SWEDEN
- How was your first role as Rita in "Oliver & Company"?
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I was asked to come in and perform a voice-test for the part. I suspect that the people in charge of casting had seen me in the popular TV series “Varuhuset” I was playing in at the time.
I was inexperienced at that time and would have liked more help. Other than that, I think the result was OK and otherwise lots of fun. Tommy Nilsson, who dubbed Dodger, also shared some of his best dubbing tips. I always feel I can do better ;-) That is also a kind of driving force though, striving to improve your performance with every roll, getting better through the years. |
- Were you disappointed when they re-dubbed the movie in 1997?
Well, at that time I was very experienced and well acquainted with the dubbing world, I wasn’t surprised at all !
- How did you get the role of Esmeralda in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"?
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I voice-tested for both dialogue and vocals and was approved by Disney USA. Auditioning for 3 different parts really, for the dialogue originally performed by Demi Moore, the pop version of the song (God Help The Outcasts) originally performed by Bette Midler and also for the third girl who sang in the feature film itself (Heidi Mollenhauer, ed) and got them all !
I found great pleasure in singing God Help the Outcasts (Esmeraldas bön in Swedish, ed), and I still do. Monica Forsberg's beautiful lyrics are even more current today than they were back then. Monica is wonderful to work with! Not to forget Anders Öjebo the technician, not without influence in recording and guidance. |
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It was incredible to dub such a strong female character, as it was a rare thing at the time not only in Disney movies.
- How come Disney USA offered you to dub Esmeralda in the other nordic languages?
It is true that Disney USA asked Monica (Forsberg, the dubbing director) if I could dub the other versions too, seeing as they hadn’t yet found Esmeralda's for the Danish and Norwegian versions. I don't think the casting agents realized how phonetically different the 3 languages actually are. Although I do speak Danish, no matter how hard I try it will always be noticeable to Danes that it isn’t my native language, the same goes for Norwegian. I must say though that it was really flattering that they liked my Swedish audition that much ;-)
- How did you get the role of Tzipporah in "The Prince of Egypt"?
Similar story, I auditioned for both the dialogue and the vocal parts. The director who casts the dubbed features looks for specific dubbers who can play each role to find voice talents with the voice type and voice range necessary to portray every character. If they have good comical timing or deep intimate dialogue or fast-pitched roles and so on, depending on the character at hand. The director will suggest or recommend a handfew voice actors which are then asked to come to the studio and perform voice tests. Casting directors in USA (or any other country the movie is originated from) then make a final decision based upon the voice test samples that have been recorded.
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- How was the experience singing "When You Believe" with Carola Häggkvist?It was shame that we did not record the song together in the studio, I think it would have brought more nerve and strength, it almost never happens that dubbers are together when recording.
And I can only say “Monica Forsberg did it again!” When you sing her lyrics they just roll off your tongue and are always very poetic. My favourite line in her translasion is “Med hjärtat fullt, till tårar rörd (With a full heart, moved to tears)”. |
- What was your favourite role to dub?
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Esmeralda is my absolute favorite, she holds a special place in my heart! But I have other characters that I love as well. I have on multiple occasions been the Swedish voice of Helena Bonham Carter, the Red Queen in the live-action movie Alice in Wonderland (2010), Charlie's mother in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) & the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (2015) for instance. I'm really fond of her, such a lovely actress that quite has my sense of humour. Nowadays I dub plenty of older, crazy ladys and headmistresses and it's so entertaining to act insane.
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- Have you ever auditioned for roles you didn't get?
Yes that happens a lot, it’s part of the business but I can't remember any at the moment. I don't think about it that much, I dub so much anyway. If I were to think about that before every casting I would be a nervous wreck by now ;-)
- You translated the songs in "Frozen", how did it go?
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I feel proud and honored. Now, when I hear children singing my lyrics I can get very emotional.
The lyrics of "Let it go" were really tricky to translate. It's very important to maintain the spirit of the song but at the same time you have to try to adapt the lyrics to suit the movements of the mouth (lip sync) keeping in mind that lyrics need to be easy to sing, that the vowels and consonants are in the right place. It was absolutely not possible to translate "Let it go" directly, since "Låt det gå" does not bear the same meaning in Swedish. |
You have to make very conscious choices. Sometimes you come up with a great translation but have to abandon it because it doesn't look right on screen and sometimes the other way round, you might have to adapt by singing a different tone or rhythm for a better match. It's like a balancing act, killing you darlings sometimes but always trying to stay true to the essence of the original.
- Have you translated songs in other Disney movies?
Yes, for example in Home on the Range (Kogänget in Swedish). I find the songs in that movie really beautiful.
"Ska det nå’nsin bli sol igen?" (Will The Sun Ever Shine Again?) is my favourite Disney song.
"Ska det nå’nsin bli sol igen?" (Will The Sun Ever Shine Again?) is my favourite Disney song.
Interview by Agust Ingi Aðalheiðarson
July 27, 2016
July 27, 2016
