Chris Parnell's Biggest Challenge With Rick & Morty Is Remembering To Act

Acting is the art form of becoming someone else. Typically, it involves being on a set or location that helps an actor acclimate to their surroundings. But what if your surroundings are a recording studio, and the only thing you have to play off of is a microphone in front of you? Voice actors need to adapt to losing a handful of tools that thespians typically rely on.

Forbes aptly called voiceover work a "magical, almost invisible act." Voice actors cannot rely on facial expressions or physical movements to emphasize emotion. They are 100% reliant on their voice to convey to audiences what a character is feeling. The focus on speed, pitch, volume, inflection, accent, and other voice tools to bring a character to life within a sound studio can easily interfere with an actor's typical artistic process.

So, when comedian Chris Parnell does voicework on the "Rick and Morty" animated series, he sometimes needs a little nudge reminding him to act.

Actor and comedian Chris Parnell first found success on NBC's sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live." He joined the cast in 1998 and spent a total of eight years on the show during two stints. He also appeared in two dozen episodes of "30 Rock" as Dr. Leo Spaceman.

Despite his runs on "SNL" and various film and TV appearances, Parnell might be most famous for his voice. He spent 14 years as the voice of often-scapegoated Cyril Figgis, on the animated spy sitcom "Archer." In 2013, Parnell joined Cartoon Network's "Rick and Morty" animated series as Jerry, the simpleton patriarch of the dimension-hopping Smith family.

Parnell plays the hapless Jerry Smith in deadpan fashion, despite the constant craziness of Rick and Morty's shenanigans happening around him. In 2020, Parnell told The Verge that playing Jerry Smith comes with its challenges. The actor said:

"The hardest thing I think is just remembering to really be present and try to act it well and not just kind of say the lines. So there's a fair bit of visualization going on in my head and trying to sort of put myself in that place and see it. You're really just taking all of this energy and funneling it through your voice without being able to see anything which you're doing physically."

Parnell using his voice as a primary acting tool comes easily, because it runs in the family.

If Chris Parnell seems like a natural at voice work, it's because he's been doing it since he was a kid. And he wasn't the first in his family to follow that path. In 2019, Parnell told Stephen Colbert that he's been recognized for his voice since an early age. The voice actor said:

"My Dad is a voiceover guy, and I was a DJ, that kind of thing. So I sort of grew up listening to him, obviously, and he would use me for commercials when I was a kid, like if he needed a voice in a spot or something ... But when I was in high school I did morning announcements. They liked my voice for that. It didn't pay a lot, but it was important for my career."

Because of the lonely nature of voicework, Parnell appreciates the opportunity to do both kinds of acting. "I feel lucky that I get to do both things. Both the live-action and the animated stuff," Parnell said. "Obviously, these days it tends to be mostly the animation, but I get to do enough guest star appearances on sitcoms or the occasional movie part or things like that."

Much of Parnell's voicework often goes unnoticed. In addition to "Archer" and "Rick and Morty," Parnell has appeared in 25 episodes of "Family Guy" and 17 episodes of "American Dad!," along with several other animated shows. He's currently starring in the Netflix animated children's series "Dogs in Space" as Ed, a kleptomaniac Jack Russell Terrier. There's been no word on if Parnell has used the method acting technique to get into character for that role.