Welcome back to How I Made It, Metro.co.uk’s weekly career journey series.
WhileTomb Raider fans speculate about Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s upcoming series, we’ve spoken to the voice actor who did the original iconic Lara Croft voice.
Shelley Blond, 53, from London, has been working in the trade for nearly 30 years and has some iconic roles under her belt.
Her career has seen her perform on stage, present on TV shows, act in commercials and series like Cold Feet, Casualty and Peep Show, and do plenty of voiceovers.
One of her school teachers said: ‘Shelley Blond would do well to stop speaking in class. She’ll get nowhere in life by just talking’ – well, she’s proved them wrong.
Shelley tells us: ‘My job is one of my biggest passions in life.
‘To create the voice of character, to bring an animated project or commercial to life is a glorious thing and something I never tire of.
‘As a child I’d hear the professionals on the radio and TV and be mesmerised by their voices and after nearly 30 years of doing it, it still blows my mind I am doing that very same job.’
Here’s how she made it.
Hey Shelley, how did you get into voice acting/voiceovers?
I was performing in a West End production at The Piccadilly Theatre and got chatting to a member of the audience in the pub after the show, who turned out to be an established voiceover agent.
I was invited to come to the agency the next day and offered a place on their agency’s books.
I appreciate how difficult it is for actors to get signed by a reputable voiceover agent and this opportunity just dropped in to my lap. I would have been mad not to grab it.
Back then, there weren’t as many voice artists or agencies as there are today, but even then I knew it was a wonderful opportunity not to be missed.
Did you do any training?
I didn’t have specific voiceover training, but spent the whole of my childhood performing in youth club musical theatre, then when I had finished my secondary school education, I joined the Performing Arts course at Italia Conti for 12 months in the same year as the brilliantly talented Claire Sweeney and Lisa Snowdon.
On leaving, I then spent my late teens and early twenties in Pantomimes and musical theatre until I was offered that West End show at 24.
Where do you find these kinds of jobs – do you need contacts to hear about things?
The majority of the work I get is through the voiceover agency I am represented by, Yakety Yak All Mouth Ltd, who I have been with now for 16 years.
I also get jobs through word of mouth and from creative directors that move from channel to channel, or to a new company and ‘take’ my voice with them.
Did you need to work in other roles to support yourself financially when first establishing yourself?
I’ve been very lucky that since becoming an established voice-over artist, I haven’t had to look for other jobs in between, but when I was working in theatre and on the audition circuit, I supplemented my income working in print shops, pharmacies, bakeries, on the market stalls in all weathers at Portobello Market and working on the door at a private members club.
I’m a grafter and I like to be busy.
What was it like voicing Lara Croft, especially with how iconic the character is?
Voicing Lara Croft was a dream come true – and it was only my second job.
I knew that Eidos, the company creating the game, had been searching for the voice for Lara for more than six months, so for them to choose me after hearing my audition tape was very exciting.
I didn’t realise how huge the game and character would end up being. To be part of the history of Tomb Raider and be the original Lara Croft is something I cherish.
I’ve heard such wonderful stories from fans of the game and franchise – to know I’m part of their childhood gaming memories is heart warming.
We recorded my script for five hours in a tiny basement studio in Soho Square, London, back in 1996.
Most of those hours seemed to be spent grunting and screaming and gurgling, making all Lara’s sound effects for fighting, falling and smashing into walls.
What’s the most fun voiceover you’ve done?
The most fun I’ve had on a voiceover job is on the animation ‘Snow White The Sequel’ also starring Stephen Fry and Rik Mayall.
I played an Essex Cinderella who turns into a bloke at midnight.
I also adore any Halloween gig when I can really let loose and get spooky and witchy.
I was the sponsorship voice on Heart FM for five years, recording twice a week in Leicester Square.
Being part of the Global Radio family was beyond joyous and there was always someone fabulous to ogle at in reception like a Spice Girl or Craig David.
What are you working on now?
My bread and butter on a daily basis consists of recording promos for movie channels or TV channels including ITV, Channel 5, TLC and Food Network, but I voice commercials for both radio and TV as well as corporate videos, documentaries and narrations.
I host video game awards ceremonies and Tomb Raider concerts in person, going to Comic Cons around the country meeting fans of the Tomb Raider game.
I’m also very hands-on with both my son and daughter’s careers, who are signedvoiceover artists.
That’s a joy, to pass the passion and the baton on to them. My son Aaron is the voice of Thomas The Tank Engine for Thomas and Friends All Engines Go and my daughter Luli records lots of commercials.
An average day in the working life of Shelley Blond
‘Every day is different depending on the project I’m working on, but I always work from home in my studio.
‘It becomes like a furnace in the summer, which isn’t the most fun.’
What do you love most about your job?
I love everything about my career. Every single gig is a joy.
What do you dislike the most?
My days before Covid looked very different to now. Before, I could be gliding around London doing one or two jobs, on and off London tubes going from studio to studio, running into Primark in between gigs.
Now, once I’ve got the kids sorted at school I grab my coffee and head upstairs and record there.
It’s great as I can work around the children but I miss the recording studios and all the wonderfully talented people that go into creating something that will later end up on TV or radio.
How I Made It
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