Carlos Alazraqui – voiceover virtuoso

October 1, 2002 by Jocelyn Longworth

Have you been hunting for a voice actor who can rip out a cheekily authentic Latino dialect just as easily as the voice for an on-the-edge-of-psycho middle-grade teacher? Meet Carlos Alazraqui, the voice behind lead character Rikochet from Warner Bros. masked wrestling toon Mucha Lucha, which launched on Kids’ WB! last month.

Alazraqui got hooked on voice acting in 1997, when he auditioned for the lead wallaby role in Joe Murray’s Rocko’s Modern Life, which is currently airing on Nickelodeon. ‘On-camera acting usually involves a bunch of suits, and the writers laugh at their own jokes,’ says Alazraqui, who has also performed live-action roles in shows like The Brothers Garcia, Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens. ‘But in voiceover, the people I work with are more down to earth and creative.’

Since Rocko, Alazraqui has voiced Lube and Winslow on CatDog (Nick), Doug on Detention (Warner Bros.), Mr. Cracker on My Fairly Odd Parents (Nick) and various characters on SpongeBob SquarePants (Nick). He also provided the voice for Taco Bell’s feisty chihuahua spokes-dog.

Alazraqui was drawn to Mucha Lucha based on the strength of its comedy. ‘The writing was so funny, I auditioned for every part,’ he says laughingly, adding that he gets most psyched about animated projects with good writers who are passionate and experienced.

Alazraqui, who does voicework at the standard rate of US$7,600 per session, can be reached through agent Heidi Rotbart (310-470-8339) or manager Arlene Thornton (818-760-6688).