Morty Smith, Rick Sanchez
Everett
The duo behind Rick and Morty’s new voice actors are breaking their public silence about what it was like taking over two of cartoons’ most beloved characters.
Ian Cardoni (Rick) and Harry Belden (Morty) beat out thousands of potential candidates vying to take on the title roles, previously voiced by series co-creator Justin Roiland before he was ousted from the series in January . Below, the previously unknown actors reveal their behind-the-scenes journey, from their first auditions to the struggle of getting their respective characters’ voices through to dealing with fandom backlash. Even though they’ve been in the roles for months now, Cardoni and Belden seemed like two exuberant Rick and Morty superfans during an interview over Zoom last week who still feel like they just won the lottery.
“It was super surreal waking up every day,” Belden says. “In the first month [after landing the role]I actually kept asking my girlfriend if that really happened and if I was actually the new Morty. It is indescribable and brings great joy to always have the realization: “Yes, this is real, that you are playing a character that you have watched and loved for years and of which you are a big fan.”
So tell me a little about your respective backgrounds.
Belden: I’ve done some voiceover work, mostly commercials. Most of my work has been in Chicago theater and I’ve played the odd role in a few Chicago shows – like “Chicago Fire” or “Chicago Med.” So doing full-fledged voiceover work for animated characters is a new world for me.
Cardoni: I was born and raised in Boston. Started acting at a very young age. In recent years I have worked primarily as an actress and voice actress – mostly in advertising. But doing voices and impressions and creating characters was always something I did for fun.
So when you first heard that Justin was stepping down and that the Rick and Morty producers were looking for new voice actors, what was the first thing each of you thought?
Belden: “I have to get into it.” I emailed my agent and said, “If you have any requests for this Rick and Morty thing, I’m good Rick and Morty, so I’d like to be considered and them Send my things.”
So you have already practiced singing the parts yourself.
Belden: Oh yeah. I think like most fans, I did Rick and Morty impressions with my friends for fun. And over time I guess I did it so many times that it became something that I thought I could actually do.
Cardoni: The same thing. I already had an impression reel that I gave to my managers that included the voices of Rick and Morty. But as Harry mentioned, it was, “Wow, this could be a great opportunity, I think I could do those voices.”
Ian Cardoni Everett; Courtesy of Adult Swim
So you both chose both roles.
Belden: Most Rick and Morty fans don’t just imitate any of them. Ian and I laughed because I thought my Rick was a lot stronger than my Morty, which shows how much I know.
Cardoni: And I thought during the audition that my Morty was getting stronger. So during the process, we were both up for either.
How were those early auditions for you, Ian, compared to other voiceover work you’ve done?
Cardoni: This audition was definitely different than any other audition I’ve done in the past, just because of the length. My first submission for this was in mid-February [I got the role] At the beginning of June. In between there were many casting rounds. Typical of auditions is that you do the work and then wait for an answer while you try to put it out of your mind and move on with your life. But it took many laps to get closer and closer to the possibility, and I found it increasingly difficult to contain my excitement.
And Harry, what were they like for you, having never done this before?
Belden: Very similar to what Ian described. It was definitely the longest and most intense audition process I’ve ever been a part of, but it was also the most fun. The people running the auditions kept throwing us curveballs – things you’d never hear from these characters – just to see if we could stay in the role.
Co-creator Dan Harmon and showrunner Scott Marder told us they walked you through this rigorous and grueling process, trying to nail every possible nuance. What are examples of some of these curveballs?
Belden: Like: “What if Morty just channeled Rick here?” “What if Morty wasn’t quite so submissive, but was really dominant and angry here?” “What if he was a little cold and calculating, “Like a certain Morty who wears an eye patch?” You could tell they were having a lot of fun with us.
Cardoni: There was a session with Scott where I had to make an adjustment to Chris Parnell’s character, who was voicing his half of a combined being. This is a skill that allows you to adjust existing animations, but also the timing of another actor, without that actor being there. They also brought in a vocal coach toward the end to work with before we were cast. This showed me that, as rigorous and stressful as this process was, they were looking out for us. It was a taste of how supportive they were and how conscious they were of not hurting or exaggerating our voices.
I’m imagining one of those old-fashioned audition hallways, except it’s full of young men murmuring their impressions of “Rick and Morty” and waiting their turn to enter the room. Please tell me this happened.
Cardoni: If you imagine Ricks’ Citadel, it’s not far away. But these were just remote auditions until the end.
Belden: So just imagine a Zoom waiting room full of people in yellow t-shirts and lab coats.
What did you think your chances of getting the role were when you went through that?
Belden: I don’t think about things like that. I can’t think about that.
Cardoni: I kept coming back to how excited I was as a fan to have the chance to step into this role and be able to say, “Wow, I could step into the shoes of this iconic character that I’ve known for years.”
Belden: I just thought, “No matter what happens from here on out, I can always tell people that I get to audition for Rick and Morty,” and that’s pretty cool.
Harry Belden Everett; Courtesy of Adult Swim
You’re too mentally healthy for Hollywood. What was it like when you got the role?
Cardoni: I remember getting the call from my agents and luckily my wife was there to make sure I didn’t fall over. It was an exciting moment, a dream come true as an actor and as a fan.
Belden: This is literally a dream come true – I’m pretty sure I’ve had this dream before in my life [to do this show]. My agents actually tricked me. They said, “We have this weird project, can you Zoom with us?” I’ve been with them for six years and they never wanted to Zoom with me. I told my friend and she had some idea what was going on and was listening in on the Zoom. As soon as they told me, my friend was completely sobbing. Then when I saw her crying, I thought, “Oh, that’s real, I heard her right.”
And what was it like getting to know each other?
Belden: I was so excited. We’d heard each other’s names and the producers kept joking that they were purposely keeping us apart for as long as possible just to drive each other crazy. When I first met Ian I felt like I already knew him because I had heard so much about him and overheard some of his lines. It was like meeting someone I’ve known for a long time.
Cardoni: This was evident by how often he called me “Grandpa.”
The comments were endless – mostly praise for the new voices and in some cases criticism. How was that for you?
Cardoni: I try to avoid that. My focus was on giving the best voice I can. I avoid going down any rabbit holes online. As a fan, I know that this show touches people all over the world and that the characters mean a lot to fans. I share this love for the series and care about the character. Rick wants to do my best and is with me every time I record something.
Belden: I’m not allowed to view the online comments. My girlfriend won’t let me. So I had blinders on throughout the whole process. I completely understand that people are nervous. Change is scary, especially with something so iconic that many people love. But no one will be a tougher critic than you. That’s why I strive to be the best Morty I can be.
Speaking of your own critic, is there an aspect of your performance that you still feel like you’re trying to get right?
Belden: If I start focusing on tiny aspects of my voice, I will drive myself crazy. I’ll leave it to Scott and [producer] I want Steve Levy to tell me when something’s wrong and then I’ll work on it.
Cardoni: When we record, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Everyone on the team listens and gives advice. One thing I have to say is that I listened to the earlier tapes from earlier in the summer that were still in the editing stage and I could say, “Hey, I think I can do what I told you earlier.” “I’ve got one more try?” I’ve definitely gotten used to a way of working that makes the voice more accessible. So we’re constantly improving and growing and listening and hoping to grow with the show.
Belden: Our vocal coach compares vocal cords to muscles and something we train week after week. So if you listen to our first recording sessions compared to nine weeks later, you can see a big difference and that our voices have become much stronger and more comfortable in these roles.
What aspect was the most difficult to implement for each of your characters?
Cardoni: I’m sure you mean the singing, but more than the voice itself, it does justice to the text we were given. Everything in the script is so conscious and intentional. We don’t always know exactly where the story is going, but there is a story that we are responsible for telling, and every time I record something, that is the primary responsibility for me. But vocally, I understood during an early session that I had to be more of an asshole to the other characters. My big challenge was to open up this side of myself to access the parts of me that live inside Rick and vice versa.
Belden: The writing style of the series is so tight and precise that I read the scripts and get lost in the story. It’s a challenge to remind myself, “You might want to do it this one way, but let’s make sure we explore all possibilities.” For me, vocally, it was the F-word. When I heard the “u” my voice dropped slightly. So I spent dozens of hours dropping thousands of F-bombs and practicing the F-word over and over again. What also surprised me about Morty is how complex he is as a character. When I read the scripts, I could imagine Morty playing a scene in so many different ways. There was a pretty long scene between Rick and Morty that we did in different ways because we really didn’t know how Morty would react most honestly. So we tried one that was caring and kind and another that was confrontational and angry, and then thought, “Both are great.” I don’t know which one we’ll end up using.
You mentioned meeting the other producers. Dan Harmon told us he largely avoided the hiring process and didn’t even want to meet the new voice actors. [“I was removed from it until the late stages — and part of that was a selfish emotional conflict on my part — but it ended up helping us because of the scientific practicality of the process,” he said. “It was very difficult, even in my short time at the end of this assembly line, where your ears very quickly get so confused when you’re trying to tell the difference between a 9.5 and a 9.7 on a ‘Does this sound like my friend?’ scale … I didn’t want to even know their names.”] But you met him at some point, right?
Cardoni: We met Dan for the first time this summer and saw him again at the premiere. So we had some time to chat with him and he’s just as supportive as everyone else on the show and a real collaborator.
Without giving anything away, the final episode left things in a pretty interesting place. What can you say about the future?
Cardoni: I think the final episode leaves a lot of questions about where these characters could go. I think the only thing I would say is that there are some pretty exciting places the story will take us. There are some excellent adventures that I think fans will really enjoy, and new twists.
Belden: The seventh season is the best Rick and Morty has ever had – the writing is top notch. We felt so welcomed by the production people working on the show, but also by the fans, and the online community was so warm and supportive. We just want to say “thank you”.