The Voice of Marilyn Monroe...

This was an interesting post from advertising guru Sally Hogshead on Marilyn Monroe's voice. As a voice actor, I appreciate the nuances in a voice, though I admit, I hadn't paid much attention to hers! I knew she made it breathy, but I didn't know about this...

Her voice has been described as “cotton candy, smoke, wind, lollipops and velvet.” “Champagne lava.” “The slow folding and unfolding of a pink cashmere sweater.”

Psychologist David Huron uses a different word to describe Marilyn Monroe’s famous voice.

He calls it “wet.”

“When we see something we want to eat, when we receive praise, and even when we hug our children, our mouths literally water,” says Huron...

Oral wetness is a subtle and involuntary reflex; however, it broadcasts our emotional state by causing distinct change in timbre of voice. “Oral wetness offers an unspoken invitation to move closer,” says Huron. “It says, ‘Hey, over here, something good is going on. Want to join me?’ We become fascinated by the prospect of moving closer and sharing that experience.”

It is interesting to me how little things cause the voice to "work" in a particular way. Energy can make a difference, which isn't always tied to speed but can be. A certain amount of deepness translates into authority, and can make a voice sound older and wiser than it is. By the same token making the voice higher in pitch and taking out that authority can make it sound younger.

One big part of voice acting really is acting. Getting into the mindset of whatever the piece requires.

Now add wetness... not sure if I'll need that one, but hey, you never know!