People are always saying that I must have been the class clown, with all these voices. No, I was way too shy to be the class clown; I was a class clown's writer.
Tom KennyYou have to remember we're just performers, that we seldom have any kind of grasp on real life.
Tom KennySpongeBob is a good role model as far as imaginary creatures go. He works hard and his emotional highs are very high, he's either giddy or utterly devastating and crying like a lawnsprinkler... SpongeBob is bipolar.
Tom KennyObviously as a kid, for probably anybody who chose animation voiceover as a career in their adult life, Mel Blanc was the touchstone for everybody. He kind of invented the job and was the first voice actor to get onscreen credit.
Tom KennyI never thought of myself as an impressionist, so when I do audition for voice-matching things, I have to work really hard and do a lot of listening and trial-and-error.
Tom KennyThere's a lot of kids' shows that are really popular ratings-wise, but they don't sell a lot of stuff. A character on a backpack just doesn't have the same appeal as watching it on TV.
Tom KennyI don't have confidence in my instincts, and I feel like I have to go through a very right-brain and left-brain process.
Tom Kenny