ABOUT EMANI SHANE

Emani Shane is a British actor and voice artist from East London, United Kingdom, known for his expressive voice and work in film, television, theatre, and voice-over projects. From an early age, he was inspired by films he watched as a child, which fostered a deep love for storytelling through characters and emotions.

From a young age, Emani participated in school productions, and at seven, he played his first lead role in the musical Grease. He received professional training at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and continued studying drama at school and college before furthering his professional acting education at the Identity School of Acting.

His early career included work as an extra on film sets, including Netflix projects, before signing with an agency, which opened doors to more significant roles.

A notable milestone in his career was voicing Pierce in the game Brawl Stars - a role that brought him popularity among the gaming community and made his voice iconic for many fans of the game.

Today, Emani Shane continues to take on diverse roles, combining on-screen performance with voice work, aiming to bring emotional depth to every project and tell stories that resonate with audiences.

INTERVIEW

Q: Emani, you started your acting career early. At what point did you realize that this was not just a hobby, but your way of communicating with the world?

Emani: Something clicked during my early years at primary school. Throughout every school play I performed in, it felt so natural to me and that’s when I knew there was an unspoken yearn for the creative arts.

Q: What were your first steps in the voice acting industry, and what were the most challenging aspects at the beginning?

Emani: I researched online for various voice classes and met amazing people who have been pivotal to my voice journey till this day. I would say the most challenging aspect I encountered in the beginning stages was dealing with imposter syndrome as I had just started my journey.

Q: Have you ever had a character whose voice was “found” completely by accident - for example, during a warm-up or even in a domestic situation?

Emani: Yeah during a call with my sister, we were laughing making fun of each other when I stumbled upon the voice of ‘Kevin and the butterfly picture’ who you can hear on my animation reel.

Q: What is more difficult for you: to portray strong emotions on screen or to convey them only with your voice in voice acting - and why?

Emani: I would say to convey them only with your voice in voice acting. This is because you must encapsulate an entire emotional pull from imagination and body work to translate into your voice. The camera isn’t there to capture your face as you convey emotion. They say the ear will always hear the truth.

Q: Have there been moments when a rejection or a pause in your career gave you more than a successfully obtained role?

Emani: There were three major projects that I eagerly wanted to work on; anticipation rising as I got to the final rounds for all three in a short period of time. I was rejected by all three in the space of 2 weeks. It made me question my talent and my future. I came to realise I got far enough to be rejected in the first place - strengthening my self-belief.

Q: Can you share a moment from your career where improvisation played a key role in bringing a character to life?

Emani: During a private session, I was improvising a space capsule scene with 2 other astronauts and things went from bad to worse to life threatening. Not knowing what was coming next improved my listening as an actor, reacting to the given circumstances in real time.

Q: How do you work on improving your voice acting skills? Do you have coaches or participate in workshops?

Emani: I work with my incredible voice mentor and fellow voice actor, Jess Nesling. I attend vocal classes. Record reels at home and attend weekly acting training at both drama school and with private tutors which covers all bases.

Q: You have worked on stage, in front of the camera, and behind the microphone. In which form of acting do you feel most honest with yourself?

Emani: I love all three down to the depths of my soul. I feel something feels different when you are on stage. Hundreds to thousands of eyes watching you. You are sharing that moment, whatever happens, with the audience in real time. You are laid bare with all to see.

Q: How do you deal with moments of uncertainty or doubt in your profession, which every creative person experiences?

Emani: I remind myself of the quote - “this too, shall pass”. You have to see it through to the end. These moments do not last forever. The world will then remind and show you that you are exactly where you’re meant to be.

Q: What role has technology played in shaping your career as a voice actor?

Emani: It has benefitted my exposure and research into new roles allowing more material to be within reach.

Q: Can you tell us about any funny or interesting moments during voice acting?

Emani: I remember tripping over an ‘owl documentary’ scene where I just couldn’t get the words out during my animation recording. Hilarious moments I’ve had with every sound engineer I’ve worked with from tripping up on lines to questionable mispronunciation of words and genuine banter through headphones which reminded me of days I had on party chat through Xbox Live. Even the time when I realised my tshirt was drenched during the recording of cave collapse as my character was trying to hold the cave together through his powers.

Q: Which role is more valuable to you - the one where players immediately recognize your voice, or the one where they are surprised that it was you?

Emani: I would say the latter. It’s always a great feeling when you see/hear someone’s shock when they realise it was you who did that thing.

Q: You recently voiced Pierce in Brawl Stars! Tell us about that experience. How did voicing this character affect your career?

Emani: I like to think they really enjoyed finding it out, because Ruffs was such a cool and hyped character at the time. I also found that a majority of the lines I improved that got kept in tended to be the players’ favorite lines, which meant a lot to me as well.

Q: How was the main recording process for Pierce - how long did it take you to find a voice that matched the character and find his voice in the game?

Emani: I took the time for research into what Pierce would sound like. I spoke with Cheryl where we then dived into different reference material together. Finding the voice in the booth was almost instant because of the work I undertook prior to recording. I resonated with the brief given to me and understood who Pierce was in the world of Brawl Stars. I stepped into the booth and recorded multiple deliveries of different lines and let my voice do the rest.

Q: How did Brawl Stars fans react to the fact that you were the one who voiced Pierce?

Emani: I wasn’t ready for the immense support they showed me. All the dedicated artwork of Pierce I’ve seen online. The praise on multiple social media platforms. The personal messages. It was such a positive reception. I couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.

Q: What do you think makes Pierce’s role in Brawl Stars different from the other characters you’ve voiced in other projects?

Emani: Pierce is part of a group, the Velocirapids, who have awaited his arrival to complete the trio. The anticipation for Pierce was met with such excitement and finality; it brought a level of gravitas I hadn’t felt before.

Q: Most of our previous voice actors interviewed claim that AI already has a significant impact on this field. What is your view on AI and how far do you think it can go?

Emani: This is a creative industry that should be spearheaded by creative human beings. When it comes to providing voice talent, I believe this should come from human creators. Not generated by a system.

Q: In your opinion, what impact does voice acting have on players’ perception of a game?

Emani: You deeply value a game most likely due to the storyline and characters within. The voice actors help bring those characters to life. A performance can make or break immersion. It is definitely very important for the player.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring actors who want to try their hand at voice acting?

Emani: If you feel it within you, don’t ignore that call. Go. Fail. And go again. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Network with people. Stay open and ready to learn from those who inspire you. Sign up to classes. Work on your craft at home. Surround yourself in the arts even when you’re not acting such as going to the theatre or cinema. Understand your strengths and lean into them. Research the best equipment you can afford. Trust that every pound you put into yourself is a future investment. If you want it, show that you do.

Q: By the end of the interview, can you share your future plans in voice acting? What are you planning to do?

Emani: I’ve started the new year ready to roll. I’m excited to get back to work again. I would love to work in everything voice acting related from commercials, gaming, animation, audiobooks and more! I’ve also got my eye on more film, theatre and TV credits! I plan to continue following my path, wherever it takes me. I have no idea what is next. I also received news that I’ve been nominated for Demo Reel - Best Performance - Male (UK Voices Only) at the One Voice Awards 2026 in May. I’m so grateful because I literally started my VO journey this time last year. I hope to continue to work on amazing projects with amazing, talented people. What’s meant to be, will be.

Emani Shane’s social networks and links

If you’d like to see more from Emani, you can follow him on his official social medias:

Linktr.ee - (linktr.ee/emanishane)

IMDb - (www.imdb.com/name/nm12210784/)

X (Twitter) - (x.com/emanishane)

Instagram - (www.instagram.com/emanishane/)

TikTok - (tiktok.com/@emanishane)