Gone Gold with Simon Hill
Welcome to Gone Gold with Simon Hill, a show that features fun, insightful interviews with some of the biggest names in video games. From developers, to actors - this show delves in to what makes your favourite video games tick.
Gone Gold with Simon Hill
Arianna Ratner
From Insomniac's SpiderMan 2, to Starfield and beyond. Arianna Rather's voice has been heard in some of the biggest games around. In this episode we delve in to her fascinating career as a young actor before making her mark in the video game world. We talk about her viral moment after a voice she recorded in The Sims broke the internet, alongside working on Lost Ark, Fallout 76 and so much more.
Follow - https://x.com/GoneGoldShow
Hello and welcome to another episode of Gone Gold with me, Simon Hill, esports host, industry presenter and TV personality. Yes, we're back for another packed episode. It's been a roller coaster of a few weeks with a mini break to the capital alongside catching the flu here, which you'll hear about all in the next episode. And we've also been seen globally now after the last episode, which was with one of my favorite developers, Frontier Developments, as we delved into the process behind Planet Coaster 2, that was truly a wonderful episode and I had a few messages that told me after listening to that episode they went out and purchased the game which as you can imagine the studio was thrilled to hear so make sure you go back and check that episode out in full as it has some really cool insights some funny stories in there too so make sure you do go and check out that episode with the development team behind Planet Coaster 2 if you're listening to this show for the first time welcome and thank you for joining us Be sure to give this show a rating on your chosen platform. Even leave a little comment, as many have done so far. This helps us push up the charts in your country. It helps me be able to approach more guests in the future. As you can hear, the flu is still very much in my throat. We're getting through it though, don't worry, we've got this. Right, let's get to the reason you're all here for. On this episode, I'm joined by talented actor Ariana Ratner. who has lent her voice to some of the biggest games and IPs around, from Spider-Man 2, Fallout 76, World of Warcraft, and many, many more. We are gifted with some truly wonderful experiences throughout her career that have seen Ariana bring multiple characters to life. Ladies and gentlemen, it's all here. It's Gone Gold with Ariana Ratner. If you're going to create a show that focuses on fun insightful interviews with developers and actors within the gaming industry, there will be certain individuals that will be on your radar from day one. My next guest is that individual. From Diablo, Smite, The Sims, Fallout 76, all the way to Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, she's become a staple for the voice of choice across the industry on bringing so many characters and voices to life. Ladies and gentlemen, joining me on this episode is none other than the talented Ariana Ratner. Thank you so much for joining us today, Ariana.
Arianna:Thank you so much for
Simon:having me. This has been in the works for a while, but we finally got here, Ariana. I'm really glad that we got to make this work. You've been super busy, so let's start there. You've been doing some incredible commercials recently, as well as coaching the future voice actors and keeping busy within the video game world as well.
Arianna:Yeah, I luckily get to do a bunch of things. I voice act, I voice direct video games, make demos and coach people and yeah I luckily work only in the voiceover industry right now which is amazing I'm very lucky and
Simon:before we delve into the amazing IMDB page that you have which is endless credit after credit after credit recently you've had some amazing experiences you're in this commercial for a Snow White themed brand which was fantastic that must have been an amazing experience for you
Arianna:yeah well I luckily I like to work in promo different areas of voiceover so I work a lot in promo as well as character work so yeah I work I do some trailer work so that was like a trailer for Snow White it's called a co-promo actually which is like a either a commercial promo or something. It's a combination of brands and the trailer for the Snow White live-action movie. So that was really fun. And I've worked with Disney on a couple other, like Inside Out 2 and Wish and a couple other of their promos and trailers. So luckily, I try not to put all my eggs in one basket and just character work, which doesn't actually pay very well. It's just more fun. But... So I try to do, I love promo, and I was the voice of Food Network Kitchen for a year, which was really fun, and I do promos for a bunch of different networks and affiliate work, like local TV station work and radio. Right now I might be doing a tour for a musical, like a radio tour, so you'll hear me in different United States announcing the tour that's coming. That's fun.
Simon:That's amazing. Yeah. I was going back and forth on how to begin this interview and of course it would be easy for me to ask you how you got into voice acting and I'm sure that's a question you're so over responding to at this point. So let's mix it up. From such a young age you've been involved in acting, if I'm correct one of your first voiceover commercials was for the Barbie Dreamhouse. From the age of seven to where you are now, did you ever imagine this would be the journey that you would have in the acting world?
Arianna:I mean, I'm very... I've always been involved in acting since I was little because my dad does it. So my dad is a voice actor. You know, only voiceovers for my entire life. So I kind of knew about the world and I know about the old school voiceover world. And then now I know about the new school voiceover world. And so that... Yeah, I mean, I... I always wanted to be in voiceover. I think like I would have been really, you know, thought it was really cool to know what I was doing now when I was little, if I knew. But, you know, I went to theater school, I went to NYU for theater school and I was in a theater class and one of my teachers was like, what's everyone's dream role? And everyone's like saying some things on Broadway or film or whatever. And I'm like, I want to be on an animated series. And they're like, why are you in theater school? And I'm like, because that's acting. And it is. I mean, I, you know, The way that I teach and work is really based in traditional acting methods. So I think my acting training helps immensely. And, you know, that teacher can, you know.
Simon:Yeah, they're written their words now. Right. Have you had time to sit and appreciate where you've gotten to and what you've managed to accomplish? The creative industry can be so tough for most people working in it. And we're always never satisfied. We always want more. But do you still get to sit and appreciate what you've done?
Arianna:I mean, I'm very grateful for what I get to do because I worked in retail for like nine, ten years. So I'm like every day, I'm like, thank God I'm not in retail. No offense to anyone in retail. I worked on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills at some point and it was horrible. So I'm very grateful every day that I get to do this and I get to work mostly from home or when I get to go in studio. Like, that's so fun. Even though I hate driving in Los Angeles, I love to drive to Santa Monica for a session because I get to play for a living. So yeah, no, I'm so grateful. And like, yeah, every day because of that. I
Simon:feel the pain and I saw the soul scar tissue on your facial
Arianna:expression there. Leaving my soul at the door.
Simon:Absolutely. Being there. And again, props to you if you can handle that life out there. I think with the creative industry, you've managed to thrive. So let's delve into the video game world where you've certainly been very, very busy landing your first video game role in none other than World of Warcraft. You've also had credits in Elder Scrolls, The Sims 4, Dead by Daylight, Starfield and so many more. What's the process been like for you as an actor to get to appear and voice some of these huge IPs?
Arianna:So, I mean, I'm very lucky because I so once you kind of work with these different companies, they sort of get to know you. They know you're reliable. They know you can, you know, you're versatile and they bring you back for different things. So I, you know, I'm so lucky to be able to work with like Blizzard a bunch of times and, you know, Blind Light a bunch of times and just kind of have these people kind of trust me with their, sometimes it's just NPCs and I play like in Fallout, I played a bunch of, you know, ghouls like every, every few months, which I'm like, I'm happy to do. I'm happy to do like two lines in a, in one game, you know. So I just, yeah, it's, I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, auditioning and then it's over the years I've just been doing this for a long time like just having these production companies and these developers getting to know you and so then they just bring you in sometimes without auditioning or they just already know you when they get your audition so it's kind of it's just such a long game and like a you know it's all about your natural connections you know making friends with a director making friends with a casting director naturally and not just kind of you know inserting yourself but just over time being like oh yeah I know this person I'll you know so when I get I'll I see them and I'm like oh yeah I work with that company I know that director I know that casting director so it's I know I have a chance of booking these things because I've just had experience and connections with these people and
Simon:one game that I mentioned during the introduction was Spider-Man 2 where you played the cult of flame your voice was heard in a really key mission just over halfway through the game where you're essentially Craven's daughter almost we familiar with Marvel going into this and what was a process like being able to experiment with accents on this
Arianna:yeah so yeah I play Anna Cravenoff and I and the cult cult of the flame and a bunch of other things that I've never been able to find but yeah that was an amazing that was one of the most amazing video game experiences ever I did a workshop actually with Patrick Mishalik who was the Insomnia casting director and I emailed him afterwards I was like great meeting you he was like great meeting you I'm gonna get you on a game and it was I was about to have a baby, so he was like, I'm going to get you in a game after the baby. I was like, amazing. And I emailed my agent. They were like, yeah, he already emailed us about you. So I guess I had a good read in the class. And then literally, he came through. And the next year, I booked just from, I just was handed the role, which was amazing, or the roles, several roles, NPCs and stuff like that. And I had probably four sessions or more throughout that year. year and I mean Chris Zimmerman who directed most of my sessions is just incredible like one of the most best directors out there voice directors so working with her was insane and you know just it was just such an amazing experience all the other directors that I got directed by were also incredible like yeah and just to be part of that kind of game was amazing and you know it has said and in terms of Marvel I mean I was familiar with it just from movies and you know watching all the Spider-Man movies and the kind of knowing the world but yeah I wasn't incredibly immersed in that world but yeah it was that was one of my best experiences in video games I mean effectively you're now
Simon:a part of Marvel lore in theory so
Arianna:true maybe they'll bring Anna Craven F
Simon:back maybe that's the DLC we're still waiting for yeah what I and developer you seem to have a really great relationship with you mentioned one earlier but Bethesda You've appeared in a lot of various roles across Fallout 76, Elder Scrolls Online, again, multiple roles there with Starfield as Clara Leon, if I remember correctly. How has this relationship grown over the years? And have you been able to kind of live your best fantasy life experimenting in all these titles?
Arianna:Yeah, I mean, Elder Scrolls Online is my longest running game. I've been doing it since the very beginning of whenever it started, I think like 2013 or something like that. I've been doing it since before that because when it, when they were making it. So 20, probably 20, 11 2012 I started that and I've played like countless characters over the years like different accents and different races of elves and stuff like that so that's been amazing and they just keep bringing me back every year every year I'm like grateful I'm doing more Elder Scrolls I love them and it's I've even watched it go through different production companies you know now it's ZeniMax and Bethesda but ZeniMax is the production and they're great yeah and that And then I feel like I think of, even though it's the same, I guess, developer, but I think of Fallout differently because it's like Blind Light is the production. And they're, I mean, they're amazing. And Blind Light games are all so, like, just such amazing actors throughout the game. So I'm just honored whenever I get to do them. And the directors are so good. So, yeah, I'm... I love working with Bethesda. All those games are so fun. Try not to butcher
Simon:this now, Ariana. Ariandra, character in Elder Scrolls Online, the character had a unique arc and an appearance within Elder Scrolls World. Tell us about her and what it was like for you to see her in the game for the first time?
Arianna:You know, I only see what clips, because I don't play the game, so I only see what clips I can find online.
Simon:You're too busy for that. That's the problem, Ariana, isn't it? You've just got a collection across the bat wall, haven't
Arianna:you? Yeah. There's one game I'm recording right now that I'm definitely going to play because I play a playable character and I'm like, you play as me throughout the game, so I'm psyched to just play that because it's also a beautiful game. Yeah. The game is just so beautiful that I can't wait. But yeah, the Elder Scrolls, I mean, I haven't, I'm not super familiar with her character. I wish I was. I don't remember.
Simon:She's very mystical, very direct, if I remember as well. The Elder Scrolls Online has such a great community, really passionate as well. So it must also be good to occasionally see things pop up on your feed about the characters that you're playing, whether that be in Elder Scrolls or Fallout, or even in the case of Clara Leon, who Thanks for watching! Do they just give you a run and go, just whatever comes into your head, just go? Or do you get some
Arianna:inspiration? So when I auditioned for Starfield, the sides are all the same. Well, not the same, but they had very generic female and male sides, exactly the same, but it was like French character. And so it was like four lines I read for that and then was brought in. And when you go in, you honestly most of the time unless it was a specific character that they're like, you booked the role of X, you often don't know what you're doing. So you'll go in and they'll be like, oh, your character's French. I'm like, great. Okay, let's do that today. But I luckily lived in Paris, speak French, and sound better than I actually speak, but the accent is there. So that's an easy one. There was Dead by Daylight, my character that came out last year, or maybe earlier this year, I think, that was a Scottish accent. And so in the description, they didn't say where she was from in Scotland. It was just like, she's Scottish. And so I booked the audition, like I did the audition and I booked it. And then I freaked out and was like, oh God, I need to work on my Scottish accent. So I hired my dialect coach and we worked on it. And then it came out afterwards that she was Glaswegian. And I got like hate, like not hate messages, but hate comments online being like that. That's not Glaswegian. That's a Highlands accent. And I'm like, they don't tell me where she's from. Like, I wish they told me she was Glaswegian. I would have worked on that accent. But yeah, that was... So I... I loved that character and that session was really fun and crazy but yeah I'm like don't hate me that my Glaswegian accent was not 100% I didn't know. To anyone who played that game and got mad that it was not Glaswegian.
Simon:Now you know it's not Ariana. Again this just talks about the experience that you have as a voice actor being able to dial into these different dialects and accents. Is it a process to kind of get to that level? Does it Yeah, I mean, I've always
Arianna:been kind of doing accents. My whole life, like, we would... Whenever I would travel, I would kind of mimic the accent or walk around wherever I was going and pretend I lived there. My sister's not an actor, but we would go to Disneyland and just speak in British accents the whole day and think we were better than everyone.
Simon:Oh, come on. Now, you're talking to a Brit, so you've got to give me your
Arianna:best British accent. Well, should I do your... I can try to do your... You're talking to a Brit, so you've got to give me your best accent. I don't know, it was really bad.
Simon:LAUGHTER I imagine really good. So just for context there for our listeners, before we went live, Ariana said, oh, where are you from? And me just trying to be casual, not understanding if she knew where Birmingham in England would be. I was like, just north of London. She's like, Birmingham? Yeah, Birmingham.
Arianna:I mean, I went to a summer camp and I had a lot of friends. It was like a crossover program. It was like Camp America. Maybe you've heard of it. Like where people would come from the UK. And one of my best friends is from Manchester or like outside of Manchester from Lee and then there were guys from Leeds so like you sound like I can tell where you're from kind of from those from those people you're not Manchester
Simon:no definitely not Manchester long way yeah
Arianna:actually I have a friend from Birmingham though yeah
Simon:okay next time you're around then we'll do this in person yeah yeah another question I had I thought this was absolutely incredible by the way you went viral on TikTok and various other social media platforms for your voice work in the Sims this has a really Really cool story behind it. Were you a fan of The Sims growing up and what was it like to see so many people connecting with The Sims baby noises that you provided for the game?
Arianna:I did play The Sims growing up. I remember being in my friend's house and playing and building our little houses in middle school. And yeah, and then that was the cool... I mean, it was a while ago. It was like... you know, 10 years ago or more, maybe I got, I don't know, maybe it was like less than 10 years, but I got back then I got flown out to San Francisco or Bay Area to the EA campus and recorded in person. They like put me up in a hotel, gave me a rental car. It was really cool. I don't think they would ever do that now for voiceover. But then they did. And that was just, that was like one of the coolest experiences. I was just doing baby sounds all day. They had like school tours coming through the EA campus. So these kids were coming in being like what is happening this like grown woman doing baby cries but yeah and then that was really fun like and it's just survived like over the years of the babies and the Sims people love hate the babies and then yeah I put that on on TikTok and it went viral it was because people hated it and people were like this is triggering my fight-or-flight instincts and yeah I get it it's crazy I used to do it in, like, literally elementary school. I was, like, doing baby cries. I played, like, a baby in a play in, like, a camp. Yeah, I've been doing it for a while and scaring people. One time in retail in our warehouse, we, like, scared the warehouse guys by me being like, Mommy, Mommy, where are you? Like, crying. Like, they're like, what the heck? And they ran out and were like, is there a child locked in here?
Simon:Yeah.
Arianna:That was super
Simon:cool. The theme of this interview so far is how many great games and projects you've been a part of. Most of these have been award-winning or at the very least nominated for awards. What's it like
Arianna:to know that you're a small part of all of this industry has to offer? That was so fun. I was like, oh, look, I'm nominated for an Oscar. Not really, but... And, you know, yeah, I mean... It's so much fun because I grew up in this industry. I was a child actor on camera and I've always loved the industry. So I like being this part of it where I get to just be in my little garage booth and that's it.
Simon:And who would have known as a child actor you would grow up to then create baby noises for the
Arianna:scenes. I know, right?
Simon:You couldn't write that. One of the busiest roles was in an action-packed opera Lost Ark, where you play the English version of Braille Shazza. I think I've pronounced that right. I hope I've pronounced that right. She's the ultimate villain and you got to get really stuck into a dark character who is multi-layered. What are some of the highlights for you with Lost Ark and that character?
Arianna:Yeah, and that's a really long-running game. It's a great, really fun game to be part of. Braille Shazza is super dark and honestly, I think for a while, most of my sessions were about an hour. So they weren't like that taxing. And then one session I had like a three hour session and I, uh, realized like almost the full session through I was like tensing my body so much I was like you guys I'm gonna need like a massage after this session like this is so hard because I really use my acting I like to use my body so much because I come from traditional theater so I use my body I don't believe in holding your arms to your side and not using your body I like to utilize it so I was like holding so much tension in my arms like going like this with her darkness and my director Phil was like his way to get me into the character would be like kill those puppies kill more puppies that was his line to tell me to get darker
Simon:brilliant and what was some of the key moments I think as you said the long running game for you now have you been able to fully establish the English version of this character. What were your inspirations going into something like this? Because it is very different from what you usually do.
Arianna:Yeah, I mean, I actually, I think as I've gotten older, I play more and more like dark, broody characters. And I really love it. Like, you know, 10 years ago, I think that I think I'm in my element now as an older, you know, like late 30s. Like I now my voice has gotten lower and like I can play these like dark, brooding characters. So that way, like it may, I think it was like probably one of the first ones that I booked where I was like, oh, dark brooding, like villainous, like 30s, 40s character. And to get into it, I mean, I listen, I do have the Chinese ref when I'm recording. So they play her and then I do it. And they don't need an exact reference match because now we've established her voice as, you know, my voice. But it is nice to hear her. She's really big and epic. I think I watched, there was like a video game music podcast that I was on that my friend Marco does and he played the music from Lost Ark this live concert and she is the singer like the live the Chinese actress from my character was singing this song and I was like that's her like that's crazy that she actually so it's really cool hearing that I just kind of get into it listening to her and Phil saying kill puppies kill more puppies that's basically it
Simon:and just for a little info stat here for our listeners so I won't actually reveal the age but Ariana and I both they exactly the same age. We were born on exactly the same day. Oh
Arianna:my
Simon:gosh. Research takes you some weird places. It really does. And I was like, that's awesome. Yeah, it is mental. Back on track. Whilst you're watching the gameplay and recording your voiceover work, are you able to tap into a more dark personality a little bit more?
Arianna:Definitely. Yeah. I mean, I don't use my own life because the method of acting style Adler that I learned is kind of creating a full character so clearly that you step into their skin. So I don't really use my own life. There's been certain things where I will maybe use a little bit of my own life, but mostly in general, I use, um, you know, creating, knowing that character so clearly stepping into their skin. So a couple of things that I use, a character that I'm playing right now, where I just finished my last session of the first batch. Um, I had like six sessions and it's a, it's the one that is playable. Um, I, she's really, she's pretty dark, like kind of brooding and dark. And so I, um, You know, I always have a secret that's like there shows me their past kind of to lock into the character again and think about that secret and think about, you know, how their outlook on the world and think about their clothing, her cloak, like her darkness and just like her body language. So those are the things that help me get in. And then it's not really like creating a past so much like I'm thinking all about their childhood, but really knowing that one secret that kind of locks me in is what helps me a lot.
Simon:Really fascinating to know. And Lost Ark. Also has quite a dedicated community. It's very well-respected IP. They created the concert that you just mentioned. Is this something you'd like to revisit more of in the future?
Arianna:Yeah, definitely. If they had me back, I would do it.
Simon:As an actor, being able to portray your voice to any big project, it's always rewarding. Are you itching for another character role in a video game? You just mentioned you have got one that the NDA papers are well and truly in, but we got to speak to a good friend of yours, Craig Lee Thomas, who's found additional fame through Helldivers 2. Can we expect to see Ariana get her day in such an iconic role within video games?
Arianna:I hope so. I mean, so this role that's going to come out is pretty big, and so that would be really cool. It's in a very big game that I've actually been in before, but it's the new installment, so it's going to be really, really fun. I mean, those were, like, the amazing cinematic scenes, like, really just... beautiful dialogue, just well made. There's also, yeah. So that's like my biggest role that's coming out. I have another, another game coming out, uh, next year. That's a couple of games coming out next year, but one that's very, very big, but it's a, it's not as big a role, but it's really, it was one of the most like fun sessions I've ever done. So we'll, I'm looking forward to that. And You never know how big something's going to get, though. You're like, this could be nothing or it could be big. Like, you know, I don't know.
Simon:Yeah, I remember speaking to Samantha Bayhart, who plays Karl Ack in Baldur's Gate 3, and she said the same. She would go in for a couple of sessions here and there, and they would keep just calling her back and calling her back. And then eventually it became... one of the biggest games in modern day history. Yeah, you never know. You never know. Another aspect that you're currently heavily involved in is day-to-day coaching for voice actors. Your branding is fantastic, by the way. For anyone who just needs to see what professional branding is all about, head over to Ariana's website. Oh, thanks. Talk to us about coaching and how it's felt for you to be able to give back to the industry that's helped give you so much.
Arianna:Yeah, I mean, I've been... So I started coaching in like 20... 2019, like right before COVID, I started teaching in person. And then I started my private coaching business when Zoom took off during COVID. And it just kind of word of mouth got like snowballed, got bigger. And I just love, my favorite thing is just watching people's careers flourish and just seeing people, I mean, watching careers flourish 100% and watching, you know, people take off. I feel like a proud mom. And then also just like, Within a session, like I just coached someone just before this and just in a session, just seeing start to finish, like where they started with their first read and then where they ended up, it's just amazing. And there's people I've been working with for four years. You know, we still have weekly sessions where I'm now, you know, they're with agencies now and now we're working on auditions weekly, working towards a promo demo, like things like that. And it just, sometimes I say like, I wish we'd recorded our first session. Like I wish I could hear your, we could hear your reads from your first session as to four years later now where you are and you know what your reads sound like because and that's what truly brings me so much joy with teaching just like Watching these people just flourish is amazing. And I just love, yeah, I love teaching so much.
Simon:And you mentioned the great Stella Adler earlier. Do you adapt some of her methods towards your students as well as teaching in your own way? I
Arianna:do, yeah. I use traditional acting techniques. Like I use a lot of beat changes. I use a lot of like, you know, the intention of the objective of like what you're doing, actions, what you're doing to the other character. And I think that really helps kind of have guidelines for and for how to approach video game piece. So I have literally like checklist for nailing your video game auditions. And it's more tangible things that people can actually just apply. And so I've developed that over the years of kind of like my method of physically applying like, oh, did I do this? Like, let me listen. And did I do this thing? You know, did I hit this archetype? Did I play my beats strongly? Did I, you know, and looking at character art and taking on their face and their body and all those things. So it's things that people can actually like physically apply to their work.
Simon:That's amazing. And just for reference here, Ariana, we've been heard in 62 countries. So there are people all over the world listening right now. Where can they find out more about your coaching?
Arianna:Yeah, on my website, just ariannaratner.com. It's Ariana with two N's. And I have a, there's a scheduling page on there. It's ariannaratner.com slash schedule. And you can book it on there. I coach people, like the guy I coached this morning was in South Korea. So I could, and he was, it was like 2 a.m. his time. So I coach people all over the world. And that's the magic of Zoom and the internet that you can work with people who are actively working in the industry in Los Angeles. and I can work with people who are all over the world, which is amazing.
Simon:A couple of questions before I do let you go. Back to video games. Are there any standout moments for you where you look back now, whatever IP or character that you've played and brought to life, been involved with, that you look at and think that you're so proud of what you're able to achieve or if that helps you grow to another level? What is that and why? You
Arianna:know, there's a lot of roles I'm proud of. I guess Yes. I guess, I mean, Spider-Man is definitely one I was really proud of when that came out, and just watching the Anna Kravinoff scene, I really liked that, and it was really fun, and I love doing accents, obviously. Yeah, and then whenever I just kind of catch those little, find the little clips of my characters, I'm like, you know, this is really fun. I mean, one of my most popular characters, I literally just go, is like Cookie Run, Survey Shark Cookie, which has like the biggest fan base, and I literally just do that most of the time. So not acting, not hardcore acting, but Cookie, you know, Sorbet Shark Cookie has intentions going, you know. You've brought that to
Simon:life though, Ariana. Nobody else. You brought that to life. Exactly. Are there any funny moments whilst you're in the booth or whilst you've been at some of the studios that you look back and were quite comical as you were recording, whether they be certain scenes or voices? I
Arianna:mean, definitely. I mean, the... There was a game that I did recently where I was playing, like, a zombie, like, toad-like creature. And they wanted, like, a lot of gurgling. So I was, like, had water just all over my booth and my body. Like, so, like, just using that to create that, like, gurgling zombie sound. So, like, that's fun. I mean, every session is mostly fun, like, a lot of fun because I just love what I do so much. I mean, the game, one of the games that's coming out next year is... which was just some of the most fun. It's just the best writing I've ever read. It's hilarious and really crass and just like really... I literally was cracking up the whole session and like half I would just be like oh my god the writing and the director comes into the booth and he's like by the way the head writer's on the call and she's like loving that you're loving her writing I'm like it's amazing because I was just dying at the words like you'll see when it comes out but like dying at the things that my character said and it's a crazy accent like I'd never done before I walked into the session was like and they were like do you remember this audition I was like I don't know what I'm doing and they played it and I was like I booked this Like, okay. And it was crazy. Like, she's so trashy. It was amazing.
Simon:It just shows how many auditions you're doing per day.
Arianna:Oh,
Simon:yeah.
Arianna:Yeah, we never know what we book. I mean, unless they say, you booked this role, I walk in most of the time. I mean, you know, there have been sessions where I ask my agent, I'm like, is this the Australian one? And can you check? Because I want to work with a dialect. There's a couple accents where I'm not like... you know it's it's I can do it but then it's I freak out like the like the Scottish one there's like British accents I do all the every day but like yeah Scottish Australian I you know I auditioned for something yesterday that's Australian and I was like oh god if I get this I have to hire my dialects coach because I'm not sure I
Simon:can do it we've kind of touched on it a few times already in this interview but the last question I have got NDAs are a thing but is there anything that you're currently working on that you can talk about and that you're allowed to talk about or is everything that you've got going on already out?
Arianna:I mean, I have a bunch of games not out that I'm still under NDA. I mean, I did do more Cookie Run Kingdom, some other characters in Cookie Run that are reoccurring that are already out. I did that the other day. Um... What do I have? Yeah, everything else is pretty much under NDA. I wish I could talk about that. I can't wait. Yeah, it's like next year. There
Simon:we go. We'll have part two this time next year. Ariana, this has been fantastic and I'm so glad we finally got around to making it happen. Your career has been incredible and I'll continue to follow it with how amazing your work has been. Where can people follow you on social media and where can they check out more of your work?
Arianna:Yeah. Instagram I do I post a lot on Instagram it's just Ariana Ratner on TikTok I'm Ariana Ratner VO and I do post like a lot of educational voiceover TikToks right now and when I when I remember to post it and then yeah just ariana ratner.com is where my website is you can if you're looking to do a character demo I have samples of demos that I've done on my demo production page and then my coaching schedules like my scheduling page on my website so you can check it out Ariana with two N's yeah
Simon:what I like to do I like to leave my guests having the final word of the episode. So you can choose to do that with what you will, you know, whether it be thank the fans and the people that you get to work with. Ariana, once again, thank you for joining us on Gone Gold today.
Arianna:Thank you so much. Yeah, I mean, I encourage people to just explore and figure out what they can do and, you know, take acting classes if you want to get into voiceover because acting is so important. Take improv classes, take from lots of different people who are actively working in If you make a demo, make sure it's directed by someone who works in the industry and not just a demo producer. I mean, a commercial, that's OK. But character work needs to be directed, I feel. So, yeah, just keep going for your dreams and keep and it's a long, long, long game and play the long game and you'll win. There
Simon:we go. Another really fun filled episode here on Gone Gold with an incredible talent. Ariana Ratner is so passionate about what she does. and really likes to bring all that energy to her performances can't wait to see what she's got going on over the next year we spoke a little bit off air as well and she was telling me she couldn't reveal the projects or IP that she was working on but she did tell me there was a lot in the works multiple projects that she can't wait to talk about some that we're not going to hear about until next summer so that's even more exciting so looking forward to seeing what they are and hopefully we'll get Ariana back on for part two thank you for everyone who's tuned into this episode another one in the bag our next episode is the 10th episode already of Gone Gold just flown by we're having the time of our lives got loads of amazing guests lined up can't wait to share those with you as always don't forget to like and subscribe get on to social media Gone Gold show on Twitter or X whatever you're calling it these days Instagram and TikTok where you can see video footage from these interviews so you can see all of these guests that we've had on in video form you'll get clips of various interview pieces on there and some cool quotes and comments and graphics and all that fun stuff so don't forget to go and check it out Gone Gold Show across all of social media if you enjoyed this episode thank you don't forget to again hit that subscribe button leave a comment leave a review hit the like it all helps us climb the charts and get even further and be able to appeal to more guests and that's the big thing here at Gone Well, that's the end. I'm going to leave it right there. Thank you again, everyone who has stayed with us throughout this episode. Episode 10 coming next week and you don't want to miss it. As always, you know what to do. Keep it gone gold.
