All Engines Go Wiki:Exclusives/Charlie Zeltzer Interview

**Wiki Admin, JacobHayes1, has been in contact with US/CAN voice actor, Charlie Zeltzer, via email for another new exclusive interview here on the Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go Wikia!**

**1. So, to start us off, how does it feel to play one of the leading characters for such a massive franchise like Thomas & Friends?**

I feel really lucky, and it's so much fun! Honestly though, the real reason I enjoy it is not because it's a large franchise, but because I get to meet a bunch of really cool people, and can do what I love most, entertaining.

**2. Next up, were you ever familiar with the original Thomas & Friends series before you became the voice of Percy in All Engines Go?**

Yes. My little sister used to love watching it. While I liked the trivia they included, I always tended to enjoy cartoons with music and singing even more. I would have definitely enjoyed watching the new Thomas & Friends with her because it's so entertaining.

**3. From what I've seen, you’ve done lots of work for musical theatre, and I'd like to know, what has it been like to perform for these kinds of shows?**

Well, you wouldn't know this, but my first professional theatre production was a Mirvish play that ended getting cancelled over COVID. I was so upset, but then this year, I got to be part of the Mirvish Production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"! I have always loved the music from Joseph and when I heard I was going to be able to perform in it, I was ecstatic! Joseph was more intense than anything I'd ever done before. We rehearsed almost every day for weeks, and then we preformed 8 shows a week! In total, I did over 80 shows. Theatre gave me a lot of confidence, especially in dancing. I also loved meeting so many new people who had the same interests as me, and we had so much fun together. At my school this year, I played Charlie Brown in our production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". Even though this wasn't a professional production, I enjoyed it so much. I made friends with kids from other grades, and now we chat all the time. When you do theatre, the cast becomes like a family. I love seeing what all my fellow theatre nerds are up to and cheering them on.

**4. Next, did you ever audition for any other characters besides Percy?**

I have auditioned for and voiced characters in a number of other animated series, but Percy was the only role I auditioned for in Thomas & Friends. However, a fun fact is that when I auditioned, I didn't even know I was auditioning for Thomas & Friends! They hid the name of the show and the character (Percy was called "Tom-Tom") so there were no spoilers that a new Thomas was being created. When my agent called to tell me I booked the part, he told me it was for Thomas & Friends, and I couldn't believe it!

**5. When it comes to the voice acting process, how long does voice acting an episode, or few usually take for you?**

Why don't I walk you through my process! Usually, I get the scripts about a week in advance. I like to read through them and highlight my lines. Then closer to the recording date, I practice out loud a few times and try the lines in different ways, until I feel I have the best performance of the line. Sometimes, I practice my lines in a few different ways so I can give the director options. If I have a song to learn, I like to listen to it a few times and then sing along with it until I know it. I almost always have the song stuck in my head after that!

When I record the episode, I am usually in the studio for about 2 hours, but sometimes, it can go up to 4 hours. Sometimes, I have to re-record some lines from an episode when I return to the studio to record a new episode. Those are called "pickups".

**6. Aside from voice acting, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?**

In my spare time, I'm actually a coding nerd! So far, I've learned 2 coding languages, and I hope to learn more! I also play Ultimate Frisbee and this year, I'm taking tap dancing lessons which is so much fun. I also read. A LOT. I love books about mythology and historical fiction.

**7. Here's a question we typically ask in these interviews, what would you say is your favorite episode and/or song in All Engines Go?**

Oooooooooh... this is a difficult one! My favorite episode is actually one that hasn't come out yet, so you'll have to stay tuned... but my second favorite is probably Capture the Flag from way back in Season 1. It also happens to have my favorite song too! The Mail Delivery Song!

**8. Next, what do you think is the funniest line that you've said as Percy?**

This is a really difficult one! Percy makes a ton of hilarious jokes, so I can only narrow it down to a scene. There's a scene in Nia's Surprising Surprise where Percy is trying to cover up Nia's surprise part and that script made me laugh so much it was hard to get the words out. For example, Nia tells Percy that show loves his delivery of purple balloons, because purple is her favorite color, and Percy goes "Oh! Um... they're not purple, they're um... dark violet!"

**9. Now here's an interesting question: As a child actor, how do you balance out school with work?**

Honestly, I'm very lucky. I've always had supportive teachers who are willing to give me extensions and work with my parents and my on-set tutors to help me stay on top of my work.

Also, when I'm recording for Thomas & Friends, I don't live far from the studio, so I can go there, do my thing, and get back to school!

**10. And now for our final question, what would you say is the best part about being part of the All Engines Go team?**

Doing what I love. Like I said before, I do Thomas for no reason other than I love it. Other kids may find soccer or video games the definition of a good time, but for me, it's just getting in the studio and preforming.

**Note from JacobHayes1: I want to give a massive thank you to Charlie Zeltzer for taking his time for being part of this interview. It's so brilliant to see all the answers that he gave to our questions, and we at the All Engines Go Wikia staff very much appreciate their contribution. I also understand that this interview seems a lot shorter than most others, but please understand that Charlie is only a child, and we did not want to overwhelm him with too many questions, especially ones that seem either too complex or too long to answer. Nevertheless, we hope you all enjoyed this interview!**

*Note: All opinions expressed in interviews belong solely to the crew or cast member interviewed, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of All Engines Go or Mattel Television.*