JP Karliak is having a pinch me moment.The voiceover actor, queer activist, and self-proclaimed snappy dresser best known to a lot of LGBTQ+ comic fans as the voice of nonbinary shapeshifter, Morph, in Marvels X-Men 97 has his name attached to one of Julys biggest theatrical releases, and hes playing not one, but two lead villains. And not just any villains, either. He gets to ham it up as one of the greatest cartoon villains of the 1980s: Gargamel, the evil wizard of the Smurfs universe who makes his long-awaited return to the big screen with Smurfs on July 18.While you likely may not be familiar with his face (or his signature electric blue hair), just take a peek at Karliaks impressive IMDB and youll see that, odds are, youve very likely heard his exceptional vocal talents embody some of the most popular characters of the pop culture pantheon, including Wile E. Coyote, Spider-Man, Willy Wonka, the Tin Man, and Boss Baby (taking the reins from actor Alec Baldwin). But what makes Smurfs a feather in his cap is not just the fact that hes among a star-studded cast that includes John Goodman, Rihanna, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, and Kurt Russell (just to name a few), but the fact that an everyday voice actor like himself scored two lead villain roles in a single big-screen project. Smurfs poster of Gargamel and Razamel, both voiced by JP Karliak (right)Paramount Pictures; Tommy Flanagan (provided)Every part of it is a pinch me, jaw-dropping moment. Karliak tells our sister brand, Out. Because it doesn't happen to us workforce voice actors. It just doesn't. So it's been really cool.How Karliak landed the role isnt the typical I auditioned and got the part story youd expect. In fact, he never even had his sights set on the part of Gargamel at all. He actually earned the role by capturing the attention of executives with his sheer talent during a standard table read. With Smurfs, I was brought in along with a bunch of workhorse voice actors to do a table read and scratch, which is basically just laying down a track that they can storyboard with to work out stuff with the executives and the script before they do the inevitable celebrity casting, explains Karliak. Later, I was brought in for individual sessions not even starting with Gargamel. It was for a few different characters and they really zoned in on Razamel, Gargamel's brother. Karliak goes on to explain that, even though the executives seemed dazzled by his take on Razamel a voice he says he came up with on the fly he never imagined a no-name voice actor having a shot at nabbing the role of the main big bad. He assumed the studio would pursue a Jim Carrey-level A-lister. The whole time Im thinking, I love that they love what I'm doing, but they'll give me something like Smackity Smurf in the back row and I'll have like two lines.But while he was on a honeymoon with his newlywed husband in Athens, Greece, Karliak got a surprise phone from his agent that made that romantic trip extra special. He found out he actually scored the role of Razamel. Fast-forward to some time later, while in the midst of a recording session, Karliak once again impressed executives with his uncanny ability to transform into whatever character he imagines on a whim, this time channeling original Gargamel voice actor Paul Mitchell, which paved the way for some unexpected and unimaginable double duties on the film.We were recording a scene where Razumel and Gargamel talk to each other. And they didn't have the scratch of Gargamel, Karliak recalls. And they were like, Oh, we would have to go and get it. That'll take an hour. I was like, Do you want me to just do it? And so I just did the back-and-forth conversation. And they were a little mind-blown. A month later, they were like, Yea, you're both of them. Razamel and Gargamel (JP Karliak) and Papa Smurf (John Goodman) in Smurfs from Paramount Animation.Paramount PicturesGargamel and Razamel are just two more villains Karliak gets to add to his ever-growing roster of iconic evil-doers. Between his memorable take as Green Goblin in the animated Spidey and His Amazing Friends and following in the footsteps of Mark Hamill and voicing the Joker in two video games (Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and DC: Dark Legion), its pretty clear that the voiceover powerhouse has an affinity for villainy.I've always gravitated towards villains, he confesses. I've always found them to be my favorite characters.But not just any villain. Karliak has a particular soft spot for baddies of the flamboyant variety, and Gargamel certainly fits the bill. My number-one villain is Skeletor [from Masters of the Universe]. I definitely lean into those villains that are queer-coded and have that sort of mincing villainy, which I love, shares Karliak. I never identified with He-Man or that ultra masculinity. Villain-wise, I was never a fan of Shredder [from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles] either, because he is so masculine and so tough and everything. I was like, No, not me. Give me Cobra Commander. [Laughs] Gargamel is so much in that same vein as well.Speaking of queer-coded, theres no denying the apparent queerness of the Smurfs, especially the original 1981 cartoon. For decades, fans have theorized about their sexuality and have poked fun about how the mostly all-male population of shirtless blue twinks all perfectly fit most of the gay archetypes (Papa Smurf is the daddy, Hefty is the muscle queen, you get the picture). And its pretty unanimous that the swishy and self-absorbed Vanity Smurf is the queerest of them all (he even took the number 12 spot on Rankers list of gayest cartoon characters). While Karliak admits that there's certainly some fun to be had with how the Smurfs match up with those classic gay tropes, this new iteration is more in line with the recent canon, with Smurfette no longer being the lone female. But even in the original mythology, Smurfs were never known to physically reproduce their infants were delivered by storks from an unknown location. So, in the new film, dont expect to see any romances.I think the Smurfs whole sense of affection is platonic, says Karliak. I think anything that they almost feel like the archetype for like demisexuals or aroace [aromantic asexual] individuals where it's just like, they're just trying to build really strong, beautiful friendships. And it's really not about sexual attraction. And I think that's beautiful. I think there's something to be celebrated in that. Razamel (JP Karliak) in Smurfs from Paramount Animation.Paramount PicturesSmurfs isnt the only new project Karliaks fans are looking forward to. The voiceover wonder is also set to return to the X-Men universe, reprising his role as mutant superhero Morph in season 2 of Disney/Marvels critically acclaimed X-Men 97. Due to the secrecy surrounding the project, he couldnt say much, but he did offer an update. I have an ankle bracelet that will inject a poison into me and kill me if I say more, he quips. So we've wrapped season 2. I think it's coming out next year. Fingers crossed. And we've started work on season 3. As far as what you can expect to see, at the end of season 1, we tease the arrival of Apocalypse. So, of course, all of us are in far-flung different times, dimensions, all sorts of stuff. So it's going to be a wild and wacky journey, but I think you can still expect to see a lot of the beautiful relationship building that we did in season 1.As for his hopes and dreams beyond X-Men 97, Karliak says that Skeletor is his white whale the last iconic villain of his dream-role wishlist, but until then, hes always keeping his eye for new original characters, especially those of the queer variety. I would love to be involved in a project where I'm brought in as the villain who's never been heard of, original character, hopefully a queer story of some kind and being a part of that. That's the dream, shares Karliak, who also served as a voice and casting director for a totally original animated drag musical fantasy thats available now and its loaded with RuPauls Drag Race royalty. I will say the very first project that I've cast and directed is called Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-Shero, he shares, enthusiastically. It's an animated movie thats on all streaming platforms for purchase. And I'm very proud of this cast that I was able to pull together, but it features Jinkx Monsoon, BenDeLaCreme, Mont X Change, Ros, Heidi N Closet, Lorraine Newman. It's a stellar, diverse, very queer cast.When hes not out at comic conventions promoting his creative endeavors or blowing away executives with his brand of vocal wizardry, Karliak is also an activist who spends a lot of time helping others in the community achieve their acting dreams. In 2021, he founded Queer Vox, a nonprofit academy for LGBTQIA+ voice actors. His goal? Per his official website: to train and showcase queer voiceover talent while championing true representation behind the mic.I run a nonprofit that advocates for queer and trans voice actors, called QueerVox, he says. We're encouraging our actors to lead with their talent first. We're also training them in gender vocal work where, not only are they able to attune their daily voice to being more gender euphoric and aligned with their identity, but also to be able to manipulate it so that they can play other gender identities, like cisgender people, and continue to get work in sparse times. Our community has been denied the opportunity to not only play ourselves, which seems like such a no-brainer, but unlike our cis straight compatriots Jared Leto who get to play all sorts of queer and trans roles, we don't get to play cis or straight roles," he continued. "And I consider myself a prime advocate for that because I have had the passing privilege of being able to voice Alec Baldwin and a bunch of other characters. So I really try my best to blow people's expectations out of the water when I walk into the room with my blue hair and my blue nails and be like, 'This is who you cast for your big military man.'Smurfs is now out in theaters. Watch the trailer below.