“Exactly as We Planned”: Roger Craig Smith on His Unlikely Voice Acting Career

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Voice actor Roger Craig Smith, known for bringing popular characters like Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, Batman, Sonic, Captain America, and many more to life, recently appeared on the Character Select podcast with Naomi Kyle from TopMob.

He discusses how he started his voice acting career, how his early experiences influence his work today, and shares his opinions on topics like revisiting old characters and the potential of virtual reality.

A non-linear career path

I’ve been joking with my friends lately about how things turned out for us. I point out where we are in life and everything that’s happened, and then I say, ‘It’s exactly how we planned, isn’t it?’ But honestly, nobody I know is where they expected to be.

I remember reading that Will Smith got the acting bug really young. He says his very first line – in a school play of Charlotte’s Web, of all things – set him on this whole path toward performing and comedy. Apparently, it got a huge laugh, and he still feels that rush of excitement when he thinks about it. It’s funny how one little moment can change everything, isn’t it?

He recalled enjoying the feeling of getting a reaction from others, even now. He believes this enjoyment of affecting people and making them laugh was likely the starting point for his career.

I’ve always known Michael Smith was a natural performer! Even in high school, he stayed really involved with theater. He was definitely the class clown – always making people laugh. But he didn’t just stick to school plays; he joined a fantastic youth theater group called MYART. I remember seeing him in everything from classics like Grease and The Sound of Music to The Wizard of Oz – he was amazing in all of them!

He realized he was naturally funny, and that’s what he truly enjoyed. After graduating high school and trying jobs like delivering pizza and making coffee, he decided a traditional workday wasn’t for him. That’s when he began pursuing stand-up comedy.

He decided to try stand-up comedy after seeing an open mic night and thinking he could do it himself, planning to write some material. While also finishing his screenwriting degree in college, his former high school theater teacher suggested he might enjoy doing voice acting.

I performed a private comedy show for her, and afterward, she asked if I wanted her to be kind or truthful. I told her I preferred honesty over niceness, Smith explained.

She challenged me, asking why I wasn’t using my unique voice and creating memorable characters. She said I was just doing things anyone could do, and reminded me that I used to be able to create characters like Robin Williams – suggesting I should go back to doing that.

After that, Smith began adding characters to his performances, which made him unique and really resonated with people. But he didn’t see himself doing comedy for the rest of his life.

He originally wanted to be a screenwriter and was close to achieving that goal, but everything changed after he did improv at the Aspen Comedy Festival.

So, the show finished, and we all went back onstage while one of the judges gave us feedback – right in front of everyone! When she got to me, she completely threw me off by asking who my voiceover agent was. I was so confused – I told her I didn’t have one. She said I do so many different characters and voices in my comedy routine that she just assumed I was a professional cartoon voice actor! It was a really unexpected comment.

From Stand-Up to Studio

The following day, Smith began exploring the world of voiceover acting. He enrolled in a class, collaborated with a former classmate to create a professional demo, and actively started auditioning for work.

I remember hustling around Orange County, California, trying to stand out. I’d dress up in a suit and personally drop off demo reels at different studios. It was a grind, but it worked! Out of about eleven places I visited, three actually called me back. That led to some work, and I even took a class offered by one of them, which helped me learn the ropes. It really felt like I was building my voiceover business from the ground up, figuring things out as I went.

Smith later enrolled in another class, and it happened that a representative from Abrams Artist Agency was observing. Impressed with his work, the representative asked to see his demos, and within a few weeks, Smith secured professional representation.

While it seems straightforward now, Smith actually worked incredibly hard to achieve his success. He developed his strong work ethic early on, spending countless hours selling avocados grown locally and helping out at a family friend’s produce business every summer.

His parents were both hard workers and taught him the value of being driven and dedicated to his career. However, life doesn’t always go as planned, and Smith didn’t immediately know what he wanted to do.

Turning 30 was a wake-up call for me. I realized I needed to start building something substantial with my entrepreneurial spirit. That year, I began taking steps to establish myself, including finding representation and getting things moving with my career.

His background in comedy, screenwriting, and theater all came together to shape his unique style as a voice actor.

You know, doing stand-up is surprisingly similar to being an athlete, at least according to Smith. He says every performance feels like a game – you prep beforehand, then afterward you really dissect what went well and what totally bombed, figuring out how to improve for the next show. But more than that, it taught him to let go of his ego and just keep pushing forward, no matter what.

You know, as someone who does a lot of voiceover work, I’ve learned they always want to see range. It’s all about showing them what else you can do, trying different approaches until you find what clicks. That’s really how I approach things. And honestly, studying screenwriting wasn’t just about learning the technical stuff – things like building a strong story arc, weaving in callbacks, and setting up payoffs – it helped me really understand characters. Beyond that, years of just plain hard work have always kept me moving forward.

Everything just fell into place unexpectedly. I found myself in the recording booth thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m being paid to do something I loved doing for free!’ I originally did it just to get people to listen, and now, here I am. I’m incredibly happy and feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, and that I’m good at what I do.”

Smith on bringing iconic characters to life, and stepping back into their roles years later.

For fifteen years, Smith has been the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. He’s also voiced popular characters like Ezio and Batman for over a decade. Taking on such well-known roles is challenging, but Smith says he always aims to honor the previous performers while adding his own unique touch to each character.

I’ve always said that Ezio’s success wasn’t just me – it took a huge team effort. People like Ida Darvish, Peter Arpesella, Amanda Wyatt, my director, and Patrice Désilets, along with our writer Corey May, all played a vital role. It was truly a collaborative project.

That’s typical for movies, video games, and TV shows, Smith explained. Bringing these stories and characters to life requires a team effort, and everyone involved – including voice actors like himself – contributes to the final product.

I always remember that Darvish was my dialect coach on season two, and she had to leave during the filming of ‘Brotherhood’ because of a new job. She was incredibly helpful in developing what we called the ‘Italia-spanglinish’ accent, and also in teaching me Italian lines I hadn’t practiced before. She was essential to that process, so I can’t claim all the credit myself, he explained.

Smith received help from a team while developing the character of Ezio. The finished result was a group effort involving Wyatt and others. According to Smith, Wyatt provided valuable feedback, guiding him on what to emphasize or tone down during the process.

Wyatt played a key role in developing what Smith considers the most important scene in Arkham Origins. The powerful exchange between Alfred and Batman, where Alfred voices his concerns about Bruce taking on too much, wouldn’t have been as impactful without Wyatt’s contributions.

Smith explained that Wyatt was instrumental in helping him deliver a performance they were both satisfied with, saying they both agreed it was good.

Even after playing these characters for years, he still feels anxious revisiting them. He admits he worries about details like the accent, but thankfully, his colleagues help him stay focused.

He added that it’s amazing to still be voicing the same character after more than ten years, calling it a fortunate situation in the entertainment industry.

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2026-01-29 03:08