Alive with Steve Burns Listen Now: Steve Burns on Fail Better with David Duchovny
Nov 26, 2025
Steve Burns, the beloved voice actor known for Blue's Clues, joins David Duchovny to reminisce about their shared admiration for Samuel Beckett and children's television. They dive into Steve's two-decade hiatus from fame, sparked by a rumor about his death. The conversation explores themes of vulnerability, the pressure of social media, and the lasting impact of shows like Sesame Street. With humor and insight, Steve emphasizes the importance of listening and resilience in both childhood and adulthood, crafting a poignant reflection on life and learning.
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Accidental Casting Rewires An Actor
- Steve auditioned for Blue's Clues thinking it was a voiceover job and intended to act the part like a serious theater actor.
- The show's child-development-led process quickly changed his approach and humbled his theatrical pretensions.
Kids' TV As Transcendent Teaching
- Children's television can be transcendent when it treats kids seriously and teaches by example and story.
- Steve credits Sesame Street and Fred Rogers as formative models that use parable-like storytelling to help children face difficult situations.
A Single Play Rewires A Teen
- Steve discovered Samuel Beckett at a teen arts program where seeing Endgame 'rewired' his aesthetic and drew him to theatrical absurdism.
- That experience aligned with his morose sensibility and influenced his performance approach and taste.
