The voice of Donatello in 2003's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Starscream in Transformers: War For Cybertron and Spider-Man in the recently released video game The Amazing Spider-Man reflects on his roles and experiences after the jump.

"Getting TMNT was life-changing. I grew up watching the original series, and Donatello was always my favorite turtle -- come on, he does machines! So to BE Donnie for a new generation of fans was incredibly rewarding. It's awesome to know that for kids who grew up watching our show, I'll always be their Don."

"Well, both characters are a mix of nerdy brains and heroic brawn, so in that sense there are similarities. And, of course, both guys get to do a lot of fighting. But I feel like Peter Parker has at his core an insecurity (and a deep sadness) that Donatello doesn't have. I tried to make Peter more nuanced and varied, since he's the only character on screen for most of the game... whereas Donatello's voice is more consistent, since he's part of a quartet of teammates with four distinct sounds. One's a solo act and the other is part of an ensemble. So the voice has to reflect that. Does that make sense?"

"Big time. The list of actors who've played this character is long and mighty. And mad props to all the Spideys who have come before me (and will surely come after). For this game, I tried not to think about it too much, and just focused on bringing my own spin to the web-head. Every fan is gonna have their "favorite" voice -- and it might not be me -- but I hope gamers will see that I approached the character with sincerity, honesty and enthusiasm. In the end, that's all an actor can do!"

"Cursing. Lots and lots of cursing. No, just kidding. I don't know if it's "never" been heard before, but for this game the designers at Beenox spent a lot of time making the player feel close to the action. The third-person camera is VERY tight on Spidey, so we tried to match that near perspective with subtle breaths, grunts, and dialog throughout the action. I've played it, and it's a pretty immersive experience."

"Well, the coolest part of this gig was that I got to do the MOCAP for Peter/Spider-man as well. So it's not just my voice you're hearing -- it's my body moving around the screen. For the mocap shoots there was a lot of rehearsal and blocking that went into each scene. And I had to be in pretty good shape too! I'm sure I still have bruises from some of the action sequences..."

"Write? No. But the team from Beenox let me improvise a bit in the voiceover sessions. Little quips here and there. I think some of 'em made it into the game!"

"Most video games are vocally demanding -- there's all kinds of grunting and yelling you have to do -- but Starscream is ten times harder. I mean, the guy has the word "scream" in his name. Pretty much every other line was top-of-my-lungs, so those sessions were brutal. However, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. He's such a fun character, and it's an incredible franchise to be a part of. I'm one lucky actor."

"Nothing is announced on that front yet. All I can say is that, like you, I'm eagerly awaiting the release date!"

"We voice actors get this question a lot, and there's no one "right" answer, unfortunately. If you talk to 10 actors, you'll get 10 different stories about how they got their start. My only advice would be try to focus more on the process than the results. Go out there and study your craft, take classes, become a good actor, meet other actors, throw yourself into it, try new things, do your best... and have fun. Making a living at it will come later. At the beginning, it can be challenging, but as long as you're enjoying yourself on the journey, it'll be worth it."



Sam Riegel has voiced many characters over the past couple of years but most animation fans probably know him as Donatello in 2003'sand various TMNT video games afterwards. His most recently released project was being Peter Parker in thevideo game. Below, he talks about what the experience was like to voice each of these characters and more.