VAM 194 | Interview with Yuri Lowenthal, Part 1
Welcome to episode 194 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
Welcome to the first part of my interview with the incredibly prolific Yuri Lowenthal! Yuri’s voice acting work is definitely wide ranging! In animation, some of his most famous roles include Superman in Legion of Superheroes, Ben Tennyson in Ben 10: Alien Force and Omniverse, as well as He-Man in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2021 Animated series. In Games he’s played the Prince in numerous Prince of Persia games, the Male Player Character in Sunset Overdrive, and probably most famously, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man in Marvel’s Spider-Man series of games. In Anime he’s well known for playing Sasuke in the long running anime series Naruto, where I play his older brother Itachi. There are even multiple news articles about how Yuri has played so many characters in games, that chances are you’ve probably fought and defeated one of his characters if you’ve played any games involving fighting. Yuri and his wife, Tara Platt, have their own production company called Monkey Kingdom Productions where they’ve developed and produced their own original shows including the web series Shelf Life, and Topsy McGee vs. The Sky Pirates! Yuri and Tara have also written a popular book on voice acting, Voice Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic.
Yuri and I have some interesting parallels in our acting journeys. We both spent time in New York City doing theater before we came to LA. We both arrived in Los Angeles within months of each other, and we both started working in anime around the same time. On the surface, Yuri’s journey seems very simple: he and Tara moved out to Los Angeles back in 2002 to become movie stars. When they arrived, Tara suggested they explore voice acting as another means of generating income. They took a class and made friends with the teacher, who later had the opportunity to direct the dub of an anime. Yuri auditioned for the show, got hired, and the rest is history, right? Well, it’s not that simple. What that story doesn’t illuminate is how much time, effort, and focus Yuri had spent developing his acting skills before he took that voice over class in LA. In this episode, we dive deep into what Yuri did to build a solid foundation in acting so that when he took that LA voice over class, he was able to fully capitalize on the opportunity.
Yuri’s path wasn’t completely linear either. He’s always had a passion for Japanese culture and language. He majored in East Asian studies in college and he even spent a couple of years after college working in Japan as an interpreter for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (also known as the JET program) helping place native English speaking teachers into Japanese schools. Yuri’s Japanese language and cultural skills gave him the opportunity to apply for a job with a Japanese Bhuto dance company in New York City, at the same time when he was looking to move there to pursue an acting career. Yuri’s acting journey demonstrates how there is no single recipe for becoming a voice actor, but rather each actor must discover their own alchemical formula for success. Yuri’s formula is wonderfully eclectic and I’m so glad that I get to share it with you! Let’s get started.
VAM 193 | Interview with Greg Chun, Part 2
Welcome to episode 193 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
Welcome to the second part of my interview with voice actor and voice director, Greg Chun! You may be familiar with his acting work in games like the Judgement series, World of Warcraft, Mists of Pandaria, Ghost of Tsushima, and Overwatch. In anime he’s worked on shows like Demon Slayer and Neon Genesis Evangelion. In American animation, he’s played Barbie’s father, George Roberts, and he played the main character in the highly acclaimed English dub of the hit Netflix show, Squid Game.
As we continue our discussion, Greg shares with me what inspired him to become an actor in the first place. Unlike many voice actors I’ve interviewed, Greg was not initially passionate about being an actor. He confesses that he’s only truly fallen in love with acting in the past few years. Regular podcast listeners will know that many of my guests discovered that they had a passion for acting, before they decided to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to pursuing it professionally. Greg’s process was very different. For him, voice acting began simply as a fun activity that held a certain fascination for him. The more he pursued voice acting, the more his fascination grew. Instead of committing to achieving a voice acting career and then doing whatever it took to achieve that goal, Greg instead did his best to follow what he felt was fun to do. Those enjoyable experiences compounded over time until his fascination with voice acting became a true passion for the art form. It’s a very different approach to pursuing a voice acting career and he and I dive deep into the psychology of his approach in this episode!
After that, Greg also shares with me his advice for the aspiring voice actor. He’s started teaching voice acting classes himself, especially classes on dubbing live action TV shows. He admits that he’s learned a lot by having to articulate to his students his own process for approaching voice acting, and he takes great joy in helping them succeed. He loves striving for greatness with all of his students and I share that passion for helping aspiring voice actors become the best that they can be. I love Greg’s uplifting and positive approach to creating authentic performances and I’m so glad I get to share it with you!
In this episode, I mention that I will be compiling a list of Recommended Media that I think exemplifies nuanced, believable acting. You can find that list in the Recommended Media section of this website.
VAM 192 | Interview with Greg Chun, Part 1
Welcome to episode 192 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
I’m so happy to share with you the first part of my interview with the talented and supremely affable, Greg Chun! You may be familiar with Greg’s voice acting work in games, where he plays the lead character Takayuki Yagami in the Judgement series, Emperor Shaohao and numerous other characters in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Ujimasa and Takeshi in Ghost of Tsushima, and a personal favorite of mine, Dr. Harold Winston in Overwatch. In anime he’s played Muzan Kibutsuji in Demon Slayer and Ryoji Kaiji in Evangelion. In American animation, he’s played Barbie’s father, George Roberts in numerous projects, and in live action dubbing he’s received great acclaim for his portrayal of the lead character Seong Gi-hun in the hit Netflix show, Squid Game.
Greg and I begin by discussing how he first got started as a voice actor. It turns out it was a very circuitous path! Greg’s original dream was to move to Hollywood to become a film composer. He had taken piano lessons as a child, and had eventually learned to play by ear. His college friends also wanted to become involved in film making as directors and actors and were eager to work with him on their projects. However, when Greg moved to LA to pursue his dreams, things didn’t go quite as he had planned. He had gotten a computer science degree in order to reassure his parents that he would have a stable job, and he initially found work at a newly formed studio at the time called Dreamworks. He was hired to help maintain their computer systems while they were producing one of their early animated films, the Prince of Egypt. In addition to his computer work in LA, Greg was also able to land some jobs composing music, but for commercials, not films.
He admits that during the next few years, he probably got a little complacent and lost some of his focus towards becoming a film composer. He also became disenchanted with the LA lifestyle and realized that he needed a change. So he decided to go back to graduate school for computer science in order to get his Master’s degree and eventually pursue a Ph.D. During his time in grad school, Greg’s friends kept asking if he was still interested in composing music for their projects. Eventually, the lure of the entertainment industry became too strong, and rather than continue his computer science research, Greg decided to try one more time to find his way in Hollywood.
He returned to LA and found work on an original musical adaptation of the story of the 10 Commandments. He started as a rehearsal pianist, but eventually got promoted to musical director for the show. During that time, he met an actress in the production who just happened to be married to the famous movie trailer voice over legend, Don LaFontaine. Greg was able to befriend Don and the rest of Don’s social circle, and they often played cards together. After watching Don work in the studio, Greg realized that he was becoming fascinated with the idea of becoming a voice actor himself. His time spent composing music for commercials had exposed him to the voice over world, and watching Don go through his workday made Greg realize that voice acting could actually be a viable career path for him as well.
Greg decided to apply himself diligently to the pursuit of voice acting. He worked with a voice over coach on a weekly basis for 8 months. He studied the voice over industry and learned as much as he could about voice actors and the studios that hired them. He went to classes and conventions for voice over. And even with all this commitment to learning his craft, it still took Greg 3 years before he turned a profit as a voice actor, and another 4 years before it became a fully viable source of income for him.
I love Greg’s story because it shows just how unique everyone’s journey towards becoming a professionally successful voice actor can be. Even though he decided to pursue voice acting slightly later in his adult life, he did it with a sense of fun and playfulness. His ability to be both relaxed and focused served him very well as he navigated the voice over world. There are so many empowering things my listeners can learn from Greg’s positive mindset and I’m very glad that I get to share his journey with you!
VAM 189 | Interview with Paul Castro Jr., Part 2
Welcome to episode 189 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
Welcome back to the second and final part of my interview with the talented and ambitious Paul Castro Jr! You may have heard Paul’s voice acting in games like NEO: The World Ends With You, Legends of Runeterra, and Lost Judgement, the Kaito Files. He’s also performed in anime titles such as Vampire in the Garden, High-Rise Invasion, and the award winning film, Belle. In addition, Paul has worked extensively in theater and film both as an actor and behind the scenes. He considers himself a storyteller first and foremost and his breadth of experience is a testament to his commitment to telling great stories.
In the previous episode, Paul explained how he got started as an actor. While he had always been a fan of games and anime when he was young, it never occurred to him that one could pursue voice acting as a legitimate career. In college, he joined an improv theater group, fell in love with acting, and realized he needed to transfer to a different school in order to pursue acting professionally. He auditioned for and was accepted into NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts where he got his BFA degree in acting from the Meisner studio. He took advantage of every storytelling opportunity that came his way, whether it was acting, writing, producing, or even just assisting other actors! All of that hard work and dedication paid off and he’s now living in Los Angeles pursuing his voice acting dreams!
As we continue our discussion, I ask Paul what inspired him to become a performer in the first place. His response is extremely honest. He admits that he felt the need to get attention when he was young which he would do by acting out, being obnoxious, or by being the class clown. What motivated his need for attention was the fact that deep down, he was incredibly sensitive. He could tell that this sort of emotional sensitivity would not be rewarded in the environment he grew up in. He was therefore pleasantly surprised to discover that vulnerability and emotional honesty were valued and celebrated in the field of acting!
Inspired by Paul’s candor, I then share some of the challenges that I faced as a young, emotionally sensitive boy, and how acting helped me unlock and explore different parts of my psyche. We then discuss how much storytelling meant to us as children and how we both now honor and appreciate being able to work on stories that people take comfort in and want to experience over and over again. Paul also talks about how his time in the theater affected him, both as an actor, and as an audience member watching Broadway shows. These were transformative experiences that deepened his appreciation for, and solidified his obsession with, the craft of acting. After that, we wrap up our time together with Paul’s advice for the aspiring voice actor and how important he feels it is to surround yourself with inspiring content and people who uplift you. It’s a very personal and emotionally intimate interview, and I’m so happy that I get to share it with you!
VAM 188 | Interview with Paul Castro Jr., Part 1
Welcome to episode 188 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
Regular listeners to the podcast may recognize the name and voice of my next guest from the lovely comments that he called in and left for my 10th Anniversary podcast episode. I’m talking about the talented, ambitious, and industrious Paul Castro Jr.! Paul has extensive experience performing on stage, on camera, and in front of the microphone! You can hear his voice acting work in the Square Enix game: NEO: The World Ends With You where he plays the lead character, Rindo Kanade. He also plays the character of Dragon in the award winning anime film, Belle. If that wasn’t enough, imagine my surprise to discover that Paul worked with me on the game Lost Judgement: The Kaito Files, where I played Kaito and Paul played Jun Sadamoto, a young man who believes he’s actually Kaito’s son! It was a true pleasure to hear Paul’s voice in our scenes together!
In the first part of this interview, Paul shares with us how he got started as an actor. When Paul was young and growing up in New York and New Jersey, he had no idea what acting even was! While he was a fan of animation and video games, he never gave much thought to how actors might be providing the voices for the characters that he watched and interacted with. He just enjoyed the content for what it was. It wasn’t until he was in college and trying to decide what he wanted to pursue as a career, that he stumbled across an improvisational comedy group and decided to give it a try. He was surprised to discover that not only did he enjoy acting more than any other subject he had tried in college, but that acting was a legitimate career choice that some of his fellow comedy troupe members were pursuing.
Paul made up his mind to commit fully to pursuing an acting career as quickly as possible. He decided to leave the college he had been attending, Monmouth University, and audition for NYU’s conservatory acting program known as the Tisch School of the Arts. He was accepted into the Meisner Studio and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree there. During his time in school, he took every opportunity he could to develop his acting skills and to expand his understanding of the entertainment industry. He worked both in front of and behind the camera in film and TV productions. He assisted established professional actors with their film shoots and with their self-tape auditions. He read every book that he could about managing the business aspects of an acting career, and he jumped at every opportunity that presented itself so that he could learn as much as possible, as fast as possible. It’s truly impressive how diligent and tireless he was!
As much as Paul enjoyed acting on stage and on camera, he had a special passion for animation and video games. His love of those mediums inspired him to reach out to his professors to try and discover what it would take to work as a professional voice actor. They not only gave him great advice, but some of them mentored him as well. What’s funny is that a number of his mentors were actors and producers that I worked with when I was voice acting in New York City back in the late 1990s! It was around the time that Paul was working with these shared colleagues of ours that he started listening to my Voice Acting Mastery podcast, which he credits for helping him better understand what it would take to succeed as a professional voice actor. I’m so glad my podcast episodes could help him on his journey, and I hope that by sharing his story with my other listeners, all of you can be inspired to take what you learn here, put it into action, and follow Paul’s example!
VAM 187 | Interview with Lucien Dodge, Part 2
Welcome to episode 187 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!
As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:
http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast
Welcome back to the second and final part of my interview with voice actor and voice director, Lucien Dodge! You may know Lucien’s voice acting work from anime including Sailor Moon, Gundam: The Origin, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, Sword Art Online, Demon Slayer, and Fate/Zero! He’s also worked on games such as Dust: An Elysian Tail, League of Legends, Mad Max, and Smite. Lucien also voice directed me in the dub of the anime Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon where I played the main antagonist, Kirinmaru. We had such a great time working together that I was eager to get him on the podcast to talk about his own voice acting experiences and his approach to the art form.
In this episode, Lucien describes what inspired him to become a voice actor and how therapeutic the process of acting was for him, especially early in his career. He goes on to talk in detail about the Meisner Acting Technique and how foundational it was in helping him develop his own acting skills to a professionally competitive level. We then discuss how a technique like Meisner applies to playing cartoony characters and how much traditional acting training supports the more wacky or zany character voice acting you might hear in some animated shows. While an audience might initially be struck by the voice qualities of a certain character, such as Daffy Duck’s lisp, or Bug’s Bunny’s Brooklyn accent, what makes those characters compelling beyond those vocal pyrotechnics is the emotional authenticity of the character. That genuine emotional believability can only be achieved through top-notch acting skills.
Lucien is obsessed with finding that emotional authenticity in all of his work, and I could feel his sensitivity to sub-text when we were working on the dub of Yashahime. That’s why I was so glad to get him on the podcast, so he could share with my listeners how important it is to develop that nuanced understanding of human emotions and what it takes to be able to portray them believably in an acting situation. I’m not the only one who noticed this quality in Lucien. The famous voice actor, Corey Burton, also could see Lucien’s passion for acting and they developed a friendship over the years. Lucien learned so much from Corey about having a professional mindset, especially when Corey invited Lucien to watch a recording session for the animated show, the Boondocks. By observing some of the most talented voice actors in the business, Lucien truly understood just how competitive he needed to be in order to succeed as a voice actor in Los Angeles.
As this episode draws to a close, we wrap up our discussion with Lucien’s advice for the aspiring voice actor. He emphasizes how important it is for your own mental health to realize what aspects of your career are in your control, and what aspects of the voice acting world are not. If you can stay focused on developing the abilities you need to further your career, and let go of the aspects of the voice over industry that are beyond your power to influence, it can help you pursue your voice acting goals with less stress and more ease. Lucien also credits my interview with Jack Angel as helping him develop this more positive mindset.
It’s a great conclusion to our talk together, and I’m excited to share it with you.