Imagine turning on the TV and seeing a character speaking in your own voice. That’s a reality for 10-year-olds Mia SwamiNathan and Athan Giazitzidis, who are both from Toronto, Ontario. Mia voices a kitten named Mittens and Athan voices a puppy named Pants on the CBC Gem live-action series Mittens & Pants.
They recently finished recording the second season of the show, started streaming Monday. Now that the second season has launched, the two shared with us some of their favourite moments as well as tips for other kids who want to get into voice acting.
What’s the show all about?
Mittens & Pants follows a pair of kitten and puppy besties as they have adventures in their town of Kibble Corners.
Mia and Athan voice Mittens and Pants, a real kitten and puppy. The show is live action, meaning it uses real animals rather than animated characters, like you’d see in cartoons. Along the way, the duo interacts with other animal friends, like Mayor Sourdough the frog and DJ Swimfins the goldfish, as they learn to embrace each other’s differences.
“This show celebrates the differences among all the animals of Kibble Corners and I love that,” said Athan in an email to CBC Kids News. Although Athan and Mia are best friends on the show, they recorded nearly all of their lines separately, at different times in the recording studio.
Mia and Athan recorded nearly all of their lines at separate times. It was a special moment for both of them when they finally met in person. They both said it was really special when they finally met in person. Mia said she’s just blown away that her voice is on TV. “The first time I got to see Mittens on the big screen and see the character I was voicing was a special memory,” said Mia.
Tips for kids who want to get into voice acting
So how can you also have that experience of turning on the TV and hearing your own voice?
Voice acting jobs are often posted online by casting agencies or sent directly to actors who have an agent representing them.
An agent is someone whose job it is to find work for actors and other people in the entertainment industry.
If you meet the description for an acting job, you or your agent can contact the casting agency to see if they want you to audition.
Here are some tips from Mia and Athan on how to nail that audition.
Mia’s tips:
- Be confident in your auditions.
- Practice reading your scripts so you are prepared and know all the words.
- Have fun. Don’t be afraid to be silly and always try your best!
Athan’s tips:
- Make sure you are passionate about acting and voice acting. It requires a lot of commitment, energy and enthusiasm.
- Make sure you are flexible with change and be OK with not getting a role you audition for. There are so many auditions you will do, but most of the time you won't get the part.
- Find an awesome agent.
Mittens & Pants streaming now
Season 2 launches on CBC Gem on July 3 (four episodes available each Monday).
It premiers on CBC-TV July 10, with one episode airing daily from Monday to Thursday.
