NEOZOA

by Leo Frick

Maresa Sedlmeir was born into a family of German actors and actresses. When she was nine years old a friend of her mom took her to the studio to speak for a little Turtle called “Franklin”, for a kid’s show. Since then, she kept talking, although in her youth she felt like this is not the career she wanted to go with.

Now she is 26 and has voiced a plethora of characters. From Anime to Romcom, from Netflix shows to Hollywood movie. Game of Thrones, the Simpsons, Bridgerton, One Piece – if you watch the German version, you have probably heard her voice.

For us, she shares her insights into the voice acting industry and talks about lost emotions in dubbed versions and in which language she watches movies.

LEO: You’re a professional voice actress. What is your typical day at the office like?

MARESA:

I can give you an example: At 9 in the morning I go to company X, I’m there until 1 pm. I have lunch break, and then I’m going to the next studio. Today I went to ‘STI’ – a big international dubbing company – and did a project for a Disney cartoon and some singing. Now it’s Friday afternoon, and I’m free, but the next Friday could be completely different. That’s what I like about my job: It’s always different.

LEO:

In your work, you get the original text and the translation, which you then perform. Are there times when you do not stick to the given translation?

MARESA:

That happens quite often. There’s a job called “Dialogbuchautor” and I really admire those people. They look at mouth movements and work like a detective to search for the matching sentences. The job is not paid well, unless you’re good at it and have made a name for yourself.

LEO:

Sometimes a lot of meaning gets lost during translation. And with the voice acting, you put your own emotions into the scene. How do you think dubbing changes the original?

MARESA:

I always say: “Good dubbing is when you don’t realize it’s dubbed”. It does change it, but the goal is to be as close to the original as possible. I always try to imitate the voice and the tone, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. If you like the actress you’re voicing, it makes it easier.

LEO:

Some movies become more or less popular in different countries, depending on the quality of the dubbing. How important do you think your work is?

MARESA:

A lot of people are watching the dubbed versions. I think it’s important to keep the quality of the dubbing high, otherwise dubbing will die out. A lot more people are speaking English and some even say, we won’t

dub anymore in 50 years. I don’t believe that, and I will try to keep the dubbing quality high.

LEO:

You are fluent in multiple German dialects, and you can change the tone of your voice quite impressively. How you train your voice?

MARESA:

I’m always riding my bike and singing while sitting on it. I’m doing some “Lalalala” to warm up my voice. Also, there’s this thing called ‘Lax Vox’, it looks like a big straw. You put it in water and blow in it. It really helps to soften your voice. I think I just talk a lot and that’s my training – even when I’m not in the studio.

LEO:

Voice carries emotions and I imagine you have to get into the character during your session. How much acting is involved during a scene?

MAREASA:

It’s one of the most important things. When you dub, the sequences you speak are short, but you have to put in all the emotions. I think it’s crucial to be a good actress. Sometimes there’s also not enough time to get into the feeling and the situation.

LEO: Do you watch movies in OV or dubbed and why?

MARESA:

I watch it in the original version because I know my colleague’s voices. I can’t watch a movie with the voice of someone I just met for a coffee. Something I do all the time – to the annoyance of my boyfriend – is I always want to switch languages during a show, because I want to know what it sounds like in the other version.

LEO:

You have dubbed Game of Thrones and the Simpsons but worked also in smaller productions. What do you look out for when taking on a role?

MARESA:

After more than 15 years of working as a voice actress I’m at a point where I can pick my roles. But I’m also doing a lot of things that are given to me, if the director think it fits. I’m not the biggest Anime-fan, I think I’m too dumb for Anime. There are so many names and characters, I’m having a hard time following. Like One Piece has been on for over 20 years. That’s not my favorite. But many of my colleagues love it because you can be loud and open.

LEOL Do you have a part in One Piece?

MARESA:

Yes, she’s called “Koala”. She’s somewhere on a ship, but I don’t know what the ship is doing, so don’t ask me please. Sorry to all the One Piece fans.

LEO:

You are the German voice for the actress Bella Thorne. How do you become the designated voice actress for one specific actress?

MARESA:

Nowadays all the big Hollywood stars have a specific actor. You have to be lucky and be a known voice. Some years ago, I really wanted to be the only voice of Bella Throne and Dove Cameron, but it’s not so important for me anymore. You just have to be in the right place and the people like it. And the more films of a person you do, the more likely it is that you’ll be in the next movie. •

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