Actress and voiceover artist Candi Milo chatted about her new book “Surviving the Odd,” which will be released on October 4th via New Haven Publishing, and the digital age.
What was your first voice-over character? I know it’s hard to pick among your babies, but do you have a favorite character that you voiced?
My first character was Sweetie Pie for Steven Spielberg’s Tiny Toon Adventures. It was actually also part of my very first audition for voice-over. I have so many babies and so many favorite moments over the years, but I’d have to say that Cheese from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (created by Lauren Faust and Craig McCracken) is close to my heart.
I would throw The Flea from Mucha Lucha in there, too! Oh, and Witch Hazel…oh and see how this can go on and on.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired to tell my story in a written form to commit to the truth of it. Telling it as a tale, as I have done, or putting the premise in a nightclub act – didn’t commit me fully to all of the aspects of growing up as I did.
It centers around my father who left a successful but waning show business career in 1969 to open one of the very first licensed board and care homes for the mentally ill. And I and my family lived in the home with the residents for a bit – and then lived next door. And every time there is a national tragedy I see the most marginalized people being blamed – and I know better.
She will have a book signing in her hometown of San Jose, where the events in her memoir took place. For more information, click here.
On October 15, Milo will have a subsequent book signing at Barnes & Noble The Grove, where Yvette Nicole Brown will moderate the discussion. To learn more about this event, click here.
Do you have any advice to share with people who want to voice cartoon characters?
The best advice I can give to any aspiring voice actor is to study acting. It does not have to be costly. It can be a local community theater, or a class at a school. Once you understand the workings of a script (which is very different from reading a book) you can begin to watch people, or recall people from your past – who in one way or another made an impact on you. And you take their characteristics and give them a voice.
Practice reading aloud. Read to children. Get good at reading with expression and put your spin on things. Experiment with removing punctuation. Or intent. Once you have your basics of acting and creating character down, there are tons of online resources to help guide you to become professional with voice acting Avoid spending your money. Dee Bradley Baker has a wonderful website loaded with free tips and resources.
How does it feel to be a voiceover artist in the digital age? (Now with streaming and technology being so prevalent)
I love all the new technology but am somewhat nostalgic for 2-D. I miss group records. A lot. I think it’s a lot harder for actors to be paid in the digital streaming model – but I think unions are catching up. Other than that – I’m into it.
What inspired you to write a book about your very unusual childhood? And what inspired your title, “Surviving the Odd”?
The homeless situation in Los Angeles is compounding yearly. So many young people on the streets. So many families. And I remembered that in 1969, there was the great expulsion from and closing of California’s state mental hospitals and institutions. We had a similar, immediate wave of homelessness in San Jose, CA back then.
Northern California housed most of the state’s population of developmentally and emotionally disabled. My parents ran Milo Arms (the name of our halfway house) under the strain of not being able to serve enough people, fast enough.
Eventually, the system was overrun and the homeless population grew. And I found myself looking into the faces of the homeless to see if it was someone I once knew as a resident of our home. Everyone has long passed away, but I have never stopped seeing their faces.
Surviving the Odd is a play on surviving the odds – how one manages to thrive or stay alive despite the universe’s best intention of ending you! LOL!! That phrase came to mind (without the ‘s’ in odd) especially when people asked me where I grew up. I liked to say in a halfway house.
Just to get a reaction. Honestly? I grew up oddly. With the odd. And my family rules were odd. And I am odd, quite frankly. I am other.
How has growing up in your dad’s institution alternative changed the way you view people who are dealing with homelessness, mental illness, and developmental disabilities?
I gave up guilt for Lent…in 1970. And I have never looked back. Shame. Guilt. Blame. These are life destroyers. Self-destructors. Growing up with the mentally challenged let me see their human side, their bumps and warts, and sweetness and vulnerabilities.
It allowed me to have empathy and experience compassion. And I learned to never judge a book by its cover. There is so much more to human life than meets the initial eye.
What do your current and upcoming TV projects include?
So many good things are coming up! I am working steadily. Lots of fun Warner Brothers’ projects (thank you Space Jam II) but none that I think I can talk about with NDA’s in place. But I can and will say this…look for me as a Scottish lass, a teacher, a tornado, a mom, a witch who famously cackles, a porcine girlfriend.
What does the word success mean to you?
Success. Waking up. Making someone’s day. Sleep without worry.
To learn more about Candi Milo, follow her on Instagram.
