Finding his voice
McBrayer returns for Wreck-It sequel
Jack McBrayer has a self-deprecating theory about why he has found so much work lately as a voice actor.
“I guess people have decided ‘We’re done with that face,’” says the comedian in his trademark Georgian drawl, pointing a finger into his equally recognizable mug. “But I’m able to do quite a bit of voice work, which I really, really love. It doesn’t take up any time, it’s an easy job and I love it so much. Plus they are not really asking me to do characters because what you see is what you get. Or what you hear is what you get. I’m what they call a one-trick pony.”
McBrayer is being modest. He’s not a one-trick pony, although it is unlikely he will ever be completely free of his most famous, live-action role. He played Kenneth Parcell, or Kenneth the Page, for seven seasons on NBC’s 30 Rock. Perpetually cheery, hopelessly naive and often creepily religious, Kenneth became an early breakout character on the sitcom, earning McBrayer an Emmy nomination in 2009.
But it’s true — McBrayer is increasingly spending his time in the vocal booth, providing voices for a dizzying array of characters. That includes his return as Felix for Ralph Breaks the Internet, Disney’s big-budget four-yearsin-the-making sequel to the 2012 computer-animated blockbuster Wreck-It Ralph. The film returns audiences to Litwak’s Family Fun Center and Arcade, where videogame characters socialize in the arcade’s power strip.
In the original, Felix was the earnest, single-minded hero of an old-style arcade game for which Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) was ostensibly the villain. By the end of the film, Ralph earns the respect of his peers and becomes best friends with Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman), the adventurous girl who races as part of the video game Sugar Rush. Felix, meanwhile, falls in love with the tough Sgt. Tamora Jean Calhoun (voiced by Jane Lynch) from the first-person shooter game Hero’s Duty, and the two eventually marry.
In the sequel, Vanellope’s arcade game is unplugged, leaving the Sugar Rush denizens without a home. Felix and Calhoun, who are suffering from a wee bit of marital tension, step in by offering to adopt most of the Sugar Rush racers.
For the uninitiated, this all may sound a tad confusing, and the Felix/Calhoun storyline is really just a subplot. But the sequel did give McBrayer and chance to work and improvise with Lynch again. McBrayer has a long history with the Second City comedy troupe. So does Lynch, who is also known for her work as part of an ensemble cast Christopher Guest uses in mockumentary films such as Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.
“It’s Jane Lynch — how could you not have fun just bouncing off of Jane Lynch, doing bits with Jane Lynch?” says McBrayer.
McBrayer is not exclusively doing voice work these days. That’s him under a variety of wigs and fake beards lip-synching the narration of inebriated celebs on Comedy Central’s Drunk History, where he has played everyone from DJ Alan Freed to Abraham Lincoln.
But he also lends his voice to a variety of animated shows, including The Smurfs, Bob’s Burgers and Puppy Dog Pals. He is also featured in Netflix’s Big Mouth, an edgy animated comedy about “the horrors of puberty.” McBrayer voices a character named Pubic Hair #1.
“So ... I’ve arrived,” he says. “I’m your première pubic hair.”