James Daniel Corleto On Advice To Voice Actors And Working On ‘Harley Quinn’ Series

This young actor is amazing!

With several voice acting roles under his belt, James Daniel Corleto is quickly building up an impressive acting resume. You may also recognize his voice from his recent role in the Warner Bros animated ‘Harley Quinn’ series.

We had the amazing honor of talking with James on his favorite childhood shows, Jim Cummings, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to become a voice actor?

J: “I always had an appreciation for animation and the actors that voiced the characters. But, I never thought of it as a possibility until I met with my agency. One of my theatrical agents, who is now also my VO agent, Alicia Beekman, asked if I had any interest and if would like to try. I said yes and ended up booking my very first audition as a guest star on Super Wings. I had so much fun recording that first episode and I just fell in love with voice over. I knew that I wanted to do this forever.”

You recently voiced the character ‘Benicio’ in the ‘Harley Quinn’ series. What was that experience like for you? Are you a fan of the DC universe?

J: “Voicing Benicio on Harley Quinn was an incredible experience. I worked with a really amazing voice director named Sirena Irwin. She made the process so fun. I feel very lucky to have a part in a show with an all star cast. And, yes I am a big fan of superheroes and the DC Universe. Batman is my favorite, so it made it extra special to play the Joker’s son.”

You’ve also done quite a bit of theatre work. Do you think that you would pursue physical acting more in the future?

J: “I would absolutely pursue more work in theatre. While I love all kinds of performing, there is a certain energy that you only get from a live theatre audience. I love to feel that energy and let my performance feed off of it. And of course it is extra special because I like to perform to make people happy. And in theatre you actually get to see the smiles on the faces of the people you are performing for.”

Are there any voice actors you look up to?

J: “There are so many voice actors that I look up to, but if I had to name a couple right off the top of my head I would have say Jim Cummings, who is probably best known as the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and John Ratzenberger, who has voiced so many Pixar movies but is probably best known for the voice of Hamm from Toy Story. Both of them are so diverse and have voiced so many of the animated characters that I have grown up with.”

Do you have any advice for kids who also want to pursue a career in voice acting?

J: “The first thing I would advise any kids interested in pursuing a career in voice acting is to watch cartoons. Watch lots of cartoons. But, don’t just watch them, listen to them and how the actors use their voices to bring the characters to life. And the second thing I would advise them to do is to take lots of voice over classes with great voice over coaches. You need to just keep learning and working on your craft.”

 When not voice acting, what are some of your favorite things to do?

J: “Well my other passion is singing. I love to sing. But when I am not voice acting or singing I love to spend time with my family and little brother Hunter, who is my best friend. We go hiking, and love swimming and boogieboarding at the beach, skateboarding, bike riding and going to amusement parks.”

Do you have a child favorite cartoon?

J: “There are a lot that I grew up watching and really like. But, if I had to pick one or two I would say the animated feature film Peter Pan, and because I liked that so much Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I also really enjoyed Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

J: “On social media I can be found on Instagram at @jdrockstarr or I can be found on my website jamesdanielcorleto.com.”