Milo's voice-over heroes, Frank Welker and June Foray.

NC: Who are your VO "heroes"?

CM: My voice-over heroes are Frank Welker and June Foray. These two giants in our field made it possible for the craft to become an art and for the talent to be recognized as [artists].

NC: What is the greatest challenge regarding your work?

CM: I think the greatest challenge in my work is staying in the moment and creating on the spot, for any particular character and show. By that I mean, remembering that the voice belongs to a fully fleshed-out person I created and making acting and vocal choices based on the parameters I created.

NC: The animation industry has a reputation for being a very tight-knit group, from writers to animators to voices. What does it take to be successful in this part of the business?

CM: Our section of the industry is very small and the key to being able to function in this wading pool is to maintain a healthy respect for each other and have boundaries. To become successful in this microcosm takes not only incredible restraint and dedication to craft, but remembering that you are in the room at the pleasure and discretion of the producer and you must play well in the proverbial sandbox. My mother used to say, "Candi, go out and have fun, but be home early. Nothing good happens after midnight." I twist that, "Go out and have fun, but when you're done, go home. Nothing good is said after the job is done."

NC: We have had the pleasure of working on The Replacements, Kim Possible, Rugrats, All Grown Up, Chalk Zone, and Problem Child back in 1993. What was the most challenging job you ever had?

Milo's most challenging job was voicing Astro Boy in the revival of the iconic series. But it hurt when she was not allowed to audition for the title role in the upcoming feature film.

CM: When I looked at all the jobs you and I have had the pleasure of doing together I grinned -- who and what can't we be, girl? What a pleasure it has been! I think the most challenging job I have done was voicing Astro Boy on the revival of the iconic series. Astro Boy is the Mickey Mouse of Japan and it was an unbelievable honor to be chosen to voice this. The tough part was, because Sony did it in cooperation with Japan, the Japanese actress and I laid voices to picture simultaneously -- 65 episodes of ADR. Yikes! It was very hard to create character, place emotion and character arc within the confines of anime expressions; arched eyebrows, thin line mouth, oval line mouth. Another tough aspect of this particular job was not being allowed to audition for the role I created for the Sony feature film. It actually hurt. The wave of star-stunt casting is really prevalent in animated movies and, I have to say, not really successful. If you look at the success of movies like The Simpsons and Jimmy Neutron that used voice actors and original talent compared to mega-stars doing animation? Well I hope the pendulum swings back.

NC: What advice would you give some "young pup" who is interested in doing voice-over work today?

CM: My advice to any young actor interested in this area of insanity is to resist "doing voices." Be an actor first and foremost. Find the rhythm of a character. Understand his/her/its position in the script. Know the reasons for each line. Beware of the deadly ad lib -- enhance, [don't] add -- save the jokes for your folks. Study. Be disciplined. Enough schoolmarm-isms! Follow your dreams, because no one, in the twilight of their life, has ever regretted doing that.

NC: What is your proudest artistic achievement?

CM: My proudest artistic achievement, besides my daughter Gabriela, is the completion of my first novel Surviving The Odd: The Fine Line Between Barbie Dolls and Lithium. I did this while working full time, and as a single parent, and backwards and in high heels! Ha ha! It is an homage to my life thus far and to those who have enriched it.

NC: Is there anything about the voice-over industry that you would like to share?

CM: I love to work in voice-over because it is where I am truly free as an artist to use my voice to be seen. I can become anyone or anything convincingly, despite any outer packaging. I feel limitless when I am voice acting. I am delighted to be a part of the "party" because I truly believe that the only thing that can stop a voice actor from doing whatever they want is their belief in their own creativity -- so step aside and get out of your way.

Nancy Cartwright is best known as the voice of spiky-headed Bart Simpson on The Simpsons. She has voiced dozens of cartoon characters in a career that has spanned more than 20 years. Currently, she can be heard as the voice of Rufus the Naked Mole Rat on Disney's Kim Possible and Todd Daring in Disney's The Replacements. To learn more about Nancy's career, listen to her audio book My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy.