Celebrity Impressions for NPCs

[gamerprinter]

And as I stated in my first post in this thread, I generally do weird voices only. I don't think I've ever used the voice of Shatner, Bush, Connery, nor really any specific real life person. When I think Scotsman, Sean Connery isn't the first idea that comes to mind and probably not the second.

 

[Morrus]

When I think Scotsman, Sean Connery isn't the first idea that comes to mind and probably not the second.

Well, Connery is more distinctively Connery than he is distinctively Scottish.

 

[am181d]

Well, Connery is more distinctively Connery than he is distinctively Scottish.

It's my contention that Connery has a pronounced lisp that folks don't pick up on because of his accent.

 

[Morrus]

It's my contention that Connery has a pronounced lisp that folks don't pick up on because of his accent.

You think nobody has noticed *the* most distinctive thing about Sean Connery's voice?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I can't intentionally hold an accent. If I start out with a variety of a British accent, I might end up passing through Australia and pirate-land within the next 15 seconds. So I definitely don't aim for specific celebs. My NPCs tend to get their own voice spontaneously, and then I stick with it.

 

[Greg K]

Also, I feel obligated to reference THAT episode of Big Bang Theory.

That episode was a source of minor contention between my brother and I when it aired. My brother said that, if DMs ran a game like Wolowitz's using celebrity imitations, he would, most likely, still be playing rpgs. My response was that, if a DM ran like Wolowitz, I would walk out of the game.

 

[Herobizkit]

I've used a faux Connery/Deckard Cain for one of the "father figure" NPCs for a d20 Modern group I ran. He was secretly the whole reason for the players' being, and I often hinted that he knew "everything" - a fact that drove one of my players crazy when he would fish for hints.

"I _could_ tell you, but if you can't learn on your own, you'll never survive what's to come."

In the 4e game I'm currently playing, the DM has busted out Futurama/Simpson voices and, for my Summon Planar Ally, he's opted for Joe Pesci, who "doesn't appreciate being pulled away from his mother's cooking for a bum like me."

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

In my review of I6 Ravenloft the "Christopher Walken as Strahd" was performed by Leeman Kessler, of Ask Lovecraft, whose impression of Walken is much better than mine. I can do a passable Julia Child, which worked best when she was still alive and the people at the table recognized the voice when I used it to talk about poisoning people. When I did Acererak for my review show, he was an impression of Peter Lorre, but some people thought he was supposed to sound like Ren (of Ren and Stempy) who was also supposed to sound like Peter Lorre. My Jack Nicholson is recognizable, but I am not certain where to use that impression.

 

[MrWildman]

I wouldn't deliberately attempt to imitate any celebrities, but the act of portraying the NPCs would often remind somebody of one.

For instance, I once had a paternal Paladin {oooh, alliteration!} NPC that would appear to offer guidance and plot points. I played him as somewhat elderly, with a gentle disarming wit. A player pointed out that he sounded like Captain Picard, and that became his defining characteristic.

Another time a player decided to play his Elf Swashbuckler like Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday from "Tombstone"; all laid-back and slightly inebriated. He ended up affecting a soft Southern accent, and the group spontaneously adopted that as "the way our Elves sound". It was pretty cool, sometimes our session would end up sounding like a Tennessee Williams play!

Ah, good times . . .

 

[Halivar]

All of Hommlett was terrible Irish, all of Nub was terrible Cockney, and all of the demihumans of the ToEE were Chunk from "Goonies."

I was asked to stop doing accents.