Look Mom, Your American voice over artist is in the Newspaper!
- Stephanie MATARD
- Nov 12
- 4 min read
A French press feature about my journey as an American voice over artist in France
In October 2025, French media outlet Actu.fr published a feature about my journey, from Texas to Normandy, and my career as a voice-over and dubbing actress in France. For my English-speaking community, here’s my translation of the article so you can read it too!
From Texas to Le Neubourg: The Incredible Journey of an American Voice-Over Artist in Normandy
*Originally published in French by Actu.fr — article by Pierre Choisnet*
(…translated article begins…)
Stephanie Matard, originally from the United States and settled in Le Neubourg (Eure) since 2015, has established herself internationally as a voice-over and dubbing artist.
Stephanie Matard speaks with stars in her eyes. Smiling and full of life, she is a reflection of her own happiness. “I love what I do! Every day, I’m excited to work,” says the American-born artist, speaking flawless French, who has lived in Le Neubourg (Eure) since 2015. She is an actress specializing in dubbing and voice-over, collaborating with many international companies, and she has a career that is flourishing, even as she continues to dream bigger.
Born in Texas
Born as Stephanie Pappas in Kingsville, Texas, USA, she moved to Ohio at age three with her parents, who both worked for the U.S. Navy. “That’s where I grew up until I was 18. Then I studied graphic design in Pennsylvania before moving to San Diego, California, for theatre and acting classes.” It was a return to her early passions as she was a cheerleader and in theater growing up. “I’ve always had the spirit of performance and entertainment.”
The first steps as an actress
Her dream was originally to become an actress. The spark came in 2006 after watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy. “It was so magical, so enchanting that I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. It really moved me,” confides the American, who became a naturalized French citizen a few years ago.
After training, she became a professional actress thanks to a theatre-based English-teaching company. “I traveled all over Italy, it was an incredible experience.”
Love soon entered the picture. She met Luc Matard, a Frenchman from Saint-Aubin-lès-Elbeuf (Seine-Maritime), who was also an actor. That’s how the American arrived in France in 2010. “I didn’t speak a word of French, or just enough to say ‘hello,’ ‘goodbye,’ or ‘my name is Stéphanie.’”
“I felt like an actress in my own life”
For a time, she put aside her acting ambitions. She worked as a medical assistant in Levallois-Perret, learning French in six months. She moved to Le Neubourg in 2015 and later worked for Tam Tam Organisation until 2017.
But the artistic calling returned.“I felt like I was an actress in my own life.” Her then-husband introduced her to the world of voice-over and everything clicked. “I was listening to an English audiobook and suddenly I knew: this is it.”
What began in a laundry room has since become a fully equipped professional home studio.
A key connection came from voice actor Thomas Dormoy and director of the voice over agency Presta Voice. “He believed in me and even lent me my first microphone. I trained in Paris thanks to him, and that’s how everything began.”
Entrepreneur & International Voice-Artist
In 2018, she launched her company under her own name. Her signature: a neutral American accent in France, between Normandy and Paris.
She now voices corporate films, commercials, documentaries, and fiction (including TV series and video games). “I’ve worked on adverts for Nvidia and Decathlon,” she notes. She also dubbed the main character in the Czech series Wasteland (2016) into English.
In 2022, she was nominated for Best International Female Performance at the One Voice Awards for her work on a commercial for the video game Dofus.
Now 41, she hopes to do even more dubbing: “I’d love to voice a well-known actress into English someday, but I know it’s a challenge. English-speaking markets recreate films rather than dubbing them. Still, if they need someone speaking French with a neutral American accent, I’m perfect for it,” she laughs.
She also hopes to do more animation and video-game work: “It’s so much fun, more freedom, more characters!”
A shared passion
She lives with her partner, Michael Ashtiany, an English voice-over artist originally from Manchester. He moved to Le Neubourg with her in May and is learning French. Together they organized the first-ever Voiceover Social Paris in September. “I’m proud to have brought this event to France,” she says.
Her daughter, age 11, was also recently nominated for Best Child Voice-Over in the US. “She’s still discovering what she wants to do in life, but she loved the experience,” Stephanie says proudly.
AI in the industry
Artificial intelligence is a concern in the dubbing world. “High-budget projects will always prefer real voices and real emotion, but there is still a risk,” she notes.
She stresses the importance of contract awareness: “A colleague discovered her voice had been used by AI without her consent. You have to protect yourself and read contracts carefully.”
She hopes for clearer regulations in France and the U.S., noting that young artists are especially vulnerable to tempting but risky offers.
End of article!
A note from me:
Being interviewed about my journey as a bilingual American voice-over artist in France was incredibly special.
When I moved from Texas → Ohio → California → Italy → Paris → Normandy, I never imagined I’d build an international voice career from a small town in France; that would allow me to collaborate with brands around the world, dubbing TV series, working with incredible studios, and connecting with a global creative community.
I love this job and I love storytelling. I even love that my voice gets to travel when I’m tucked away in my cozy studio here in Normandy 😊
Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting real, human, independent voice talents. It Means the world 💛
And of course, if you want to collaborate on a project, please reach out on my contact page! Talk soon!
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