Summary
- Matthew Sussman created Meowth’s voice inspired by old gangster characters and Jerry Lewis.
- Sussman’s audition for various roles in Pokemon led to him developing Meowth’s unique personality.
- Despite a short-lived role, Sussman’s iconic voice for Meowth will remain memorable in Pokemon history.
Meowth is one of Pokemon’s most legendary characters. Lumbered with Team Rocket, the “chatty catty” as he was described to me by the character’s voice actor Matthew Sussman, was the first Pokemon to speak with a human voice, and an iconic one at that.
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We got to sit down with Sussman at the recent London Card Show, and he talked us through the process of creating this voice, combining “old gangster characters” and renowned comedian and actor Jerry Lewis.
The Story Of How Meowth’s Voice Was Created
Matthew Sussman signing autographs at London Card Show
Sussman auditioned for a variety of roles in the original Pokemon anime, reading for “virtually every male voice.” Using a binder of pictures, it was down to the actor to come up with an individual personality for each role.
It was here he noticed a character described as “part of a group that is the antagonists, but they’re harmless. And this character thinks he’s a tough guy, but he’s just this little cat. He’s very obnoxious but in a nice way, charming way.”
With this, Sussman started workshopping. “I was like, ‘Okay, he thinks he’s tough, so he might be like one of these old gangster characters from the old movies’,” he tells me. “And then I thought, ‘Okay, but he’s also a nerd and easily bullied.’ I then thought of the comic actor Jerry Lewis, who always had this infantile voice, and I blended the two. I had some lines to work with, and I was trying it out.”
Okay, he thinks he’s tough, so he might be like one of these old gangster characters from the old movies.
After practicing his lines in the hallway, Sussman stepped into the reading room, telling the producer, “‘I’m going to try something a little crazy. And if you hate it, just tell me, and I’ll change it to something else’.” Evidently, this combination of sounds worked out perfectly, as Sussman landed the role.
Meowth isn’t the only character inspired by Lewis’ voice and mannerisms, with Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and The Simpsons Professor Frink also partly based on the comedian.
Ultimately, Sussman’s part in the Pokemon anime was short-lived, with the actor taking an opportunity on stage he couldn’t turn down in Chicago, but his iconic voice will live on forever.
