Season 2 of Shape Island starts with something really special: an episode devoted to Yvette Nicole Brown’s Narrator. In “Narrator’s Big Day,” viewers of the Apple TV+ show get to go on an adventure with the Narrator that tells them more about her—and it ends up being a pretty emotional episode, too. So what was it like to flip the show on its head?

TVBrittanyF.com spoke to Yvette Nicole Brown about having a Shape Island episode devoted to her character, and what it was like to make “Narrator’s Big Day.” Yvette also talked about how playing the Narrator compares to other types of voice acting roles, and what she appreciates about being part of this charming and delightful bit of family television. Get to know more about her and her character in this interview!

Brittany Frederick: Voice acting roles evolve the same way that live-action roles do. Did you find that to be true with the Narrator in Shape Island Season 2, even though she’s not an active part of the story?

Yvette Nicole Brown: Absolutely. the first episode of the second season is a episode all about the Narrator, so it’s the first time we get to really see how she spends her time when she’s not discussing the Shapes. And that was big for me, because I had never thought she’d even have an episode. I learned a lot about her, and that colored the way that I recorded for the rest of the season, because of what I learned about her during that episode.

Fans of your live-action work like Community may not realize how extensive your voice acting resume is. You’ve played some major characters, such as Amanda Waller for DC. Have you brought anything from prior roles to playing the Narrator, which is kind of an unconventional part?

I’ve learned as a voiceover artist, the more I do animated shows, the more I learn how to use my voice, I get more nimble. I’m able to paint with more colors, if that makes sense. So once I learn that for voiceover, I take it back to the live action space—and then what I learn there, I bring back to the voiceover space.

Voiceover work is hard, because you have to learn how to make your voice sound like someone’s looking at you. There’s certain things that your face does when you’re scared or when you’re sad or when you’re excited, and you have to find a way to make your voice do it without raising an eyebrow or crinkling your nose. And so it’s a challenge to me, but it’s the best challenge in the world. It’s a lot of fun.

What do you love about Shape Island that keeps bringing you back to this show in particular?

Of course, I’ve got to say I love the Narrator-specific episode, because it was a lot of fun getting to create her world instead of just narrating the world of the Shapes. But there’s also a really sweet episode coming up with a little frog. I won’t spill anything about that, but that was a lot of fun to do. And anytime I get to hear Harvey [Guillén] and Scott [Adsit] and Gideon [Adlon] create the voices and the worlds of these three Shapes, I’m all in. I’m a fan of the show, besides just being on the show.

It’s a warm hug, is what I’ve been saying today when I think about it—and also it models kind behavior. I think that we’ve kind of lost a bit of that in the world, where everybody’s so angry and mean-spirited toward each other, and sometimes rightfully so. But it also shows us there’s a way to move through life even with people that you find disagreeable, and you don’t have to be disagreeable. And I love that. That’s what this show teaches.

Having now spent two seasons narrating what the other actors and their characters are doing, is there anything else you’d like to narrate?

My internal monologue is very lively. Internally, Yvette is very funny, very opinionated. So I almost feel like I already have someone narrating, because I’ll go, “You’re gonna have another bagel today. Have you not had enough carbs?” That’s what internal Yvette says. Or, “You might want to watch how you’re going down those stairs. You’re getting older now, that hip’s going to give out on you.” That’s the jokes that inner Yvette has. So I feel like I already have that experience inside my own head. [Laughs.]

Shape Island Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.