What: The least necessary vocal inflection in recent memory.
Who: Journalist and author Ronan Farrow.
Why we care: Ronan Farrow is many things. A tireless, prolific investigative reporter. A Pulitzer Prize-winner. Newly engaged. What he is not, however, is a skilled impressionist. That hasn’t stopped him from squeezing that particular bullet point on his crowded résumé.
As comedian and TV writer Craig Rowin pointed out in a recent Twitter thread, Farrow laces the audiobook version of his mega-selling #MeToo expose, Catch and Kill, with an overly generous dollop of character work.
Is anyone else listening to Ronan Farrow’s audiobook of “Catch and Kill” and baffled by his decision to do voices? Important reporting/audition for SNL showcase? This is his “Tough Ukrainian Guy.” pic.twitter.com/ULGGtNPAWe
— Craig Rowin (@CraigRowin) October 16, 2019
Rowin’s thread covers a litany of Farrow’s silly voices, which sort of belie the serious tone of the subject matter, which covers the Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube intimidating Farrow on behalf of Harvey Weinstein. Beyond the Ukrainian character above, Farrow also tries out Australian “Refined European” and even Cockney accents. He’s basically James McAvoy’s character from Split, but if he popped up in the most unexpected context, like during an all-hands meeting.
By the time you hear his surprisingly nasal Trump, you’ll be wishing an investigative reporter would dig around into what possessed Ronan Farrow to do these voices on his audiobook and why the engineer let him.
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