In our first OuterWorld Plus spotlight we delve into the fascinating world of American voice acting artistry, featuring the prodigious talents of veteran voice actor Stephen Stanton.
Voice actor Stephen Stanton. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Stanton has lent his distinctive voice to many iconic characters and franchises across multiple projects, most notably voicing one of my personal favorites, Admiral Raddus, in the blockbuster movie Star Wars: Rogue One and the Disney+ streaming series Andor. His prolific Star Wars talents include other roles in the franchise, like Grand Moff Tarkin, Ben Kenobi, and the fan-favorite AP-5 from Star Wars Rebels.
Needelman and Smitty Courtesy of Disney/Pixar
Oh, but his talents don’t stop there; he’s built an extensive library of work beyond the Star Wars franchise, voicing animated works such as Monsters at Work, where he voiced Smitty and Needleman, and the character Pete Puma in the Looney Tunes modern-day production. His most recent work includes the 2024 live-action Wicked movie, voicing Fiyero’s horse opposite actor Jonathan Bailey, where his powerful voice leaves an indelible mark on the listening audience.
Jason Guerrasio, an Entertainment Correspondent of Business Insider, sat down with Stanton way back in 2017 where the veteran voice actor spoke candidly about what actually got him started doing work as Ben Kenobi in Star Wars Rebels.
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm’s StarWars.com
Stanton said that he’s “always toyed” with the Guinness voice since seeing the original Star Wars film on the big screen as a kid, and received the chance to prove his talents in 2004 when he auditioned for the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II (the original 2005 version) and voiced the characters of both Ben Kenobi and Darth Maul.
It wasn’t until a few years later when he received an initial audition that impressed Star Wars creator Dave Filoni, who invited him to record test tracks for a certain character’s appearance. Stanton’s work on the Obi-Wan character in Battlefront led to him officially voicing Guinness again for the “Twin Suns” episode in Rebels.
To land that gig, Stanton just happened to mention that he recorded Kenobi for the game when Filoni asked him to do a little Ben Kenobi voice for him.
“Dave said, ‘Oh, that’s right, you do Ben Kenobi,’” Stanton recalled to Business Insider. “He said, ‘Give me a little Ben Kenobi right now.’ So I was in the room with my castmates and my mind went blank, I could not think of a single line. And then I think it was Vanessa Marshall (Who voices Hera Syndulla on the show) that said, ‘Do that ‘scum and villainy‘ line.’”
He the proceeded to recorded a few times in the booth and waited as Filoni and a few important people on the other side of the recording studio glass talked. Because he had been inside the booth, he couldn’t hear what was being said.
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm and StarWars.com
The session ended with Stanton walking out the door, and Filoni stopping him in his tracks to tell him some splendid news.
“He said, ‘Look, we’ve got this idea, it’s kind of an experiment right now, we’re thinking of doing an episode where we wrap up this confrontation Kenobi has with Darth Maul,’” Stanton said. “But it’s very temporary, we might have you come in and do a temp track.”
Eventually he did get the gig and returned to the studio, and that specific move set off a chain of events that would pay off dearly. His performance as Obi-Wan would end up being legendary for fans across the world and is the most talked-about scene, I believe, in the Star Wars: Rebels series to this day. He positively nailed the Sir Alec Guinness-era Obi-Wan and added nuance and layers to the character that would impress even Guinness himself.
The voice actor said his “biggest satisfaction for doing the Twin Suns episode was seeing the reaction of the fans.” Being a Star Wars fan himself, he didn’t want to let any fan down, and he sure hasn’t. It’s a memorable moment and one that will never be forgotten.
Stephen Stanton on the convention floor dressed as Governor Tarkin. Image courtesy of Stanton’s Facebook page.
Many people would describe Stanton as a “great guy,” a sentiment supported by his many appearances at numerous conventions, where he’s often in costume or just having fun chatting and laughing with his many fans.
Years ago, while writing for Starwarsnewsnet.com, I had the pleasure of interviewing him following a long phone discussion where he spoke about the techniques he used and how he broke into the business of voice acting. Due to legal reasons, I’m unable to use the audio clips from the interview I had with him; however, the conversation was something quite memorable to me.
Stanton took over the voice role for Pete Puma in the 2021 “Looney Tunes Cartoons” series.
In the interview with me several years ago, Stanton told me that childhood exposure to classic cartoon characters was among the things that led him into the world of voice-over. He mentioned how voice acting differs from live-action performance and the complicated process involved in voicing iconic characters. Although I haven’t vocally conversed with him in many years, he has been active in back-and-forth communications with me on social media platforms. I am not one to be googly-eyed with stars, as they’re just people like us. I myself was a child star who acted and appeared in McDonald’s, hand soap, and Amtrak commercials when I was young, so I understand when celebrities just want to be themselves and be looked at as regular folks. When the phone conversation ended, I thanked him for introducing me to his friend who coincidentally knew my wife’s grandfather and his legacy in the Hollywood film industry. That was something special and meant a lot to my wife; she still talks about it to this day. All this kindness and more is why Stephen Stanton deserves to be recognized in the Spotlight.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Staton’s Facebook Page
Did I mention that he’s supported various causes, including environmental organizations like Ocean Recovery Alliance and the Hong Kong Clean Air Network through fundraising events, the 100 Club Houston, which aids families of emergency service workers, and the Starlight children’s foundation, which tops the cake.
Stanton once said to StarWars.com that being a part of Star Wars and its legacy is something special to him.
“to be a part of Star Wars, it seems like a dream because it’s something that happened so long ago when I was a kid. It’s almost hard to imagine that it’s still going and stories are still being told this many years later, and that it’s a part of my work and part of what I have been able to contribute to with my work. Dream come true, I think, is how you quantify that.”
While many may not have heard of this legendary voice actor, chances are you’ve almost certainly have heard his voice somewhere across the vast universe of film, television, streaming, audio books, gaming, and more. Stanton has several upcoming voice acting projects the rest of 2025 and into 2026, that you won’t want to miss. Check out his website for more at www.StephenStantononline.com.
The OuterWorld Plus spotlight is on you, sir, and may the Force be with you…
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