Marvin Way

Back in 2023, for Comic Con Africa, I had the privilege of meeting voice and on-screen actor Jeff Teräväinen. We’ve remained in touch and Jeff has helped me as a writer.

So I decided, why not interview him professionally?

Read on for the in-depth questions and exciting answers.

Q. What made you want to start acting?

A. I always wanted to be an actor. I remember anytime we went to the movies, my brother and I would act out scenes and expand out what we just watched. It was always in my plan to try it. But for many years, I was in music. I had hoped, like many singers and musicians, to get some opportunities down the road.

Q. What was your journey like breaking into the acting scene?

A. My journey is still going. It’s strange; you’re always having to prove yourself. On one hand I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the same producers and directors over and over again because they like something in me and we enjoy working together. On the other hand, there are casting directors who have yet to bring me into the room.

You get yourself in a successful show as one of the main characters, or were a lead in a movie or something, and you think “OK surely this will open those doors?!” It’s a strange business.

Thankfully, and I truly mean thankfully, I’ve had a great career in voice work—commercials, documentaries, video games, etc. I love it, but it also keeps me from being desperate to go out for roles just for money. I just keep trying to do the best I can with every audition and keep working with my love of acting. And when things go right, it’s such an incredible feeling.

Q. What would be one thing in the film/entertainment industry that most people would find surprising?

A. Surprising? That’s a tough question. I think for one thing a lot of people believe actors in film and TV are living like rock stars. Most actors don’t make a living wage. They supplement by working in jobs that they can get out last minute, etc. From auditions to things like bartending, for example.

Even actors you’ll see on television. A lot are usually just making scale, which is a decent wage for a day, but that actor might not work again till next year. It’s a really fickle business. Of course some actors are killing it in terms of money and opportunity, but behind every one of those, there’s a zillion guys just wanting to get one day on the show.

I know during the SAG strike there were lots of people in the public moaning about the “poor actors” and how they “didn’t know what it was like to work because they’re all rich” etc. But nothing could be farther from the truth. You really have to love the business, because you’re gonna be doing a lot of auditions and not landing them to get that one role.

Q. You’ve mentioned to me before that you don’t consider yourself a celebrity. Does fame and people recognising your name make you react in any specific way?

A. I definitely don’t consider myself a celebrity. I’m someone who loves history and geography. I’ve always been obsessed with that kind of stuff. When I think about someone knowing who I am in, for example, say, Belgium, it freaks me out. I mean, in a good way.

One of my favorite things I did was a Christmas movie called the Christmas Chronicles with Kurt Russell. It’s become a staple for homes all over the world. I know people that love that movie and don’t even realize it’s me in it but I love being a part of their Christmas and I do have to admit when someone does recognize me from it. It’s a good feeling but hey. Tomorrow, I’ll be in the garage breaking down boxes to take out the recycling. I’m just an actor!

Q. You’ve acted in films of different genres. What would be your favourite genre of them all?

A. I would love to do two things so badly. One is comedy… This year I was set to star in what could’ve potentially been an amazing comedy. However, our government changed the tax laws and the investors pulled out the next day. What a tragedy both for me, obviously, and for all the people who put so much into this production. Hopefully I’ll get another shot at a comedy.

The other thing is: I would love to do a serious war movie like Band of Brothers or Black Hawk Down. Something like that that would be a dream.

Q. You’ve tackled both voice acting and on-screen acting. What do you think sets the two apart

A. Voice and on camera are very different disciplines. But they do, of course, share a few things here and there.

On camera, you have to be off book, and you have to land on your marks, and find the light, and all the other sayings.

If you’re doing a voice for animation or something like that, you just have to find the character and perform. The same with narrating. You want to get a sense of what you’re talking about and how you want to convey it.

On one hand that sounds like it’s a lot easier, but there’s also nowhere to hide in the performance. It’s basically what you put out there on the mic. So yeah, two different disciplines but both really fun.

Q. What do you find most challenging about transitioning between voice acting and on-screen work?

A. No real issue in terms of transitioning between the two. They both will have their challenges and in most cases, that’s a fun thing.

Q. Was there a particular role you acted in that makes you feel “Wow. I made it.”

A. I don’t know if I ever thought I made it, but I have felt I guess close to that. I remember I was suddenly a recurring character on the shows 12 Monkeys and Dark Matter. At the same time, I had booked a recurring spot on this crime drama I forgot the name of. And a Hallmark movie with Brooke Shields. They were in three different cities far away from each other, and I could not believe my good fortune.

At the same time, I was the voice of Hyundai in Canada, among other things. So I was busy, busy, busy. That’s the closest to me thinking I’ve made it.

The hardest part of all that was facial hair. Each show needed a different level of it for continuity. I remember in between shoot days, experimenting and tracking how much my beard grew so I could have it perfect for the next shooting day. Funny how that was such a challenge!!

I guess also I became a series regular on other shows, but unfortunately, the shows never took off. But you always go in with high hopes.

Q. To end us off, do you have any tips for young actors trying to make a name for themselves?

A. I get asked this a lot and I often joke. Don’t do anything I did. One main thing I always say is training, and these days you can learn so much on the Internet. There are so many videos right from the SAG website, etc. About acting and about the business of it. How to source agents and managers.

There’s nothing like knowledge to get you out of a jam or get you into a good place. I think being a good person can help because let’s face it. There’s a lot of competition, and if someone knows you’re a good actor, or at least confident, but more importantly, you’re a fun person to work with for a month or whatever, that can only help.

I’m proud that that’s something I’ve heard over the years many times. Even recently a producer wrote me telling me how hard he was pushing me for a role because if he’s going to be stuck in Northern Ontario for two months. He wanted to be with good people. That really made me happy reading that.

So be open to things and have fun. It’s infectious. If you do happen to land something, know how lucky you are because the competition can be pretty fierce. I honestly believe in most cases if you give good vibes, they’ll come right back at you!

Final Thoughts

Jeff answered my questions brilliantly, and I learned a lot from this interview. The acting world, and film world in general, is a crazy place.

In the end, work hard and be a good person. It’ll take you far!