Chris Diamantopoulos, 49, describes his experience as “surreal” to be one of only five individuals in Disney’s 101-year history to voice the company’s iconic mascot, Mickey Mouse. He considers himself extremely fortunate to have received this incredible opportunity.
Currently starring as a mobster in The Sticky, Chris also lends his voice to the beloved children’s character Mickey Mouse. In a conversation with People, the voice actor shared how strange and surreal the experience feels:
“It’s so strange. I mean, honestly, there are a lot of things in my career that, if you had told me when I was a kid that I would be doing them, I might sort of think, ‘wow, I could see that,'” he said. “But playing Mickey Mouse was a massive left turn.”
Chris went on to reflect on his good fortune, saying, “It’s humbling because I stood on the shoulders of giants. I feel incredibly fortunate. I’m a really, really lucky guy. I barely finished high school, and for me to be the fifth voice in history after Walt [Disney], to voice Mickey Mouse, I wear that like a badge of honor.” The other long-term voices of Mickey have included Walt Disney, Wayne Allwine, Bret Iwan, and Les Perkins.
As the voice of Mickey Mouse, Chris credits the “brilliant” animator Paul Rudish and the entire Disney writing and animation team for Mickey’s enduring charm. He explained, “The voice is Mickey. But the expressions that you see that Mickey gets to do… that’s all by virtue of the brilliant talent of these hardworking and not-often-advertised writers and animators. There’s something about this incarnation of Mickey that I think is the freest Mickey.”
In addition to voicing Mickey for TV, Chris also speaks and sings as Mickey in Disneyland’s Mickey’s Magic Railway, the park’s first ride dedicated to the mascot. He also shares special moments with his family at the parks. Chris, along with his wife Becki Newton, has one son and three daughters. He shared, “I get to take my kids to this ride where they hear my voice and they see me, and I’m guiding them through. Can you even imagine what a dream that is?”
Every time he voices Mickey, Chris is reminded of why he entered the entertainment industry: “Because of the magic, that intangible, beautiful feeling that we have when we fall into the fantasy world.”
Currently, Chris is starring in The Sticky, which is streaming on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video.
