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David Menkin on being an out voiceover artist, vampire crushes, and handsome Norwegians
Menkin voices Luke Skywalker in the latest Lego Star Wars game, which means we can (unofficially) claim the iconic hero is gay now!
Sure, you might recognize David Menkin’s face—but we guarantee you know his voice.
For over 20 years, the Norwegian-born actor has been a prolific voiceover artist for film, television, and video games. He’s lent his talents to everything from anthropomorphic construction vehicles on Bob The Builder to a vengeful viking in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
He even voices Luke Skywalker in the latest Lego Star Wars video game, which means we can (unofficially) claim the iconic hero is gay now!
Menkin has also appeared in a number of high-profile on-screen projects, working opposite fellow legends like Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins and Tom Hanks in A Hologram For The King.
Though he’s never hidden his queerness, it wasn’t until a profile in Gayming Magazine last month that he publicly spoke about his sexuality, opening up about representation and how he finds commonality with all of his roles, gay or otherwise.
In light of that interview, we knew we wanted to learn all we could about Menkin and his incredible career, so we invited him to the hot seat of Dishin’ It, our rapid-fire Q&A series. In our conversation, the actor revealed the movie that “made” him gay, why he felt it was important to be out and open now, and five facts about Norwegians that will definitely surprise you!
QUEERTY: Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, games, etc…—that you consider a big part of your own coming-out journey, or something that has played an important part in exploring your own queerness? Why does it stand out to you?
MENKIN: It was the movie Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey. I watched it in the morning, had an existential crisis by lunchtime, and came out that night. The film is just gorgeous and the plot is punctuated by songs by the iconic The Mamas & The Papas—does it make me a cliché to say that “Make Your Own Kind Of Music” became my anthem for quite a while?
In your interview with Gayming earlier this month, you said that was your first time officially coming out publcily as queer. As a voice actor, given that we still see some stigma around so-called “gay voice,” were you worried about being open about your queerness? What gave you the courage to speak about it publicly?
Listen… I’ve been working in this industry for 20 years and it was about fucking time! And, just to be clear, I’ve never hidden anything—it just hasn’t come up in interviews before. I’ve never been of the opinion that my private life should overshadow my work, but in this day and age, I want to make sure that queer actors are visible, especially in the world of video games and animation.
I used to spend so many hours worrying that something (anything!) about my voice, physicality, or demeanor would get me fired and I’m so glad I don’t have to think about that anymore. If someone doesn’t want to hire me for a role because I’m gay, then I don’t want to work with them.
Your voice acting work has taken you from the age of vikings to a galaxy far, far away. If you could live in (or, perhaps, just visit for a day) one video game world, where would you choose and why?
It’s already happened! In London there’s this amazing interactive show called Secret Cinema where you spend a few hours immersed in a movie’s world before you actually sit down and watch it on the big screen. For Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the Rebel Alliance bundled us off a transport ship onto the sands of Tatooine. And as I was taking in my surroundings, R2D2 rolled up to me and started bleep-bloop-bleeping at me! I immediately burst into tears and had to be taken away because, apparently, I was making Artoo uncomfortable. Ten out of ten, would do it again!
You were born in Norway and, famously, provided the announcing voice for the Norwegian TV channel TV3. What’s something you can tell us about Norway that might surprise a reader who has never been?
I’ve got a few: 1. Salmon sushi is a Norwegian invention and we spent a decade convincing the Japanese to eat it raw. 2. Norwegians are obsessed with making things cozy; my friends make fun of me because I always light candles and play music when they come over but I just do it because I want them to relax and feel at home. 3. Take your shoes off when you enter a Norwegian’s home. Seriously! 4. If you want to buy anything stronger than a beer in Norway, you have to go to the Wine Monopoly—a government-owned and run alcohol shop. 5. Norwegians are effortlessly handsome.
Who’s a fictional character you had a crush on at a younger age? What do you remember loving about them?
Pretty much the entire cast of The Lost Boys made young, confused me feel… things. I made my poor friends rent that movie way too many times. Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, the two Coreys, Jami Gertz… And that soundtrack!
In your line of work, you’ve likely collaborated with all sorts of exciting talent, but who would you say is the most famous person you’ve ever met? What was your experience like meeting them? Did they live up to your expectations?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some big Hollywood names over the years and I can honestly say that I haven’t had a bad encounter with any of them. But the one that stands out is Tom Hanks: we spent several weeks out in the Moroccan desert, shooting a movie called A Hologram For The King, in which I played a supporting role. As you can imagine, every day on set was like a masterclass, but he’s also one of the most curious people I’ve met. He just wants to know what makes people tick. Seriously, one of the most genuine, lovely people I’ve worked with.
You’ve described yourself as a “total noob” when it comes to gaming, so what’s a hobby, secret talent, or just something you enjoy doing in your free time that you think you’re exceptionally good at?
I have one superpower: I can tell you it’s going to snow 10 minutes before a snowflake appears. Is it genetic? Maybe. Is it useful? Not in the slightest.
Who is a queer or trans artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
Reuben Kaye is one of the funniest and most talented people out there—fact—and he’s currently whipping the Australian ‘won’t someone think of the children’ crowd into a frenzy without breaking a lash. And Jordan Gray is a trans superhero taking over the world. Book a ticket for either of their shows and you’ll have an amazing time!
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