It’s not hard to see how Zak Wojnar from ScreenRant would see Keith David taking on the voice role of Spawn once again is a good thing. David can sound absolutely menacing when he wants to and given what kind of character Spawn has been for so long, the type that other characters don’t want to mess with if they’re not powerful enough, a better voice couldn’t have been found. There’s something about the quality of his voice that has such a definite edge to it that one can’t help but be taken back to the 90s and even further at times when he was first starting out and very few people knew about him. At one time he was ‘that guy’ that showed up everywhere without anyone knowing his name, but as time has gone on his name has become increasingly popular and as a result his career has soared.
As serious and menacing as he is though Keith can be just as silly and kind of carefree if you remember that he voiced Dr. Facilier in the Princess and the Frog for Disney. He definitely lightened his tone for this movie and made it more bouncy than anything he’d done before since there wasn’t as much of a serious note to it as there’d been in other voice over roles. While Dr. Facilier was a bad man and had worse intentions his voice was still something that denoted a rather loose and laid back personality that could turn dangerous in a heartbeat if he had to. Throughout the movie it was seen that he could experience highs and lows in his character that Keith expressed perfectly. In fact he was probably one of the more likable villains in Disney movies if only because of his friendly demeanor and ability to talk to people in a calm and reasonable manner.
But then you thing about other places you’ve heard his voice such as in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which as Tor Thorsen of GameSpot wrote was a pretty major role. If you’ve played the game then you know very well that he’s one of the main NPC’s that’s responsible for the player getting to know the controls, the commands, and how the game works. He’s also present in various missions within the game as well, lending his voice to a character that is a commanding officer and is therefore in the thick of the battle quite often. It had to be a nice surprise for a lot of players that have knowledge of who David is and what he’s starred in since quite honestly the guy is nothing short of great and his voice is very distinctive. He can use it to be fun and light or he can be downright sinister when he really gets going. Everything that comes in between is just as great since it lends him the quality of being a very versatile and multi-talented actor that isn’t always pinned down to one role.
Throughout his movie career Keith has become just about anything and everything he needs to be, which is typically a male character that has some kind of issue with someone or has a very strong opinion that’s tough if not impossible to change. But this is what makes his character so great since it has a gruff undertone that acts as the base of his voice and is present in just about every part he plays. It might seem hard to fathom but it’s present when he needs it to be and it’s muted when he doesn’t need it as much. For example Dr. Facilier was, as I said, a little more carefree and not quite as gruff as he was a fast talker and a smooth character that needed to sweeten his voice just enough to be able to communicate in a calm and upbeat manner with those that he did business with. On the other hand Spawn is someone that’s gruff, gritty, and doesn’t really feel the need to modulate his voice for anyone since he’s kind of a miserable man considering all he’s been through. The fact that Keith was approached to play the part of Spawn is indicative of how distinct his voice really is since that growling quality he can have is something that has been present in a lot of the live-action movies he’s done as well, and in truth it’s that same quality that’s helped to make him so great throughout the years.
It’s kind of funny to realize that after all he’s done he’s more of a character actor than anything and his best movies have never featured him as the lead. When it comes to certain actors though it’s hard to disagree that they fit into a role that’s somehow perfect no matter that they can create one character after another without fail. Keith David is that guy that’s always there in the thick of it, who can be depended on or who is ultimately expendable but still memorable.
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