December’s Voice Talent of The Month Deborah Braun

Tell us a little bit about yourself. You were born and raised in Switzerland. It’s a beautiful country. Why did you come to the U.S.?

I grew up in Switzerland and lived in a little village of 118 people until I was 10 years old. I came to NYC when I was 18 through a scholarship from New York University’s acting program. After graduating, I moved to Germany to work on German television, but returned to the US. I am here because I love the personal freedom of NYC!

Like many Europeans, I'm sure you speak several languages. Which ones do you speak?

My mother tongue is German. I also speak French and Italian, which is common for most Swiss people.

How did you get started in voice-over?

When I started out in acting, I did work on several shows and films, but my German accent was still very strong. I thought in order to get more work, I would have to become more American, so I studied phonetics. This helped out a lot. My English really improved. I think I can even sound pretty American today, if I'm not too tired. However, the next thing that came to pass was completely contrary to my own expectations or plans. An agent of mine, who knew that I spoke German sent me to a voice-over audition. I got the job and have now been working in voice-over ever since. It was a great lesson. I was trying to eliminate the part of me that ended up being the biggest asset in my career. I thought my accent was standing in the way of success, when it was what would get me the most work.

Tell us about your work in film dubbing? Is it a difficult job?

I used to do dubbing, back in the days when the text spoken still had to be matched to the pictures on the screen. That was difficult. Today the synching is mostly done digitally, after the recording is done. But it is a lot of fun. I once dubbed a film with a famous actress who is the German voice of Miss Piggy!

What other type of voice work do you do?

I also do voices for cartoons, which I love to do, It is fun because in that world all sorts of real and made up accents are required and encouraged.

I understand you teach Kabbalah. Most people had no idea what Kabbalah was until Madonna announced that she was studying it. From what I know that’s an ancient form of Jewish mysticism. Am I correct? Tell us about Kabbalah, what is it and why is it having such a resurgence?

Yes, I teach Kabbalah at a beautiful center in NYC, called Universal Force Healing Center at 7 W 24th street. Universal Kabbalah is divine spiritual wisdom. It is not religious Jewish or Christian mysticism. Universal or Practical Kabbalah is a study of man, or the microcosm in relation to the universe, the macrocosm. It intends to raise our consciousness and reconnect us with the heart.

What are some current acting projects you are working on?

I am working on an independent film. I'm playing a yoga instructor in a comedy about yoga. I'm not really sure I can even call it acting, since the part seems to be very similar to me. I also do translation. I have already translated a few books.