Voice actor hasn’t spoken in her real voice for 17 years

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

A voice actor who hasn’t spoken in her “real voice” for 17 years says she finds "tween boys" the most fun to play.

Tawny Platis, 33, keeps her own "childlike" higher pitched voice under wraps and instead speaks in a slightly lower tone - apart from with her closest family and friends.

She was encouraged to start acting as a child as she was “scared of people.”

She found a passion for the job and did her first voiceover for a local radio station aged just six.

Now Tawny’s voice has featured in thousands of adverts, audio books and independent animated films.

Tawny, a voice actor, from San Diego, Calif., said: “I have a childlike high-pitched voice.

“I was told ‘no one is ever going to take you seriously’.

“It’s been a habit I’ve been doing since I was 16.

“We all have these masks we put up.”

Tawny had struggled with her confidence and still refers to herself as shy now.

She said: "I was really scared of people.

"My mom put me into acting to socialize me - to make me comfortable."

Tawny found herself enjoying imitating and doing impressions of characters in films and on TV - and loved it.

She continued her voiceover work part-time while working in retail before she decided to take it full time aged 26.

Now she has appeared in countless adverts such as the "want a break from the ads" voice on music streaming platforms, and independent animations such as Garbage People.

Tawny said: "On streaming music I went 'want a break from the ads'. That's been me before.

"That's a fun one. People will say I think I heard you.

"Sometimes it takes me a while to realize it's me. It takes me a second to realize 'I did that.'

"I recognize the script not the voice."

Tawny says a young teenage boy is the best character to play.

She said: "Tween - younger teen boy - is my absolute favorite. I wish I got to play boys more.

"It's fun and reminds me of my childhood a lot."

She also featured in an audio book called Lies in Bone by Natalie Symons - which enjoyed as it moved away from her usual "deadpan and sarcastic" voice.

Despite her job, Tawny is very reserved in real life.

She said: "I'm pretty introverted.

"I'm very shy naturally."