Voice in French dubbing: the case of Julianne Moore

Abstract

It is an acknowledged fact that dubbing practices vary across countries. In France, it is common to have different dubbing artists lending their voices to the same foreign actor. For instance, Julianne Moore has had 11 French voices since the beginning of her career, and her French designated voice, Ivana Coppola, also dubs several other actresses, including Michelle Yeoh and Vera Farmiga. This paper presents a short case study on the voices of Moore in France. I consider four films that were all released in 2014 in which she has four different French voices. The possible effect changes in her voice might have on French audiences is discussed using Freud’s concept of the uncanny. This discussion is underpinned by a presentation of the different agents taking part in the dubbing process and a reflection on the methodological tools used, with a view to contemplating further research. My main goal is to show what happens to the voice of foreign actors in French dubbing, using Moore as a case study. The article also emphasises the importance of voice choice as part of a film’s artistic content, and eventually aims at triggering more conversations on voice as part of the dubbing process.

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