Listening to celebrities narrate their life stories in audiobooks hits differently from merely reading the memoirs.
The actors’ voices, familiar from movies or television, brim with emotion as they recount stories from their childhood, juicy gossip about celebrity pals or themselves – and even a scandal or two.
Even if you are not a fan or know next to nothing about the authors, they have lived a life less ordinary, which makes for a compelling tale, and their autobiographies often offer a glimpse into what makes them tick.
For instance, actor Will Smith’s frank autobiography, Will, released before his infamous Oscar slap, takes the listener behind his movie-star facade.
In a similar vein, Madly, Deeply: The Diaries Of Alan Rickman, released last week, gives insights into the mind of the late British actor, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2016 at the age of 69.
Notably, the audiobook is not narrated by Rickman, but features the voices of two of his Harry Potter co-stars – Alfred Enoch, who plays Dean Thomas, and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) – as well as his good friend, actor Steven Crossley.
Out next month is a highly anticipated autobiography by Friends star Matthew Perry. Narrated in the voice known to millions as that of Chandler Bing from the hit sitcom, the memoir – Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing – promises an intimate look at fame and addiction, which almost killed him.
A number of autobiographies released this year which are well worth a listen include Marvel star Simu Liu’s immigrant success story, We Are Dreamers; Crazy Rich Asians lead Constance Wu’s tell-all memoir, Making A Scene; and former child actress Jennette McCurdy’s heartbreaking account of abuse at the hands of her mother, with the controversial title, I’m Glad My Mom Died.
Other oldies but goodies include autobiographies by comedian Trevor Noah, late actress Carrie Fisher and actors Matthew McConnaughey and Stanley Tucci, who bring their distinctive voices to their audiobooks.