Admit it: You have a certain idea in your head about what it means to be an actor on a “kids’ show”—and it’s probably not a great one.
But just because your audience is younger does not mean kids’ shows aren’t as good an opportunity as any other to create a fully-formed performance and character.
Still not sold? Maybe Carroll Spinney will change your mind. You may better know the actor by his “Sesame Street” counterpart Big Bird, a role he originated and has played since 1969, and one he himself heavily influenced.
In an interview with the New York Times, Spinney recalls being asked originally to portray the bird as “a funny, dumb country yokel.” However, just a few episodes in, he saw another road for his character and voiced it to producers. “I said, ‘I think I should play him like he’s a child, a surrogate,’ ” he said. “He can be all the things that children are. He can learn with the kids.”
Spinney, who additionally voices Oscar the Grouch, recently announced his retirement from the series after nearly 50 years. His legacy, though—that’s not going anywhere.
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