The most famous Hollywood star you’ve never seen
SHE’S the most successful actress you’ve never seen.
Elle Newlands has starred in blockbuster hits such as Star Wars and Star Trek – and makes regular appearances on The Simpsons – but her face is one few would recognise.
For the Scot from East Kilbride, who lives in Los Angeles, is a voiceover actress sought after for cackles, screams, squeaks and yelps.
From war cries to alien noises, she is one of director J.J. Abram’s go-to girls – and has also starred in video game smashes such as Halo, World Of Warcraft and Call Of Duty.
Miss Newlands said: ‘When I moved to LA I didn’t even think about voiceover acting, I was just taking classes and learning the craft. But an agency read I was Scottish and asked if I wanted to do voiceover.
‘Then it all took off. I found myself working with Disney legend Richard Sherman – who wrote music for It’s A Small World and Mary Poppins – and I sang on one of his albums.
‘I even sang as he played piano at the album launch party on Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks lot. That’s when it hit me – I was living in this world.’
Miss Newlands screams, shouts and makes loudspeaker announcements in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens and starred in 2013 hit Star Trek: Into Darkness.
She said: ‘In the opening scene there are aliens running and chanting. They have their own language and I and other voiceover actors created it.
‘We did tribal noises and meditation-like humming sounds, as well as battle cries. There’s a scene where Chris Pine is helping a screaming female hurt in an attack – that’s me.’
Miss Newlands studied politics and history at Glasgow Caledonian University and, as a teenager, studied opera and classical singing before touring in bands. Now she is a big star in blockbuster video games.
She said: ‘I love acting in video games. You are the actual character, not just your voice. I had a cool job in Halo 4 playing a Scottish Spartan called Tedra Grant. It’s me on screen, the face is often changed a bit, but the voice, body and facial movements are all you.’
Miss Newlands, niece of bestselling crime author Douglas Skelton, has expanded her range to include American, French – even Russian accents. She also worked on the Lego movies, playing Lieutenant Wright in Lego Star Wars and a witch in Lego Harry Potter.
She said: ‘Lego is tongue in cheek, very sarcastic. There’s lots of squeaking and yelping. But anything I do as an actor is fun, I’m being paid to play.’