Raine: When did you start acting and voice acting?

Ben: I’ve been acting my entire life—even before I knew it was a viable career path! My dad introduced me to The Three Stooges at a young age and I was hooked on comedy ever since. As for voices, I remember running around the house terrorizing my little sister with high-pitched cartoon voices as a kid. So life feels very full circle now that it’s my full-time job.

 Raine: Why did you pursue a career in the entertainment industry?

Ben: Because I’m a glutton for punishment and continual, soul-crushing rejection.

 Raine: What drew you to comedy?

Ben: Laughter is the greatest natural high in the world. Eliciting laughter from an audience is my single greatest passion in life. No matter what I do, whether it’s on-camera, behind the microphone, or directing, I love to create comedy. The world has been in rough shape these last couple of years. Our collective human experience is being challenged. And my thumbprint on the universe is to provide some levity to it all.

 Raine: What inspired you to start your production company, Small Red Cape?

Ben: As a short guy, the early days of my entertainment career had me auditioning to play A LOT of Christmas elves. While that was fun (and ridiculous), playing height-specific roles exclusively had me yearning for more creativity out of my career. So, I launched a production company. Initially, we sought to make my passion projects: parody music videos, comedy sketches, YouTube shorts, etc. But as the company evolved and our content became more and more complex, we became a full-service production company. Now, a decade later, we create viral music videos, commercials, and TV pilots. I’m so proud of the work my team and I have been able to create. The one project that really stands out is our 2017 music video “Back to the 90s” which amassed 100 million views, charted on Billboard, and landed me and my team in Las Vegas with The Backstreet Boys.

 Raine: What have been some of your favorite roles to play and why?

Ben: I’m thrilled to be voicing Nate Wright, the title character in Big Nate, Nickelodeon’s new animated series streaming on Paramount+. I grew up watching the original NickToons like Doug, Rugrats, and Ren & Stimpy, so voicing my own Nickelodeon animated series has been a really joyful, full-circle moment. There’s also an added exciting responsibility to bringing my voice to a beloved character that already has a global fanbase.

On-camera, I’ve also really enjoyed playing The Toddler on Henry Danger and Danger Force for the past decade. Playing the villain on a superhero show has allowed me to explore a broad, theatrical, cartoonish character on screen. And the “DangerVerse” has given me some of the greatest friendships in my life.

 Raine: What has been one of the most memorable moments in your career?

Ben: I’m a big fan of Christopher Guest’s movies like Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. In 2012, I had the opportunity to act in Chris Guest’s HBO show Family Tree. All of his projects are improvised, so as an improviser, it was a treat to make up a comedy scene on the fly. I was told prior to filming my scene that Chris can be a bit stone-faced and hard to read: “Don’t be offended if he doesn’t laugh.” But when I did my scene, he fell out of his chair laughing. I shouted a rather vulgar phrase in character—one that I can’t repeat here—but he liked it so much that the production team had my improvised dialogue printed on the series wrap party mugs. It was an honor!

 Raine: Who or what has been your greatest inspiration in life?

Ben: I really admired Robin Williams. His authenticity, intensity, creativity, talents, and warmth are traits that any actor can aspire to. I also really admire comedy actors that have effectively dipped their toes into drama like Bob Odenkirk.

 Raine: If someone asked you how they could stimulate their creativity, what advice

would you give?

Ben: Do stuff outside of entertainment! Travel to a place you’ve never been, have a conversation with someone who has different opinions from you, and try a new hobby. The best actors and the most creative people are constantly refilling their creative well with life experiences. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

 Raine: What was the biggest surprise you have experienced in building your business

or career?

Ben: Initially, the biggest surprise in entertainment was the ratio of auditions to successfully booking a job. People outside of the industry are always shocked when I tell them booking one job out of 100 auditions is really good odds! I probably auditioned for 5,000 animated projects before landing my first series lead.

 Raine: What are 5 things your fans don't know about you?

Ben: 1. Olives are my kryptonite.

2. I compete in Spartan Race obstacle course races.

3. I’m obsessed with trashy reality television.

4. I’m addicted to my Nespresso machine.

5. I’m an introvert.

 Raine: What words of wisdom can you share with others on a similar journey?

Ben: Make stuff. Be proactive. I can trace every positive career milestone back to something I proactively created to propel myself forward. Also, as a young actor, I was on set for the show Psych and I asked James Roday Rodriquez what his secret was to entertainment success. He gave me the best advice I’ve ever received: do good work and be a good dude.

 Raine: What drew you to join your newest project, Big Nate?

Ben: In many ways, this is a sixth-grade do-over for me! I was an introverted kid who struggled to make friends in sixth grade. Nate is the opposite —he’s fearlessly confident on his quest to achieve total awesomeness. He also has a tight-knit group of misfit friends. We can all aspire to have Nate’s level of confidence.

 Raine: Have you noticed any similarities between yourself and Nate?

Ben: Absolutely! I was really into drawing and painting as a kid. I almost pursued the fine arts. On our show, Nate is also an artist. His doodles come to life routinely in our series. So, I love the art parallel with Nate to my own passion for drawing.

 Raine: Since you recorded the show on a Zoom call every week with other actors, did

improv play a role? Do you prefer recording your lines with other actors or by

yourself?

Ben: The pandemic certainly made us adapt our workflow in new, innovative ways. Most animated shows now record their actors separately, from their home studios, and the performances are patched together after the fact with the rest of the group. Our show I believe is the first of its kind – despite recording remotely, Nickelodeon still found a way for us to record as an ensemble via Zoom. That allowed our cast to bond and riff off of one another’s performances. We have so many gifted improv actors on our show, so getting to record as an ensemble allows us to create fun, magical, unscripted moments of comedy gold. We’re all desperate to return to in-person recordings, but until then, we’re so grateful for our ensemble Zoom sessions.

Photographer: Adam Hendershott @adamhendershott 
Production Design: Lindsey Ferguson @lindseyaferguson
Stylist: Flora Ronzone @sunny_goth
Grooming & Makeup: Monique Paredes