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Anime Voice Actors Monica Rial, Wendee Lee, Ryan Bartley & Megan Shipman | Ecchi Expo Q&A Panel
Dec 14, 2025
Four well-known anime voice actors came together for a live Q&A panel at Ecchi Expo, featuring Monica Rial, Wendee Lee, Ryan Bartley, and Megan Shipman.
Each of these performers has played major roles across some of the most recognizable anime series of the past two decades. Monica Rial is widely known for her work in My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, Fruits Basket, and Fairy Tail. Wendee Lee’s career spans decades, with standout roles in Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Naruto. Ryan Bartley is known for performances in Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and A Silent Voice. Megan Shipman has voiced fan-favorite characters in My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Fruits Basket, and Fairy Tail.
This panel brought together talent from multiple generations of English anime dubbing, offering fans a rare chance to see these voices share the stage at one event.
Recorded live at Ecchi Expo.
Subscribe for more convention panels, interviews, and pop culture coverage from Tales From The Collection.
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0:00
are here joined by four Etsy Expo
0:03
royalty for titans of the industry, but
0:06
I'm also here. Um, my name is Ethan. I
0:10
am half a thousand faces cosplay and I'm
0:12
going to be moderating this Q&A. I'm
0:15
going to be starting with questions and
0:17
then whenever I run out, I will be
0:19
filtering some audience questions as
0:21
well. But let's go ahead and jump on in
0:23
and meet our four incredible actors
0:26
here. Starting with
0:27
>> Ah, hello everybody. I'm Wendy Lee, the
0:31
voice of FA Valentine, Howus Mia, Konata
0:36
TK from Digimon,
0:38
>> Detective Conan,
0:41
and several others. And it's lovely to
0:43
be here with you all today. Thank you
0:45
for joining us.
0:49
>> She also directs like many things as
0:53
well. Um, I'm Ryan Bartley. I'm the
0:56
voice of Sage and Sonic the Hedgehog.
0:59
Um, Pom Pom Purin and Hello Kitty. Uh,
1:03
I'm Rob and Rezero, Makomao and Haneko
1:06
and Demon Slayer. Kogi and Hunter
1:08
Hunter. Ray Ayami and Neon Genesis Aong.
1:11
Uh, Nox and New Penny and Stocking
1:17
and Maria and Hik. Uh, yeah, a bunch of
1:21
other things. Ki
1:23
>> Ki Digimon and Alistar and Alchemy and
1:26
Pokemon.
1:29
>> Hi, I'm Megan Shipman. Uh, I'm on your
1:33
forger and spy family of Brava, My Hair
1:36
Academia, Sasha Browse, The Time on
1:38
Titan season 4. Uh, I always forget. You
1:41
guys have such a great list. And then I
1:43
I always tell people I tell people I
1:45
have me keep making the videos. I have
1:47
like four things I remember and then I
1:50
go and then you can Google my name
1:51
faster than I can literally remember
1:53
them because I am an idiot. Um so you're
1:57
not an idiot.
1:57
>> I can't remember the things I do. Oh,
1:59
I'm in um right now I'm in Tales of
2:01
Wedding Rings. I've signed a lot of that
2:03
stuff. I pref
2:06
That's that
2:07
>> is a movie show. We love our movie show.
2:10
I fun fun story really quick. When we
2:12
did that show I was like wow you can see
2:15
their nipples.
2:17
Well, no, no, but it's but I was like I
2:19
was like, "Oh, it's been so long."
2:22
>> Wow. I was like, "All right, let's go.
2:25
This is what I was raised on at this
2:27
place." I was cutting my teeth on movie
2:30
shows. It's how I became so great.
2:34
>> I forgot. You totally So, Megan came
2:36
into Crunchy Well, Funimation about the
2:38
time that we all we had were TV shows.
2:41
>> That's right. That's all I did. Jerry
2:43
Juel asked me. He was like, "Hey, Megan,
2:45
I've got a show with more boobs, big
2:48
women. Do you want to be in it?" And I'm
2:51
like, "Yeah, Jerry, you know, I'll do
2:53
whatever."
2:53
>> There's always more boobs than
2:54
>> Yeah. I was like, "I'll do whatever you
2:56
need, Jerry.
2:56
>> Be twice as many."
2:58
>> And he went, "Okay." And then I get
3:00
called in and he cast me as the lead in
3:02
this like huge lesbian show. It was It
3:05
was great. There was lots of spit.
3:07
>> What's it called? Um, what's funny is I
3:09
I I don't care now, but I used a I used
3:12
an alias at the time because I was like,
3:14
"This is
3:15
>> You were You were in it, too." It was a
3:18
Valkyrie Drive Mermaid.
3:20
>> Yeah.
3:22
>> Oh, yeah. There was a lot of fluids in
3:24
that show, but no mermaids.
3:26
>> But no mermaids, surprisingly. Really?
3:28
>> Yeah. That the plot of that show is
3:30
wild. They get kidnapped and they take
3:32
these girls to an island and then no one
3:34
comes looking for them. And that's my
3:35
first red flag. I was like, "No one
3:37
cares. No one cares that their daughters
3:40
are missing." Okay, great. All right.
3:41
They were like, "Good riddance." She was
3:43
annoying. You know, send her to the
3:46
island.
3:47
>> That's the show where I first learned
3:49
that inverted nipples right there.
3:51
>> Yeah.
3:52
>> I'm learning this right now.
3:54
>> We haven't even gotten through the
3:55
introduction and then we're on to
3:57
inverted nipples.
4:00
>> Something like the the like I'm the
4:03
Charlotte.
4:06
So, yeah, she had this outfit that would
4:08
barely cover her chest and every once in
4:11
a while you'd have a nip slip a little
4:12
bit,
4:13
>> but then um I don't know the character's
4:15
name, so it feels even weirder. Um me
4:17
and Jade
4:19
had a little love scene and as they're
4:21
doing the thing, um I was like, "What's
4:24
what's wrong with our nipples? Like,
4:26
they look weird." And then all of a
4:27
sudden, I was like, "Oh, that's a thing.
4:30
I can just do that."
4:33
>> Crazy. Jasper's in anybody's nerves.
4:36
>> The things you've learned. Hey, who are
4:38
you? Oh, I'm Monica.
4:39
>> There we go.
4:44
Nipples. I just sent Sean Shaml a very
4:48
questionable photo of Goku and I'm
4:49
having
4:53
I told you I've been staring at that all
4:55
weekend. It's right across from my
4:56
booth. So, I've just had Goku dongle all
4:59
weekend.
5:00
>> So funny. I'm Bulma in Dragon Ball. Um,
5:04
I am Braie and Black Hero Academia. Uh,
5:08
oh god, Pure Jane and Fairy Tale.
5:11
>> Maril Leona and Black Clover. Um, and
5:13
also separately.
5:25
in the pool scene overseas. That girl
5:30
has her toes out for free 24/7. I love
5:33
it.
5:35
>> Can I be not just that? Can I add one
5:37
thing that Monica and I have something
5:39
very special in common? We are Bulma
5:41
sisters. We share the role of Bulma.
5:45
>> And I am Bulma the first
5:50
>> from the '9s. And Wendy and I have been
5:52
doing this for far too long. So, we have
5:54
a very long history
5:57
>> and it's wonderful to see you because
5:58
it's been years.
5:59
>> That's right. We We only get to see each
6:01
other at con so this is a huge reunion
6:03
for us. Did you guys see a lot of Bulma
6:05
people this weekend?
6:06
>> Yes.
6:07
>> There were some dirty ones.
6:11
>> When I went up to say hi to Monica this
6:12
weekend, she was rubbing a Bulma card
6:14
and she was just rubbing Bulma's boobs
6:16
and I was like, "Are you okay?" She was
6:18
like, "OH, YEAH. IT'S FINE. It makes it
6:20
easier to find."
6:22
But it was I didn't even realize this.
6:23
The whole time she's talking I'm just
6:25
sitting here like this like Oh, I didn't
6:27
realize. Is that a tip or something?
6:29
>> What are you doing?
6:31
>> It's just a vision toy, you know?
6:33
>> Yeah. Like it makes it easier to sign
6:35
them.
6:35
>> Yeah. So the cards and also the manga
6:37
covers.
6:38
>> Okay. Now you're all
6:39
>> Yeah. This is a pro tip.
6:40
>> So this is a pro tip. So, the best
6:42
thing, so because they're so slick and
6:44
they have this special print on them, if
6:46
you take your finger and just rub in the
6:48
area where you're going to sign, it kind
6:50
of breaks down that exterior. So, you
6:53
know, sometimes when you sign something
6:54
slick, it kind of bulbs up and rub your
6:57
finger.
6:58
>> Thank you. This is of
7:01
>> the inverted
7:06
girls don't have anything to talk about.
7:09
>> No. No. Well, I normally like to lead
7:12
off with an icebreaker or like buildin
7:14
question, but we already got to inverted
7:16
nipples.
7:18
>> So, this is the place.
7:19
>> I'm going to ask it anyway, even if I'm
7:22
not sure we need it. But in we all know
7:25
you all are incredible voice actors, but
7:27
that you are also incredible actors and
7:30
I would imagine have a uh history with
7:33
the theater, be it either a passionate
7:36
viewer or a professional performer. So a
7:40
question that I love for all my theater
7:41
kids. What is a stage role? This can be
7:45
a musical or this can be a you know
7:49
non-m musical but what stage role would
7:52
you have have you always wanted or would
7:54
be a dream role like shave from
7:59
>> absolutely absolutely zero because I'm
8:01
not a theater kid.
8:02
>> Okay. Well that's easy. No keep me off
8:04
the stage.
8:05
>> I'm a choir kid. I'm a I'm a music kid.
8:08
So that's where I came from. So I was
8:10
like close, you know. I was like,
8:12
>> "Oh, I adjacent."
8:13
>> You were Yeah. I feel the choir was
8:15
theater adjacent.
8:16
>> Yeah. Choir and theater. And then like,
8:18
you know, in college I got a degree and
8:20
yeah, that was cool. And uh they like,
8:22
you know, they were like, "Do your stuff
8:24
and sing these aras and do this stuff."
8:26
And I was like, "That's cool, but I'm
8:27
never doing this in front of people."
8:28
>> But you also get to like when you do the
8:30
oparatic.
8:31
>> Yeah, you do have to.
8:32
>> I mean, that is like
8:33
>> Yeah, we did. They were like, "So you
8:35
have to do this." And I was like, I feel
8:38
horrible. I want to crawl out of my skin
8:41
right now. But I'll do it. I'll do it.
8:43
But I want to crawl out of my skin. So,
8:45
but yeah, that's me. I think for me, um,
8:50
Adeline in Dolls is one that I Adelaide.
8:55
>> Um, Belma Kelly in Chicago is one that
8:58
I've always wanted to do. Um, but I I
9:00
got to play uh Sally BS and Cabaret
9:04
right before I started doing voice
9:06
acting. And then when I started doing
9:08
voice acting, couldn't really do theater
9:11
anymore. It was not a whole lot of time
9:13
for
9:14
>> What about you?
9:15
>> The ones that got away were uh I really
9:19
wanted to be Helen Keller, Miracle
9:21
Worker. I really wanted to be um the
9:24
girl in Arttown. And I really wanted to
9:26
do The Crucible. And I really wanted to
9:30
do uh The Diary Man Frank as a kid. I
9:33
really wanted to be in Frank.
9:35
>> Yeah, I I did a lot of theater as a kid.
9:37
Um Roxy Hart would be fun. Like I would
9:41
want to be Roxy Hart. Um yeah, those are
9:44
kind of the ones that come to mind.
9:46
Yeah, I could still do The Crucible.
9:48
Like other characters maybe.
9:50
>> I don't know. Yeah.
9:53
>> Yeah. I'm a big theater kid. I I worked
9:56
through um a bunch of different theaters
9:59
in Hollywood and my kind of the thing
10:01
that I was really seeking were
10:03
originating characters and original
10:05
writing um and plays. So I did a a whole
10:08
dozens of them and it was a a really
10:11
interesting experience. My car got
10:12
broken into a bunch of times parking in
10:15
Hollywood,
10:17
>> but like three times dur because I was
10:20
constantly doing shows and it was crazy.
10:22
And back in the day, they would steal
10:23
your radio.
10:26
>> So I just started leaving my car
10:27
unlocked. Just take the radio. Just
10:29
don't break the window.
10:30
>> I lived in St. Louis. We did the same
10:32
thing eventually. Just leave the car
10:33
unlocked. It's so much smarter.
10:35
>> Just man. Um, so I got to do a lot of
10:39
really great theater. I uh one of my
10:42
earliest jobs was choreographing and
10:44
directing theater. So I kind of came in
10:47
through movement. I got to play Alice,
10:49
Alice in Wonderland, Some of Music, um
10:52
Guys and Dolls. I ended up uh directing
10:54
and choreographing that show several
10:56
different times. Um I got to be uh
10:59
Leisel and um uh I can't think of her
11:02
name now on Sound of Music and Maria.
11:04
Hello. Because I just stuck it out in
11:06
theater long enough. Um, and so yeah, I
11:10
got to play Anastasia. Some really
11:12
beautiful, amazing roles. The last
11:14
musical I did was Audrey and Little Shop
11:18
of
11:20
>> And I had a beautiful love affair with
11:22
my Seymour, and he was my last boyfriend
11:24
before I met my husband. And my husband
11:26
says there was never anyone before him,
11:28
so I'm confused.
11:34
>> Yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah. So, I think I I
11:37
there's a few roles I'd love to play,
11:39
but I got to I got to do a bunch of
11:41
stuff and I I still think of myself as a
11:43
theater actor and I still dream about
11:45
doing shows. I just don't want to record
11:48
all during the daytime and work all
11:50
night. It's
11:51
>> weird. This to someone like in theater
11:54
you rehearse so much like six weeks. In
11:56
voiceover, we rehearse none. Like you
11:59
you even like for video games sometimes
12:02
things are so NDA you don't even see a
12:04
script until you walk in to the room
12:06
like you not only do you not rehearse
12:09
you don't see the line until it's time
12:11
to read the line like you don't even
12:13
scroll down and read the whole scene
12:15
sometimes sometimes you do read the
12:16
whole scene but sometimes you don't and
12:18
you definitely don't go to the next
12:20
scene like you like there's no rehearsal
12:22
you know what I mean so when I look back
12:23
at theater it's like yeah no I'm not
12:26
going to give six weeks of my life for
12:27
No money. Are you insane?
12:29
>> Well, this and this leads into a
12:31
question that I was also planning on
12:33
asking that I think a lot of people
12:34
don't realize exactly what you just
12:37
said, which is that part of the unique
12:39
aspect of voice acting is that you
12:42
frequently have very little idea what
12:45
you are doing until you walk into the
12:48
booth that day. So, given that, what
12:50
information other than what character
12:52
you're doing might you have going into
12:54
the booth? And how do you prepare for
12:57
that which you are not informed about?
13:01
>> Can I just talk a little bit about the
13:02
setup and the reason why we record that
13:05
way? Um, we've actually tried every form
13:08
of recording. We've tried uh having
13:10
table reads first. We've tried viewing
13:12
down material with the whole cast
13:14
present and then going into recording.
13:17
And every time it cost the production
13:19
company a fortune because when you get
13:21
actors together, we get a little chatty.
13:23
So, Can you imagine? So yeah, we for
13:28
that reasonable we tried to do the in
13:31
round recording where we had several
13:33
people and that was like didn't last
13:35
because of
13:36
>> it's just well we end up cracking each
13:38
other up so it becomes a parody. So we
13:40
start I remember we were doing a live
13:42
read of this rootech uh feature film and
13:44
we the cast hadn't been together in a
13:46
long time so they they paid for his
13:48
harmony gold. They were so sweet.
13:49
Brought us in, gave us a catered lunch,
13:51
and we started reading through the
13:53
script. And I remember at one point my
13:54
character Vanessa Leeds, one of the
13:56
Bridge Bunnies, um was it said shaking
13:59
because she the the ship was having
14:01
difficulty and was about to crash. So I
14:03
got to my line and I started reading
14:05
everything like a lamb.
14:09
So it just was terrible. But we had so
14:12
much fun. So what we've what we have
14:15
determined is that it we record much
14:17
more like music. We lay down the bed
14:19
track. So you get one actor at a time.
14:22
So you get your bass track, your drums,
14:24
you do your overdubs. It's a very
14:26
musical process. And then we're really
14:28
isolating each one of those performances
14:30
and getting the very best takes we can
14:32
out of everybody in a very very fast
14:35
format to save on budget. You have to
14:37
keep in mind postp production means
14:40
there's no money left. all of the
14:42
principal photography and the principal
14:43
recording and all of that is where the
14:45
budget the line share of the budget is
14:47
spent. So at the end when they decide
14:49
okay let's give this another life and
14:51
another language but can you do it if
14:54
we're even cheaper whatever the bid is
14:56
there they're there is it's also in the
14:58
interest of the Japanese um paradigm
15:00
their business paradigm good businesses
15:02
to bring that budget down as hard as you
15:04
can in the US we tend to reward really
15:07
good work and give raises for season two
15:11
that's when they come back to us and say
15:12
I know you did it for very low price on
15:14
season one can you do it a little lower
15:16
on season two And there's been a couple
15:18
times where I'm like, I'm out. I can't.
15:20
No, I'm not going to drop my my
15:21
directing rate anymore. The actors
15:23
always get the same rate, at least in
15:25
Los Angeles. But that is the reason.
15:28
It's all about consolidation and saving
15:30
on the budget. So, I just wanted to
15:31
speak to why we record that.
15:34
>> Right. Right. Um, speaking to your
15:36
question of what we do to prepare and
15:38
we'd have very little to go off of, um,
15:41
I would tend to watch the Japanese all
15:44
the way through, um, before I start
15:46
recording in English if it's available.
15:48
Sometimes it's not, like if it's a
15:50
Netflix original, it's not, and that's
15:52
the point. It's coming to air globally
15:54
for the first time on Netflix. But if
15:57
it's, say, for example, it's already on
15:59
Crunchyroll and I will watch as much as
16:01
I can before my first session. Um, and
16:04
for reasons, and this is a very specific
16:06
example, but for example, in Rezero, I
16:08
play Braum, which is the pink-haired
16:09
maid. And um, you you at first think
16:11
she's kind of just sassy and sort of
16:14
cold in a funny way, but then you you
16:16
find out about maybe eight or 13
16:19
episodes in that it's because of a a
16:23
childhood trauma like she she sacrificed
16:25
her horn for her sister and this thing
16:27
happened to them when they were kids.
16:29
They're demons. And that's where her
16:31
protectiveness over her sister comes
16:33
from. And that's where a lot of the like
16:34
distancing yourself comes from. So, I
16:36
think it's important if you can if if
16:39
the materials are available for you to
16:41
go ahead and watch as much as you can.
16:43
Um I'm not really a manga reader, but um
16:46
but to inform yourself as much as you
16:48
can about what makes the character tick
16:50
and what's going on in their head, and
16:51
it will come through, even if you're not
16:53
to that part in the story yet on the
16:55
anime, it will come through in subtle
16:57
ways in your performance. Um, the only
16:59
time I read I read the light novel for
17:02
um I'm working right now on a franchise
17:04
called Rascal Does Not Dream. There's a
17:06
bunch of different
17:07
>> Nice.
17:08
>> Yeah, thank you. And um my character got
17:10
her own little arc eventually, but I've
17:12
started in the show um like a couple
17:15
movies before and she just had a cameo
17:17
and they told me when they cast me, even
17:19
when I got the audition, they were like,
17:20
"She has an arc later." Um, but when I
17:23
booked the role, I I went ahead and read
17:25
the light novel that her story takes
17:27
place in because I had to come into the
17:29
movie for like one scene for like four
17:30
loops for a very short tiny little
17:32
cameo, but I wanted to know who she was.
17:34
So, it was consistent when we got to
17:36
getting into her story and digging in
17:38
who she really was. And there was no way
17:39
for me to it wasn't animated in any
17:41
country yet. Like, this didn't exist
17:43
yet. So, I had to read the light up and
17:45
I and it was short enough to where that
17:46
didn't feel like that much trouble, you
17:48
know? So, I went ahead and did my
17:49
homework in that way. But basically, you
17:51
kind of have to go off on your own and
17:53
and in inform yourself if you can. It's
17:55
not necessarily required. This is what I
17:57
do. Like not everyone does that. Some
17:59
people like to go on the journey with
18:00
the character and they don't like to
18:02
know any more about the character and
18:03
then then they know when it happens
18:05
period because that's their artistic
18:07
journey. That's what they that's how
18:08
they operate. But for me, I like to know
18:10
what is behind the emotions if I can. Um
18:14
and yeah, like for Penny and Stalking,
18:16
I'm in season two. I I've watched all of
18:19
season one. incredible work and I told
18:21
them yesterday like one of the best dubs
18:23
ever, you know, um such big shoes to
18:26
fill. But um but I had to do a vibe
18:28
check. Like that's such an important um
18:30
thing to try to do your best on and it
18:32
existed already. So I had no excuse not
18:34
to understand the tone and try my best
18:37
to uh to do it justice, you know. So I
18:39
watched all and it's hard because when
18:41
you're told you book a role, you don't
18:43
have a lot of time between when you're
18:45
told you book and when they're
18:46
scheduling you. You literally might only
18:48
have a day. It might be like,
18:49
"Congratulations, you booked. What's
18:51
your avail this week?" "Oh, you're only
18:52
available tomorrow. Great. Can you come
18:54
in at 10:00 a.m.?" Like, it happens fast
18:56
when it happens. So, I pretty much
18:58
dropped everything and and binged Panny
19:00
and Stalking um season one and had my
19:03
mind blown.
19:05
Um but uh but yeah, like I you know, I
19:08
take in what I can basically and you
19:10
just don't get a lot and you don't
19:12
there's not a ton of time for them to
19:14
like get into character motivation with
19:17
you sometimes in the booth. So anything
19:19
you can do to sort of um create this
19:21
character's set of opinions in your own
19:23
head before you open your mouth on Mike
19:25
is going to help and I think comes
19:26
through in at least subtle ways um from
19:28
the get-go.
19:30
>> Yeah. Uh juxtapose that with I have a I
19:34
have a client that I work with
19:35
occasionally and I this is the craziest
19:38
story and I'm sure we all have things
19:40
that happen like this. I got this email
19:42
one day from a studio in South Korea and
19:45
they were like, "Hello,
19:48
we like your work. Will you audition for
19:51
things for us?" And I was like, one, how
19:53
did you find me? Two, yes, thank you so
19:56
much. Um, and now they like are a
19:58
consistent client every so often. And
20:01
let me tell you, they send me the most
20:03
random things and sometimes I just show
20:06
up and they're like, "Hello, now we are
20:08
making a show about a food truck
20:11
personified." Um, and you are this
20:14
little girl. And I'm like, "What is
20:17
happening?" It was crazy. Um, so yeah, I
20:20
Mhm. And and then I just show up and I'm
20:22
like, "Great." And then one day I showed
20:24
up and they're like, "Hi, we are doing a
20:26
game with aliens. they don't really
20:27
speak English, so can you just make this
20:30
sound cool? And I went, okay.
20:34
So, yeah. Um, sometimes there's
20:36
literally like, "Hi,
20:38
what are we doing today?" And they're
20:40
like, "Yes, now you are a spatula."
20:44
Like, "Okay, thank you. Thank you so
20:46
much. Um, so take improv classes."
20:48
>> Yeah, take improv classes.
20:50
>> Really good at that. Cuz it is also like
20:52
you have to adapt. Even if it's
20:53
>> It's like two extremes. even if you
20:56
can't literally improv in anime because
20:57
you're matching lip flaps. You have to
20:59
do what's written. You have to be able
21:01
to very very quickly change motivation.
21:03
Um and and so that's why improv is
21:06
important. Even if you're not actually
21:08
making up different words, you're making
21:09
up different circumstances, different
21:10
motivations, thinking of different ways
21:12
to say things on the fly. That's always
21:14
one of my suggestions. We were like,
21:15
"What can I work on?" I'm like, "Take
21:17
improv. Do any kind of improv because
21:20
you don't know. I'm going to tell you
21:21
the the first time." Uh, so when I did,
21:25
uh, when I first started at Funimation,
21:29
um, I got so lucky and yeah, it was
21:33
crazy. Um, I I shouldn't have done this.
21:36
I shouldn't have gotten in, but I did,
21:37
um, through weird means. I got Terra's
21:40
phone number from someone and then I
21:43
they were like they were telling so
21:45
sketch. They were like, "Leave a
21:47
voicemail. No one will answer. You will
21:49
never get a call back. Just leave your
21:52
email. tell them that you want to be on
21:54
the open audition list and then I Yes. I
21:57
was so It's not like that.
22:00
>> IT'S NOT LIKE THAT. I When I tell you
22:02
this doesn't exist anymore, so don't ask
22:06
me. I can't do this for you. And so,
22:09
yeah, it was just one of those things
22:10
where and then I just so happened that
22:14
summer they did open auditions.
22:16
>> Oh, wow.
22:17
>> And I was like, "Okay." Um, but then the
22:20
first thing I got to do, Tara emailed me
22:22
and was like, "Hello, Megan. Can you
22:24
come in for a while session?" And I was
22:26
like, "Absolutely, Tara. Thank you so
22:28
much. See you then." And I opened
22:30
another tab and I went, "What is voila?
22:34
What the hell is this? What did I just
22:36
agree to?"
22:37
>> And for those in the audience who might
22:39
not know, what is
22:40
>> And I showed up. I went, "Oh god, I have
22:44
to make things up." And then I I showed
22:46
up and I was like, "No, you're going to
22:48
do this. You're going to do great. It's
22:49
going to be fine. You're going to be
22:50
fine. It's going to be You're going to
22:51
do great. If any of you are wondering,
22:53
Wala is with all actors. And what that
22:56
is is basically in the background
22:57
whenever you like if you're in a school
22:59
scene, then you see the main characters
23:01
talking over there. Well, we might do
23:02
the school girls in the background.
23:04
>> I do.
23:05
>> I love chocolate milk. Chocolate milk.
23:15
like that.
23:16
>> So, it gets mixed way down. So, you
23:19
don't always hear what people are
23:20
saying, but that's literally don't give
23:23
you a problem.
23:24
>> It is a problem.
23:25
>> And there's rules. You can't say brand
23:27
names. You can't you can't cuss. You
23:29
can't you shouldn't you shouldn't say
23:30
character names because you don't want
23:32
to draw attention to,
23:34
>> you know, if um Yuna is the main
23:36
character in the show, you want to hear
23:38
you say that in the background. You
23:39
can't even say like Michael because it's
23:41
like what if the actor's name is Michael
23:43
and that takes you out of the the world.
23:45
So it's like there's all these little
23:46
rules about what you can and can't say.
23:48
But basically it has to be positive.
23:49
They don't want to hear you complaining
23:51
in the background being distracted. So
23:52
it's sort of a neutral.
23:54
>> Yeah. Every every day I wonder how do I
23:56
have this job? Because I literally
23:58
showed up. I did that's why I tell
24:00
people I'm like don't do what I did.
24:02
Listen to what I tell you to do now
24:04
because what I did was so wrong
24:08
>> in every way. Everything we tell
24:10
everything we tell people to do, it's
24:12
like I didn't do that.
24:14
>> Hey, take acting classes. Oh, I took
24:16
music. Oh, um, make sure you take
24:18
improv. I didn't know what that was. Uh
24:21
>> well,
24:22
>> so yeah,
24:23
>> on this uh on the question of not
24:26
knowing much, you all have expounded
24:28
upon what you do to prepare, but we have
24:32
not only incredible voice actors here,
24:33
we also have directors. And so I imagine
24:36
that the not unprepared but the
24:40
spontaneous aspect of voice acting
24:42
compared to film where you're going to
24:44
have your script or stage where you can
24:46
review it. There has to be a lot of work
24:48
and trust between actor and
24:52
so I was wondering if anyone could
24:55
expound on that or if there was like one
24:58
tip that you were given that is stuck
25:00
with you or that you gave. It's kind of
25:02
a point where when I direct, it's it's I
25:06
view directing as you're the one person
25:08
that knows all the puzzle pieces,
25:10
especially in anime because like you
25:11
said, we all record separately and you
25:13
don't record like we're going to record
25:15
the character with the most lines. It's
25:17
like random. You could record someone
25:18
that's two lines, then you might go to a
25:20
lead for like a couple hours and then
25:22
they have to go somewhere else. So then
25:24
you're hopping over to this character
25:25
and that. So like to me the director is
25:27
someone that has all the puzzled pieces
25:29
and you are there to give context to
25:32
your actor about what is going on.
25:34
Sometimes I apologize to people because
25:36
I'm like hey I'm sorry but you need this
25:37
context. Like one time I was assistant
25:40
directing and uh Ian Sinclair came in
25:42
and he was voicing this character. I
25:44
don't know if you guys remember No Guns
25:46
Life which was the show with a guy with
25:48
a gun for a head. It was pretty awesome
25:50
show by the way. You should go watch it.
25:51
It's pretty great. Um, but Ian comes in
25:54
and he's like this flashback character,
25:57
but he he's like the mentor of the guy
26:00
with a gun for a head. So like the gun
26:03
head guy is having a flashback to this
26:05
important guy in his life. And I like
26:08
would knew way too much. So I was like
26:10
telling Ian, he had like one line, but I
26:12
was like, Ian, I just need you have to
26:13
have context because I don't know if
26:15
you're going to come back. I don't know
26:16
if we're going to revisit this. So I'm
26:18
just going to tell you all of this right
26:20
now. and he was like, "No, no, I love
26:23
this." It took me longer to explain it
26:24
than it did for him to just record the
26:26
line. But like, it's helpful. But it's
26:28
helpful. It's It's one of those things
26:29
where it's like, and especially in anime
26:31
because sometimes you're like, "I you
26:32
you may know what's coming next."
26:34
Sometimes you have no idea what's coming
26:36
next uh because of broadcast dubs and
26:38
stuff now. So, it's like, I'm going to
26:40
tell you this. It may be important. It
26:42
may not. Who knows? But better safe than
26:44
sorry. But yeah, the director is like
26:46
the person that has all the puzzle
26:48
pieces and is able to guide the actor.
26:51
And I think that just creates the
26:52
environment where even if you have an
26:54
actor who's like, "Oh man, I just I was
26:56
so busy. I didn't have time to watch
26:58
anything. I didn't have time to read
26:59
anything." It's like, "That's okay. I am
27:01
here for you to tell you what is going
27:02
on so that we can get a really good
27:05
performance. Thank you." So
27:07
>> yeah, it's frustrating when directors
27:09
don't know like when you can tell when
27:11
they don't care and they don't know
27:13
anything about the show and they're just
27:14
trying to get the lines in as quickly as
27:16
possible.
27:17
>> Yeah. Well, and and I've had cases where
27:19
I just I did a project in November. I
27:21
can't say what it is yet, but I did a
27:22
project in November where I was
27:24
directing and I I knew the show. Um, I
27:27
hadn't watched all the show, but like I
27:29
I knew the show just by proxy and like I
27:32
kind of worked on stuff for it
27:33
beforehand a little bit and but because
27:37
of the nature of this project I like
27:40
with a Netflix thing like I couldn't
27:42
watch this thing anywhere. There was
27:44
nowhere for me to watch it. So, I just
27:46
had to show up the first day and I
27:48
literally told everyone for the first
27:49
like couple days. I was like, "Hey,
27:50
listen.
27:52
I had seen all of this."
27:54
And then, of course, like by day three,
27:56
I was like, "Great, now I know every
27:58
nook and cranny of this thing because
27:59
I've been bouncing around this project
28:01
all day." And it was just the same thing
28:03
over and over and over again. Um, and by
28:05
the end of the month, I was like, "Get
28:06
me out of here." But but yeah, it was
28:09
it's crazy because there are some cases
28:11
where like you don't but I always I
28:13
always tell people like, "Hey, I don't
28:15
know exactly what's going on. Give me
28:16
just a second. Let me kind of read
28:18
what's happening." Or, "Hey, let's watch
28:19
the scene together." And then I it may
28:21
be a scene that I just haven't worked in
28:24
yet because sometimes there are those
28:25
cases, especially broadcasts and things
28:28
like that where it's like, "Uh, yeah,
28:29
you can't watch this anymore. Sorry."
28:31
It's like, "Okay, thanks. I have to lead
28:34
people now. Thank you so much for that."
28:36
Um,
28:38
Did you have anything else on that one?
28:41
>> Sure. What were you saying exactly?
28:44
>> Oh, I was just talking about the
28:46
relationship of director and actor and
28:48
like how vital that is in voice acting
28:51
when you aren't really you can't prepare
28:53
as well or just a watch lane is, you
28:56
know, to know what Gamash's role is. Got
28:58
it. So they might not know their
29:00
motivations at all when they come in.
29:02
And so they might deliver a line of
29:05
>> I can't believe you're here and in
29:07
reality is supposed to be something
29:09
entirely different and they have to be
29:11
able to
29:11
>> So before you start before she gives you
29:13
these nuggets of wisdom,
29:15
>> I have I have had the honor of being
29:19
directed by Wendy and she is an amazing
29:23
director. So open your ears. Open all
29:25
your ears. Listen closely, children.
29:28
Thank you.
29:29
>> Yes, I just cast Ryan in a feature film
29:31
that we did at the beginning of the year
29:33
and she did a killer job. It was
29:34
fantastic.
29:36
>> That was right. We got to sit by each
29:39
other in almost an empty theater at AMC
29:41
theater.
29:41
>> We had a private screening.
29:44
>> We had a private screen. It was actually
29:45
very luxurious.
29:47
>> That was so fun. Um, I actually am quite
29:51
fond of an actor coming in prepared only
29:54
with rest and whatever they need for
29:57
their voice and being a completely open
30:00
pallet and not having any information.
30:02
That's the way we had to work for
30:04
decades because we didn't even have
30:05
computers in the beginning, guys. There
30:07
was no way to research your your
30:09
characters and certainly any foreign uh
30:12
language that was coming to the US was
30:15
coming here for us to dub it so it could
30:17
be released for the first time. there
30:18
was no access to any kind of research
30:22
that you could do. So what you did is
30:25
you came and you were just an open
30:26
pallet and I often I think 80% of the
30:28
time I still work like this where I just
30:31
am like inform me you I'm the actor tell
30:35
me what's going on or vice versa. Um
30:37
there's no information about this show
30:39
but it's an amazing series. Let me tell
30:41
you here's your piece of the puzzle. And
30:44
I really have always approached
30:46
directing on either stage. I've done a
30:48
little bit of video directing and
30:50
certainly a ton of post um the same way
30:53
where you are approaching a character as
30:56
if you were playing it on camera and
30:58
prepare it in that fashion. So what I do
31:01
is pull from the visuals that are
31:03
provided. The director often will now
31:05
get certainly if it's an animated series
31:07
andor a game will get a bible. So we'll
31:09
have a breakdown of all the characters.
31:11
I can explain how your who your
31:13
character relates to. But honestly, the
31:16
thing that matters the most when an
31:18
actor comes in for a session and they're
31:19
getting informed is to freaking listen.
31:22
Because I can't tell you how quickly
31:25
many actors, especially people that are
31:27
are new and are starting to hit and are
31:29
becoming popular, they start giving you
31:32
literally the hand, I know, I know, I
31:34
got it, I know, I got that, I got it, I
31:36
got it. As soon as anybody says, I know,
31:39
I got it. or puts up their hand. I'm
31:41
like, great. Do it
31:45
>> here. Okay. Well, let's preview and go.
31:47
Oh, so you you didn't hear that you're
31:49
actually the brother. You're playing it
31:51
like you're the lead and you're not.
31:52
You're actually the secondary character.
31:54
You're supporting the lead. So, there's
31:56
a a whole dynamic of how you fit into
31:59
you're integrated into a story. And
32:01
really the thing that I feel as going
32:04
back to my theater directing and so
32:05
forth is that my job as a director is to
32:08
inform the actors and advance the plot.
32:11
So tell the damn story. Tell the story.
32:14
It's not I want the line set this way. I
32:17
try very hard not to give line reads
32:19
unless once in a while we're like, you
32:20
know what, we've done like five or six
32:22
takes of this. What how do you hear it?
32:24
What what would you like? Oh, the
32:26
emphasis is in the beginning of the
32:28
sentence. Got it. Let me do that. And
32:30
sometimes I'll ask a director, you know
32:32
what? I I've given you a few different
32:34
choices. You seem to have a read in
32:36
mind. Please give me give me a sample. I
32:38
appreciate that. Some actors really
32:40
don't want an example, and I can work
32:43
either way. So that's really the the
32:45
important thing is that you are
32:48
listening, getting informed, and then
32:50
let me let you have a long leash, a lot
32:54
of rope to create whatever comes to your
32:57
mind, and then I'll work with that
32:59
matter. So I really feel uncomfortable
33:02
when a director I feel like a director
33:04
has their hands all over me when they're
33:05
giving me a ton of information. Every
33:08
note is a spinning plate. How many
33:11
plates can you spin? you know, you start
33:12
to forget the an act. Sometimes a
33:15
director will go so deep into a a note
33:17
that I will completely forget what the
33:19
first thing they said was, which is
33:21
really the adjust on the align on the
33:24
line. So, yeah,
33:25
>> that sounds like part of, you know, that
33:27
trust element going both ways. The
33:29
director trusting I've given enough.
33:31
This is a good actor and I'm just going
33:33
to let them do it.
33:34
>> Yeah. Also, yeah, that's how I was when
33:35
I started assistant directing and then I
33:37
saw the sheet for the day and I was
33:39
like, "Oh, great. I have Monica, Jamie,
33:42
Eric Vale, and I was like, I'm not going
33:46
to say a word today.
33:49
I'm just gonna let them cuz I was that
33:51
was when I like first started assistant
33:52
directing and I was like still learning
33:54
and I was like kind of nervous still and
33:56
I was like, "Cool. I don't want them to
33:58
hate me." So, um, I'm just going to shut
34:02
my mouth and let them act. Thank you. I
34:05
I think they know what they're doing. I
34:07
feel like a lot of times, and maybe you
34:09
guys have experienced this, Wendy,
34:10
especially, I feel like sometimes,
34:12
especially with the newer directors, I
34:13
have to tell them, it's okay to direct
34:16
me. Like, I'm not going to be sad. Like,
34:19
this is what I want you to give.
34:20
>> Well, I did have to direct Ian because
34:23
let me tell you, one of the first
34:24
sessions with Ian, that man is so ADD.
34:27
He and he knows it. And he was like in
34:29
the booth and he was like, "Can I just
34:31
do this whole fight scene on the page?"
34:32
And I was like, "Yeah." And then I was
34:34
like, "Yeah." and then we'll place it
34:35
and we'll come back and we'll kind of
34:36
give notes and whatever cuz it was
34:38
really fastpaced like it was like two
34:40
pages but it was like and I was like
34:42
okay and then he gets out and he's just
34:44
like wandering around. He's like
34:47
and I was like are you okay hurting?
34:50
>> Yeah. I was like are you okay? And again
34:53
this is like me as a baby director being
34:55
like what is happening right now? Um,
34:59
but yeah, I mean, I didn't I feel like I
35:01
didn't do too bad because um I remember
35:04
I remember Jamie coming up to me and
35:07
Eric I think one time Eric didn't tell
35:09
me he had a hernia and so I was telling
35:11
him I was directing him like I should
35:14
and he was playing this goofy guy uh and
35:17
I he was like make a silly laugh and I
35:19
was like Eric I think we need a bigger
35:20
laugh and I kept being like can I get a
35:22
bigger one like what and then finally he
35:25
goes so like I have like heria and I'm
35:29
in pain and I was like Jesus Christ I'm
35:31
not trying to kill you. So I was like
35:34
okay that's good we don't need anymore.
35:35
Thank you so much. Goodbye. Um like I
35:38
was like dude maybe tell me that
35:41
>> maybe tell me that the first time I
35:43
asked you to get it a second time. Also,
35:46
I just wanted to say that too, like even
35:48
though I said, you know, I sometime I
35:50
will watch the Japanese if it's
35:53
available, whatever, it's really
35:54
important not to come in with like
35:56
locked into how you're going to do this
35:57
character so tight that you don't take
35:59
direction because ultimately like you're
36:02
you like that's the hierarchy. Director,
36:05
client, producer, director, actor,
36:07
period.
36:08
>> Yeah.
36:09
>> So even if like
36:12
>> it should be at the bottom. Right.
36:16
>> Okay. For all intents and purposes,
36:18
>> then
36:20
>> to the actor, you're the top.
36:22
>> I know, right? Some actors think they're
36:24
the top, but no, like you are paid to do
36:26
what they want you to do,
36:28
>> right? So it's like if the if if your
36:30
concept say you sp this has never
36:32
happened but I'm just giving you an
36:33
example in case because I don't want
36:34
anyone out there to go you know say you
36:36
you in your head have an idea of how you
36:38
want to do a character and you go in and
36:41
it's just not what the client is
36:42
thinking and not how the director sees
36:44
the character. You have to let go of
36:45
whatever you came into.
36:47
>> Yeah. Like you you ultimately this is
36:50
their property. This is their entity.
36:52
This they own it period and they will
36:54
find someone if you're not going to be
36:55
able to do what they're looking for. you
36:57
that it's very you're very replaceable
36:59
as a voice actor. That's why all of us
37:01
that's why we're pretty normal people.
37:02
We're very grounded and we seem very
37:04
approachable normal because we all like
37:06
you can't really have an ego because
37:08
it's very easy just to take one person's
37:10
audio out and put a different person's
37:12
audio in. This isn't live action where
37:14
you know you can't really replace a live
37:15
action actor without getting the whole
37:17
set crew and the sound people and the
37:18
cinematographer back and all the other
37:20
actors back. Like it's very it's not
37:22
like that. We can take one person's
37:24
audio out and replace them right there
37:26
up until the day it airs.
37:28
>> So,
37:28
>> it's in our contracts.
37:29
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And they don't have to
37:31
tell you. Also, they don't have to tell
37:33
you.
37:33
>> So, you better watch the show before you
37:35
announce a role because you don't
37:37
actually know for sure if it's going to
37:38
be you until it goes to air. Yeah. I had
37:41
to do that recently. Not because this
37:42
person was bad, but because we did a
37:44
wall session and then we were doing all
37:46
the bits, like all the single character
37:47
lines that needed to be filled in. And I
37:49
realized on accident I had put this one
37:51
guy as a bit and then way too close to
37:54
another bit. And so I said after the
37:56
fact I said, "Okay, I'm gonna highlight
37:58
this one. We'll just get this one cuz we
37:59
have another group coming in later and
38:01
we'll just do it." It's not because he
38:03
was bad or anything. It's just cuz it
38:04
was too close to another bit he did. And
38:06
I was like, "Oh, you can hear that's the
38:08
same person." Um because they were doing
38:10
a ton of bits. So I was like, "You can
38:11
only change your voice so much. I
38:13
understand that." Um, but yeah, and also
38:15
it's it's like with Anya, it's like I
38:18
know Anna so well for Spy Family and I
38:20
know what's going to happen in the
38:22
manga, but I never know what I'm going
38:24
to do going in. And I feel like I I'm a
38:26
little I'm a little spoiled because Anya
38:28
is a gremlin little child that I I can
38:32
just go in and make whatever sound. I
38:33
don't have to be like, well, she has to
38:35
sound like this. It's like, no, she's
38:36
going to sound like whatever 5-year-olds
38:39
sound like that day. Um, and that's kind
38:41
of a thing. So yeah, it's it's very like
38:45
fluid. So even though I know that
38:46
character so well, I'm still very fluid
38:49
with how I voice her and if it's like,
38:52
well, that wasn't right, so let's do it
38:53
again. Let's do a different
38:55
>> be direct. Listen, period. It does. And
38:58
it's cool if you come in and you have
39:00
thoughts on the character questions.
39:03
>> Well, I I am so sorry to interrupt. I
39:05
and you all can blame me for having to
39:08
cut this short, but we have another
39:10
wonderful thing that is occurring on
39:12
this stage. Unfortunately, we are
39:14
already
39:17
it goes until 1:45 and we have to clear
39:20
for our next wonderful performance.
39:23
All of these all of these incredible
39:26
voice actors are still here
39:29
at the table. Go live my birds. Those
39:32
support
39:34
for everything that they do.
39:36
>> Yeah. If you have questions for us,
39:37
we'll be at our table. We're going to be
39:38
there.
39:39
>> Come see us out.
39:41
>> We talk a lot. Let's stand up together
39:43
and take a bow.
39:45
>> Yes. Come on. Our theater kids and non
39:48
theater kids on the stage
39:53
>> and we grab hands and we
39:59
do one more.
40:04
Please go stop by all of their tables
40:07
support these wonderful actors so they
40:10
can keep making the magic that we have
40:12
all loved for so long. Thank you all for
40:14
being here. Enjoy the rest of your Etchy
40:16
Expo.