One of my pet theories about acting is that at least half of the work an actor does is with his voice. That’s why the ranks of great leading men are filled with exceptionally powerful and wonderful voices (think George Clooney and Paul Newman and Russell Crowe and Alec Baldwin). British actors tend to use their voices to even better effect–probably because they pay more attention to the language. You show me a great Brit leading man and I’ll show you a truly great voice. (See: John Gielgud, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Bernard Hill, Brian Cox, Geoffrey Palmer–you get the picture.) Tolkien was obsessed with the power of voice throughout his Lord of the Rings series, particularly in the person of Saruman the White. Saruman’s voice is so powerful, we’re told, that it is able to suggest and shape the actions and thoughts of men. Here’s Tolkien’s description of “The Voice of Saruman”:
Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.