INTERVIEW: Steve Blum, the Vocal Muscle of Zeb—and others—in “Star Wars Rebels”

INTERVIEW: Steve Blum, the Vocal Muscle of Zeb—and others—in “Star Wars Rebels”

July 31st, 2018

W.R. Miller

Garazeb Orrelios. A name to be feared within the Galactic Empire. A walking engine of destruction, he loves smashing stormtroopers, the “bucket-heads.” He will do whatever it takes to avenge his people, the Lasats, whom the Empire has nearly exterminated. But as his story in Star Wars Rebels comes to a close, he finds that Imperial soldiers can reform, even be called … a friend.

Naturally, a muscular alien needs to have a muscular voice. “Zeb” is performed by actor Steve Blum, himself a legend, whose credits range from Char Aznable in Mobile Suit Gundam (1981-1982) to Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999, 2001) to Wolverine (2004-2014)—and twenty Star Wars video games! Now, after concluding four seasons on Star Wars Rebels, Steve reflects upon the series and his trade as a voiceover specialist.

Steve Blum: Hi! Thanks for having me.

Bob Miller: How did you get your role as Zeb Orrelios? Referral? Blind casting? General audition?

Steve: General audition as I recall. I believe it was a three-stage audition. First as a general via email through my agent, a callback the same way, and then a final callback at Disney. I had no idea it was Star Wars initially! Everything was carefully coded.

Bob: Are you shown the design of the character before the audition, then you conform your voice to the character? Or do you go by the description in the script?

Steve: I seem to remember it being a description only until the final callback. Still didn’t dawn on me what it was until I recorded the first Zeb short.

Bob: What other roles did you perform on Star Wars Rebels?

Steve: Probably dozens over the four seasons. Mostly troopers, Imperials, technicians, commanders, Alton Kastle (“voice of the Empire” propaganda guy), creatures, aliens, bystanders, droids… Even got to speak Aqualish, Huttese and Gonk!

Bob: Were you allowed any input on developing your character? If so, what input did you give?
Was improvisation encouraged? Examples?

Steve: Sure. The scripts were complete, and development of the character was carefully crafted by the story group, but they were certainly open to interpretation and nuance. I added a lot of efforts, reactions and quirks to help lift Zeb and others off the page – and probably way too many “Karabasts,” but I was careful to respect the writers. They put a lot of attention to detail in there, so I didn’t want to muck it up with unnecessary stuff.

Bob: Where do you record Star Wars Rebels? Are you flown to San Francisco to record at the Presidio?

Steve: I wish! We recorded in a studio in Los Angeles in an area actually called Studio City. I recorded the Zeb short from a home studio near Birmingham, England. I happened to be there for a Transformers convention at the time.

Bob: Were your sessions recorded individually or as an ensemble?

Steve: Usually as an ensemble. (Whenever possible, depending on everyone’s schedules)

Bob: Do you prefer individual recordings or ensemble sessions? Why or why not?

Steve: I LOVE recording as an ensemble – particularly when the chemistry between cast members is this strong. It definitely informs the performances when we can bounce stuff off of each other. We couldn’t always do it that way – and on the days we only had a little bit to do, it did go faster recording solo. Heh heh. I said “solo.”

We became the family you know after a while, so it was much more powerful and fun to record together. I miss seeing them every week. We do still stay in touch though, have dinner together when we can, and even play tabletop Star Wars games on Youtube! You can find the first episode at youtube.com.

Bob: Did you do ADR work on Rebels? If so, for which character and under what circumstances?

Steve: All the time. For most of my characters! It was usually due to script changes, animation changes or simply to enhance a character or scene. I personally enjoy ADR because of my years in anime.

Bob: What anecdotes can you share about your four-year involvement with Rebels?

Steve: It was a unique experience on so many levels. Dave Filoni and the team wanted us to understand the full scope of each situation we were about to experience. How it tied into the Star Wars universe and how it related to George Lucas’ initial vision. I have never felt so completely included in the process of making a show before. The nerd battles behind the glass for details were a thing to behold. Sometimes we’d all discuss something as simple as the pronunciation of a new fruit (like the Meloorun) for an hour, simply because it was being introduced into canon and we needed to have consensus. They considered the fans’ experience at every turn. That level of respect is amazing to me. And our incredible cast… It was amazing watching everyone work. So much talent in that room. Though I must admit, I did enjoy breaking tension in the tough scenes with a sonata of hand farts.

Bob: What were the biggest surprises you experienced during Rebels?

Steve: This is bit of a spoiler—so if you haven’t seen the final episode, skip this part. The biggest surprise for me was that Zeb and Kallus got the ending I requested (as a joke!) for years! Never saw that coming. Being a fan of interesting creatures, gotta say the Pergill were wonderful and unexpected. Especially the hyperspace capability. And the Bendu was fascinating. I had a feeling about Kanan, but it still hit me hard. It hit all of us hard.

Bob: In scenes with Chopper, do you interact with Dave Filoni doing the voice during sessions?

Steve: Sadly NO! Dave refused to do Chopper for any of us!

Bob: Are your sessions video-recorded so animators can reference your emotions and movements?

Steve: Yup. Can’t even imagine some of the shenanigans they captured.

Bob: What is done to match your spoken words with the acoustics of the environment where your character is located?

Steve: Other than our microphone technique in studio, I can’t really answer that question. That would best be answered by the post production masters at Lucasfilm.

Bob: Do you do warm up exercises prior to recording sessions? If so, exactly what do you do?

Steve: Yes. I do exaggerated vowel sounds, low note humming, stretching and enunciation exercises. And a lot of Karabasts. Can’t even control that part any more.

Bob: How do you protect your throat/voice if your character engages in long bouts of frustration or screaming during sessions?

Steve Blum

Steve: Compared to video game work, the outbursts of vocal stress in this show are very limited. It usually wasn’t a problem. But I have a regimen. Sleep/hydration/rest and Chinese herbal throat drops.

Bob: Do you find Zeb’s outbursts in the recording session as a cathartic release for frustrations in real life?

Steve: Absolutely! Everything about Zeb was fun and healing for me. He’s one of those characters I always looked forward to voicing. Not always the case.

Bob: What is the best thing you can do to please the director?

Steve: Listen and do what he (or she) asks. Care about the franchise as much as they do. Show up on time, be prepared, and be present in the room so we don’t miss anything. Our investment in the characters was appreciated and encouraged. If we felt we wanted to add something, they trusted us to try it. That collaborative environment made for a harmonious work environment.

Bob: What, if anything, have you learned “on the job” during your tenure on Rebels?

Steve: I gained a deeper, more profound respect for everyone on the other side of the glass. Dave and the Lucas team showed us every detail of what it actually takes to produce a show this good. I had never before been given access to so many people behind the scenes. From story group, writers, animators, editors, engineers, music department, lighting, fx, executives, assistants, interns, PR and everything in between, we were allowed to see how it all fits together. I knew that there were hundreds of people required to do this, but Lucas let us actually meet them in person—marvel at their artistry and thank them for their incredible creative contributions at every level.

Bob: With long-form storytelling in shows like Rebels, do you prefer to know in advance what happens to your character to dictate your performance in the early episodes? (Mark Hamill knew Luke would mature in later Star Wars episodes so in the first Star Wars movie, he portrayed Luke as whiny.)

Steve: I preferred not knowing. It felt like we were given the opportunity to live the lives of these characters in real time and to evolve with them. The emotions and reactions were absolutely genuine.

Bob: What anecdotes can you share about recording with the original trilogy actors: Billy Dee Williams? Mark Hamill? Warwick Davis? Anthony Daniels? Ian McDiarmid? Frank Oz? James Earl Jones? And with Doctor Who actor Tom Baker?

Season Four is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD

Steve: Sadly, we weren’t able to record with any of them in the same room due to their schedules and/or location. I have worked with Mark many times tho. He’s an absolute joy to work with and a consummate professional. I will admit that my geek flag flew high and proud when I heard my voice in scenes with those legends. Huge fan of all of them. I did get to meet Warwick at Star Wars weekends. What an amazing, hilarious, brilliant guy. And I was “Force Hugged” by Anthony at Celebration. Pretty cool.

Bob: Does Rebels have any “easter eggs” referencing your prior roles as Spike Spiegel, Toonami’s “TOM” or Jamie from Megas XLR?

Steve: There were a few nods via vocal nuance, but I didn’t intentionally change words as far as I can remember. In retrospect, I probably should have snuck more of that in. Just never felt appropriate and I have so much respect for the property, that unless it served the story, I felt it might have distracted from the scene. I definitely put some hidden stuff in my work on Rogue One and Solo tho. But that’s for another interview.

Bob: Do you receive any fan response to your character? If so, what is the general reaction?

Steve: A LOT! Tons of shipping—with Kallus and others. I’ve also had several people tell me that they hated Zeb at first, but he grew on them. To the point that he became their favorite character! And they love when he says “Karabast!” Kids especially seem to relate to Zeb. Fun older bro. With prehensile feet.

Bob: You are credited under “additional voices” in Rogue One. Which specific character or characters? Or was it part of being a “walla”?

Steve: I was part of the walla group. I played lots of troopers, creatures, Imperials, rebels, etc. Quite a few cut through—especially on the beach, but most blended into the soundscape. In Solo, among other things, I was the trooper who told Chewie to ‘kill him slower.’ Kind of a cool claim to fame in Star Wars history.

Bob: Are you voicing any characters in Star Wars Resistance and if so, who?

Steve: The Filoni chip in my neck is blinking. If I told you, I’d have to kill you. And then my head would explode.

Bob: What is the best advice for those who wish to become voice actors?

Steve: Go to my website — https://www.blumvoxstudios.com/ – Seriously. Please check it out. I recorded a free 45(ish) minute video/voice acting mini-master class to answer this question —with no obligation. (And if you’re interested, I offer inclusive, value-packed live webinar classes and tons of other cool stuff there too) My biggest pet peeve has been that people interested in this business are often taken advantage of. Taking classes can be insanely expensive and it’s impossible to give people the full set of tools they need without addressing the things that cause failure and heartbreak in this industry. I wanted to offer a solution, so after years of fans bugging me, I finally put together a ridiculously affordable entry vehicle in the form of a user friendly website, direct interaction with me and massive amounts of real world information – supported by a dedicated, caring professional team. I concentrate on building confidence, letting go of negativity and finding the pure joy in this work first, then giving them the tools they need to actually do it. I believe that everyone is born with a unique voice, and though not everyone is cut out to do this work professionally, there’s no reason not to try it if it makes you happy. It shouldn’t have to cost you a fortune. Creative expression is critical to our well-being and my way of giving back is to help others find theirs.

Bob: Thank you, Steve, for your time and for sharing your experiences.

Steve: It has been my honor and privilege. Thank you for caring about this wonderful show as much as we do. We put a lot of love into it and we’re all grateful that it’s found its audience.

Star Wars Rebels: The Complete Season Four, is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

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W.R. Miller

W.R. Miller - known informally as “Bob” – has written for Starlog, Comics Scene, Animation Magazine and Animation World Magazine. Bob has been involved in animation for two decades, as a writer, character animator, special effects animator, and storyboard artist - For more information about Bob, check his website: http://wrmilleronline.com/.

He has just completed Batman: The Animated Interviews, a five-volume work featuring the executives, producers, directors, writers, actors, designers, storyboard artists and composers involved with the making of Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs. BearManor Media is the publisher.