Actress behind iconic Disney, Cartoon Network voices coming to Stanislaus County
Perhaps you have heard of Kat Cressida, but even if you haven’t, you have almost certainly heard her voice.
From “Toy Story” cowgirl Jessie to Cartoon Network’s Dee Dee from “Dexter’s Laboratory,” and even an iconic character on a beloved Disney Parks ride, Cressida’s work is as prolific as it is diverse.
Cressida will come to this region for the first time on Labor Day, Sept. 1, for an appearance at Ohana Comic-Con in Turlock, where she’ll meet fans and sign memorabilia.
“What a talent to come to the Valley,” said Ziggy Star, one of the organizers of Ohana Comic-Con. “On a scale of 1 to 10, we’re at 12. We’re beyond, beyond excited. She’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Cressida’s path to voice acting started before she even realized it. Her father worked in radio and with Disney Imagineers in the 1970s and would often bring his daughter to the park. There, Cressida was enthralled by the sights and sounds and connected to this particular type of entertainment.
“I was bringing tape recorders, those little ones with the little handles and the cassette tape,” she said. “Now they sell the soundtracks to all of the attractions, but I had the idea to record them before that was a thing, and would take them home and study them.” Cressida would then perform her characters for family and neighbors and charge a nickel for a living-room show.
“Somehow that connected something deep inside of me, that voiceover was an amazing way to tell a story and reach people,” she said.
Cressida first took a traditional route to acting by studying musical theater and Shakespeare at UC Berkeley. She pursued theater projects and even worked as a literary agent before moving on to television and film work. She was working on a set, guest starring opposite actor Michael York, when he suggested she take a voiceover workshop.
Her big break came in 1997 when she was cast as Dee Dee, the free-spirited older sister of Dexter in seasons 2 and 4 of Cartoon Network’s “Dexter’s Laboratory.” Since then, Cressida has voiced characters in the shows “Archer,” “Phineas and Ferb” and “The Power Puff Girls” and in video games including “Fallout,” “World of Warcraft” and “Elder Scrolls,” among many others.
While many of her characters are light and energetic, Cressida is also known for her darker voice talents. “I seem to have a knack for scary sound effects, vocal effects, creature effects, aliens, demons, possessed, you name it,” she said.
It was this work that brought her back to Disney to voice the iconic ghostly bride, Constance Hatchaway, on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney Parks. Cressida also voices this character in various games, shows and other promotional items and projects.
Though it is hard for her to pick a favorite, “Toy Story’s” Jessie is near the top. “Jesse, the cowgirl, is such a joyous, amazing creation [by] Pixar and Joan Cusack, who created that voice. It’s such a joyous character, and she’s so gutsy and spunky and adorable; she’s sort of a born leader. There’s just so much about her that’s admirable and that is fun to play,” she said. Cressida voices Jessie at Disney Parks around the world, in attractions, shows, parades and promotional items.
Cressida is also known for her voice-matching work, mimicking the voices of Sigourney Weaver, Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman, among many other leading ladies.
She fought back at a deadly diagnosis
In 2012, Cressida was working on a voice-matching project when she felt something odd in the left side of her jaw. Doctors told her it was likely just a cyst, but they were wrong. It was a rare soft-tissue sarcoma known as dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and she was told it was fatal.
“I was told it was terminal. Don’t bother. There’s nothing you can do. And I didn’t come to terms with that. I fought back and wanted to see if maybe it wasn’t terminal,” she said.
Doctors told Cressida that removing the sarcoma would be risky. “There were different options that I could wake up to, if I even was to wake up, if he successfully managed to navigate this extraordinarily vicious sarcoma that was hiding underneath my brain and behind my jaw,” she said.
“They said I may wake up with no voice. I may never speak again. There’s no joy in that. How could there be? Even if you weren’t making your living as a voice talent, how would you feel if you were told, ‘We may save your life, but you’ll never speak again.’”?
The surgery took 11 hours, and the sarcoma was removed, but her journey to recovery was hard, painful, and very traumatic. Over the next few years, Cressida had to learn to speak again while enduring more procedures to fix scar tissue and other side effects. “You’re just trying to figure it out, you’re just trying to survive, and you’re in a lot of pain, and you’re exhausted,” she said.
She isolated a lot during this time, and she gained enough ability to get back to some voice projects, but still had a long road to wellness. “ They want you to say, ‘I’m fine,’ when you’re not fine. A lot of us are taught that. To me, it’s important to say it’s not OK, it’s not fine, it’s awful, and it’s OK to feel that it’s awful.”
Today, Cressida uses her voice for another passion project: advocating for cancer awareness and support. During our conversation, Cressida had to step away to speak with a cancer patient. She became certified as a patient advocate, helping people navigate the health care system and offering emotional support. Many of her events and appearances raise money for cancer charities like the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Before her appearance at Ohana Comic-Con, Cressida will appear at Utopia Games and Collectibles in Modesto, signing items and raising money for cancer charities on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 29-30. Friday will be a VIP ticketholder event starting at 11 a.m. and cost $15 and Saturday’s event will be free admission from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’re all just really excited to have someone of Kat’s calibre come through to meet the fans and sign their collectibles,” said Utopia co-owner Cody Dame. “Opportunities like this, with someone who’s brought to life so many famous characters, is rare, and we are just really excited for our community to have this chance to meet her.”.
Though she has never been to our region, Cressida said she is excited to meet with fans and offer a bit of light in our chaotic world. “It’s an honor to be identified with these characters. It’s really great to hear and see the joy at some of these amazing characters. I’m only one tiny, small element of them,” she said. “I’m just a lucky voice that got to help bring it to life.”
Cressida will appear at Ohana Comic-Con in Turlock on Monday, Sept. 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. Admission ranges from $8 to $ 10, and tickets can be purchased in advance at Ziggy’s Video Games on Golden State Blvd. or at the door. Children 10 and younger get in free. For more information, visit ohanacomiccon.com.
