Did you know that we have an Emmy-award winning actor in our documentary? You’ve probably heard his voice, even if you’ve never seen him before!
Who is Peter Coyote?
Our film’s narrator Peter Coyote is known for his incredible work on Ken Burns’s documentaries. He has done the voiceover in over 100 documentaries total. He even narrated the 2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony! Needless to say, we’ve got exactly the right man for the job.
Peter Coyote is also an actor, author, director, and screenwriter. He was in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Erin Brockovich, and A Walk to Remember. He’s written articles for the Mother Jones magazine, a memoir, a collection of poetry, and an autobiography titled Sleeping Where I Fall.
How We Met
How we came into contact with such an acclaimed narrator is a bit of a funny story!
One of director and producer Stephanie Manesis’s teachers from From the Heart Productions suggested she connect with Peter Coyote. She originally connected with his agent and didn’t think it would work out because of the price quoted. This was a bit of a defeat for us. But it didn’t last long!
She somehow ended up talking with him directly. She doesn’t even really remember how she got his email address! With this contact, they came to an agreement.
But here’s the funny part: She had NO clue that he was so famous until she looked him up on Google (midway through their discussions)! She instantly recognized him as an accomplished actor from his photo. Stephanie says she’s glad she didn’t know who he was when she first started talking to him, or she may never have reached out to him in the first place (or would’ve been a nervous wreck the entire time).
Working With Him
When he did our initial voice over for our rough cut in Spring of 2023, he was incredibly easy to work with. We worked over Zoom with him, and he was in the studio in Sebastopol, where he lives nearby. He was incredibly kind and gracious to us, and we are so glad to be able to work with such a talented individual! We are SO excited to continue this journey with him by our side.
