quality to the role and allowing audiences to connect with this massive CGI creation.
5 Charles Fleischer - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Not only is Who Framed Roger Rabbit a groundbreaking achievement in blending live-action and animation, but it is also just a very good movie. And just as much as Bob Hoskins's performance as the human private eye was key to its success, the animated character of Roger Rabbit was equally essential.
Charles Fleischer had a difficult job bringing Roger Rabbit to life. his wild cartoon energy could have come off as too much when played against the human characters. But Fleischer doesn't pull back, making Roger a panicky, anxiety-riddled creation that can still be a silly cartoon.
4 Bradley Cooper – Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
It's interesting that one of the best performances in the MCU is from an actor who has yet to appear on screen. Rocket is one of the more complex heroes who goes through an incredible and emotional arc throughout the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies while also providing a great supporting role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Given Cooper's star power, it seems strange to cast him as a tough-talking raccoon, but he is amazing in the role. He is hilarious with Rocket's quips and rage-filled tirades, but also communicates how tragic of a character he really is.
3 Scarlett Johansson - Her (2013)
Spike Jonze manages to get a second film on the list with the futuristic romance movie, Her. Joaquin Phoenix plays a lonely man who falls in love with an operating system that is designed to meet his every need.
Scarlett Johansson's sweet and charming voice works perfectly as the voice of an eager to please A.I. But the role requires a whole lot more of her, and the relationship grows and she has to communicate falling in love, insecurities about herself, and self-discovery all with just her voice. In the end, it manages to be one of her best performances.
2 James Earl Jones - Star Wars (1977)
Darth Vader is probably the most iconic movie villain of all time and despite the cool design and ground-breaking movie he is featured in, it's likely he would never have been so popular were it not for the vocal performance from James Earl Jones.
Though David Prowse played Vader on set, it was decided his voice was not right for the character. Jones came in with his deep and commanding voice, giving Vader a terrifying quality that helped make him into the larger-than-life figure.
1 Douglas Rain - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
It is difficult enough to give an effective performance with just a voice, but it must be even more difficult when that voice is meant to be emotionless to begin with. That was the challenge Douglas Rain faced when voicing HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Rain was needed to deliver a performance that communicated the vast intelligence of HAL as well as the terrifying implications of what he is capable of. Rain's monotone delivery might seem easy, but to achieve so much by doing so little is a true talent.
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