(JNS) Voice actor Eli Schiff, 42, and his wife, cartoonist Chari Pere, 40, have spent years building their creative careers. Their latest project has turned their family into castmates.

The couple and their children—Jakey, 13; Bailey, 10; and Serina, 6—have voice roles in the animated feature “David” from Angel studies, lending their voices to the biblical story of King David.

“It was fun,” Pere told JNS. “It definitely helped us build some amazing memories.”

Schiff’s connection to the film goes back several years. In 2017, he auditioned for a series of shorts called “Young David.” He had to sing in Hebrew. At a workshop two years later, the casting director, Ned Lott, remembered him from his audition “as the person who could sing in Hebrew,” Schiff told JNS.

In 2021, Jakey booked a role in the animated film “The Canterville Ghost,” which Lott directed. When it came time to cast the “David” movie, Lott contacted Schiff to invite Bailey to audition for David’s younger sister. Though Bailey didn’t book the role, “Ned realized that he could include the entire Schiff family” in the making of the film, Schiff said.

“We were grateful to be a small part of this amazing film,” Pere said.

The movie is produced by Angel Studios, which made an effort by “specifically looking for Jewish and Israeli actors,” Pere told JNS. “We were able to give feedback while we were recording, and they made certain adjustments accordingly.”

“Of course, Angel Studios is still a Christian company who is telling this story, so it may not be exactly what is written in the Navi,” Pere said, using the Hebrew word for the “Prophets” section of Jewish scripture.

“But even listening to the music, for example, in the song ‘Tapestry,’ you hear inspiration from the Tanach,” Jewish scripture, she said. “David sings, ‘I raise my eyes up to the hills.’ It’s very reminiscent of Tehillim’s Esah einai el he’harim.”

The Schiff children’s careers began when their father attended a panel in Burbank, Calif., where he stayed after for a meet-and-greet with casting directors and agents. Schiff connected with a kids’ agent.

“Eli mentioned that his son liked to hop in the booth and record with him,” Pere said. She added that her husband sent the agent voiceovers and recordings from a coffee shop across the street almost immediately.

Jakey and Bailey auditioned “and were signed by Friday,” Pere said.

She couldn’t talk about her son’s upcoming work, but Jakey’s IMDb page reveals that he has a starring voiceover role in the 2026 animated film “Animal Friends” from Sony Pictures Entertainment, alongside Aubrey Plaza, Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa.

“Jakey is a SAG member,” Pere said with pride, using the acronym for Screen Actors Guild. She described Bailey as a “voiceover actress” and Serina as a “mischief maker.”

‘I fit in better’

While Schiff and the kids have been busy in the booth for years, “David” marks Pere’s first time getting paid for voiceover work. “I recorded two videos in my ‘Unspoken’ animated series about reproductive health,” she told JNS.

The series, which she created and directed, explores topics often left out of Jewish communal conversations.

“I played myself in ‘Miscarried,’” Pere said, “which told the story of Eli and I when we suffered a traumatic miscarriage between our two older kids. It was originally a comic that was released in 2017 with the support of actress Mayim Bialik.”

The series has expanded to include stories told from other perspectives—a man’s experience with miscarriage, a Down syndrome diagnosis, and a mother’s IVF and abortion decision.

Her most recent short, “Determination,” “features the experience of photographer Abbie Sophia, as she faces the most difficult decision in her IVF journey,” Pere said, “whether or not to abort one of her twin fetuses to save the other and herself.”

“David” was something different and new. “This was my first job outside of my own projects in which I was paid to do voiceover work,” she told JNS. “I now feel like I fit in better with the rest of my family.”

For Schiff, voice acting began as a practical solution that grew into a thriving career. “I got into voiceover acting largely because it was more accessible with Shabbat,” he told JNS. “I was able to slowly build up a roster of regular clients, as well as build toward A-list agents and managers over many years.”

Today, his resume includes everything from a Hellmann’s/Best Foods TV campaign to major video games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, plus audio description work for “Succession,” “White Lotus” and “One Tree Hill.”

He’s passing that expertise along. “While the kids are extroverts and naturally talented, I definitely help coach them on auditions,” he said. “I teach classes, currently running an audio description class, and in the summertime, I run a four-week kids’ course. I also offer one-on-one coaching.”

The Schiffs haven’t seen the full movie yet, but they’re counting the days until “David” hits the big screen on Dec. 19.

Said Schiff: “It will be such a treat for the whole family to watch it together in theaters.”

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