OFM Feature - JodiBenson - FINAL_Pages 1 / 22 / 19 3 : 49 PM Page 2 Q & A Jodi Benson admits that while she At the time you auditioned for ily’s life and my living and my was very interested in auditioning for The Little Mermaid , voiceover career and our day - to - day life . work wasn’t exactly a coveted the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid job . Obviously that has changed Your bio says you abandoned a back in the late ’ 80s , the Broadway star quite a bit since then . Were you law career in favor of appearing wasn’t as keen on letting it be known to unsure about even auditioning ? on stage . What is the most re - What was the experience like warding aspect of being on stage her peers in the industry . for you ? for you and how has it evolved ? “ I absolutely had no clue it would change There was absolutely no doubt I love being on stage . I started per - my life . In fact , when I recorded it I was doing a about it , I was going to audition . forming at our house as a little girl , Broadway show , flying back and forth and kind Anything that [ producer ] Howard making up plays and doing shows of kept it under wraps because voiceover was Ashman asked me to do , I would for people . I really love theater ; it’s jump on board ; he’s absolutely bril - just a great way to connect to the not a very great job back then ; it’s what you did liant . So when he invited all the audience . It’s live , it’s real , it’s when your career was going downhill , ” Benson girls from our Broadway musical unedited . I absolutely love being says . “ And our names weren’t going to be Smile — which was ill - fated and able to communicate with people revealed , it was going to be a secret project closed way too early — to audition from the stage and connect with an that would disappear forever . But obviously it for The Little Mermaid , we all audience in a real intimate , vulner - changed my life forever , such a blessing . ” jumped at the opportunity . able and authentic way . The audition itself was really Now as the cast and crew get ready to neat , I had never done anything Do you think you would have celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film , the like that , never been behind a mi - been a good lawyer ? venerable star is looking forward to marking crophone before . It was in a Broad - I think I would have , because I’m a the milestone and connecting with fans young way rehearsal studio in New York pretty good communicator . I’m a and old . City with a reel - to - reel big tape , good listener , I do enjoy good and Albert Tavares who was the conversation and I do like to hear “ Every seven years or so , we pull it out of the casting assistant . It was just he and what other people think . In those we get to now talk to another gener - vault and I in the room alone . I ran to the aspects , I probably would have ation of kids , ” she says . “ We have grandparents ladies room with the script in my been a good lawyer , or at least tried and some great grandparents who share it with hand and looked in the mirror and my absolute best to be a good and their kids , so that’s very exciting . ” waited for people to leave so I fair lawyer . We had the opportunity to talk with Benson could try and create the voice I thought she might have ( laughs ) . I Your voice is your instrument as she was gearing up for a multi - city promo - kind of talked to myself in the mir - and a lot of people probably tional tour and taking a break from touring ror and ran back in time for my don’t realize the amount of work colleges with her daughter , one of two children name to be called . that goes into taking care of it . she has with husband Ray , who also serves as What are the special techniques her manager . As the film gets ready to mark its you practice to keep your voice in 30th anniversary , how often do tiptop shape ? A veteran of the theater world , there’s no you reflect on its success and I have been with my vocal coach in denying Benson’s connection to Ariel and vice what it would ultimately mean New York City , Joan Lader , since versa . Here she tell us about what the transfor - for your career ? 1984 and I still coach with her on mation has been like , what kind of things hap - It changed my career , changed my Skype over the phone . I think the pened behind the scenes during filming and trajectory and the direction in my biggest thing for me is to get eight why she is now perhaps the most in - demand life and I probably reflect on hours of sleep , drink lots and lots of it water , no alcohol … get a good daily . Ariel is a big part of my fam - wedding singer in the country . O R L A N D O F A M I L Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 | O R L A N D O F A M I L Y M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 1 9