‘Not monotonous’: Voice expert Inka Magnaye defends Liza Soberano’s Tagalog dub in ‘Trese’
Voice expert Inka Magnaye shared her thoughts on Twitter about Liza Soberano’s Tagalog dub in the new Filipino animated series Trese on Netflix.
Magnaye is known for voicing the in-flight safety announcements of Philippine Airlines, which trended across social media platforms in 2020.
Magnaye began her series of insights by tweeting that Soberano is “perfect” to voice the lead character Alexandra Trese.
“It’s got a great balance of youthfulness and grim. A bit more exaggeration could have added more dimension, even an exaggeration of a deadpan delivery (think Daria). But other than that, I’m liking it so far!” she tweeted.
First note: Liza Soberano’s voice is perfect for the character. It’s got a great balance of youthfulness and grim. A bit more exaggeration could have added more dimension, even an exaggeration of a deadpan delivery (think Daria). But other than that, I’m liking it so far!
— Inka Magnaye (@inkamagnaye) June 13, 2021
Magnaye also said that Soberano’s voice is not “monotonous,” as some viewers have complained on social media.
“She has dynamics in her delivery. However, she does tend to deliver her lines in almost the exact same cadence, and people confuse that with monotony,” the voice expert said.
Ok Liza Soberano ISNT monotonous. She has dynamics in her delivery. However, she DOES tend to deliver her lines in almost the exact same cadence, and people confuse that with monotony.
— Inka Magnaye (@inkamagnaye) June 13, 2021
Magnaye stated that Soberano is an actor, not a voice actor, and acknowledged that the voice acting could have been improved. “Whoever was directing her during the recording sessions could have guided her a little more to explore different deliveries, but that’s just what I think. We don’t know din.”
Sorry but Liza Soberano as Alexandra Trese was the only flaw of Trese. Acting is so bland, monotonous, 0 emotion in every word. I know the character's supposed to be edgy and all but I really think a more experienced Filipino VA is better suited for the role. #TreseOnNetflix
— Vhene (@HoverDeyan) June 11, 2021
Magnaye compared Soberano’s Tagalog dub with the English dub of Filipino-American actress Shay Mitchell, saying, “I like how Shay Mitchell does the deadpan badass delivery! Deadpan blase, deadpan annoyed, deadpan snarky. The little nuances are so satisfying,” she said.
“This is the nuance that Liza Soberano’s dub would have benefited from, but it’s not that easy to do so it’s understandable! Not even all VAs can do that. It’s something very trainable though, and an actress like her will surely be able to get that down with practice!” she added.
Magnaye explained that there is a difference between acting and voice acting. “Because people can’t see your face, the expressions need to be heard in your voice.”
