Next up is Megan Hollingshead
Here it is! Blue text is her responses.
Well, first off, I’d like to thank you for lending me some of your time to do this.
– my pleasure.
Hmm…I guess my first question ought to be, how exactly did you get started in theater and voice acting? Can I assume that you did not go straight to doing voice-overs?
MH: – I tried — I really tried! — to have a career in the arts that WASN’T acting. I didn’t want a career that was sooooo competitive and challenging and where the odds were stacked against me. But there’s part of me that just loves acting so I kept my day job but I did a 2-year acting program at night in New York. Then I started doing off-off broadway theatre. A friend I knew through the theatre world asked me if I did voice-overs and I just said “yes.” So she arranged an audition for me. I had no idea what I was getting into. I practiced imitating shampoo commercials because I guessed it was for commercial work. You can maybe imagine how disorienting it was to be handed anime scripts! Turns out the project was Pokemon and I booked Nurse Joy.
That’s when I fell in love with voice-acting and I just knew I could make a living at it. It took about another 7 or 8 years to finally quit all my various day-jobs but I am now lucky enough to do just that.
I’ve seen you go by many names in works that you do, is there a certain reason for this? Or are you just trying to keep your secret identity secret?
MH: I’m sorry. I wish I could explain but I can’t.
Is there any certain techniques you like to use when dubbing for characters?
MH: All the characters require the same attention an actor gives to any role — live or voice-only. You’ve got to know as much as possible about the character: age is obviously a big deal, plus their interests, where they come from, etc. Usually at least some of this information is provided in an audition — however often it is left up to the actor to make these choices. One thing I constantly have to fight is being too “general” like I can’t just act “like a 14 year old girl”. I’ve got to create a specific 14 year old girl — meaning I need to know or invent her interests, style, attitude, worldview etc.
If I may, a few selections from your list of dubs. Shion/Mion of Higurashi (One, they were both two totally different people, but at the same time, the same. And two, they were crazy).
MH: Oh I LOVED LOVED LOVED Shion & Mion! (Wait which one was which? Because ‘loved’ isn’t entirely accurate — I actually ended up hating the mean one (Shion, right?) which was tough cause I had to get over it in order to play her honestly.) Mion was absolutely TIRELESS, a bundle of energy and she had zero sense of self-doubt. So ya, she was crazy, but I didn’t have to play that — I played excited, angry, and self-righteous but the trick is you never play crazy. The script — and reading your lines honestly — will take care of that. Christie (the director) worked with me on creating both characters. Once we had Mion, we just had to give Shion a few tweaks to get to someone more sinister. We added a little ‘delicate-damsel-in-distress’ which actually made her creepier.
Haha, I just noticed that you did Officer Jenny/Nurse Joy in Pokemon. Now how in the WORLD did you manage that voice? Were you ever worried that you might mess up and disappoint the fan-base?
MH: It’s a big mistake that I’m credited with Officer Jenny. I’m not sure how it started but it’s now so saturated on the web that I can’t get anyone to believe it’s not me.
As for Nurse Joy, she sees the world with rose-colored lenses. She’s just happiness & light & frankly… she’s kinda simple. Not a great philosopher. Also, on a technical note, Michael (one of the directors) always liked to hear “peaks & valleys”, meaning a great variety of high-notes and low-notes. It’s a style choice that makes her sound even more naive & cheerful.
I’m ALWAYS worried I’ll disappoint the fan-base!!! When I’m doing anime, I know how likely it is that the fans will know more about the characters than I do. So I’ve got a lot to live up to.
And lastly, I’ll let you choose one of your favorite characters and how you worked with that one role.
MH: Another favorite, though she was only in one episode, was Dr. Abigail Finn in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I had to figure her out on the fly. I was cast without auditioning since I’d done a bunch of other characters for the same production company. TMNT is the only show I’ve done (so far) that is original animation — meaning it’s not something that was already done in another language and I’m dubbing it. Instead I’m creating the character from scratch. It’s very exciting. I saw a sketch of Dr. Finn so I knew she was a big girl, to say the least, and I knew she was a hunter. So, like Shion, I got to let her rip! I used my deepest register (which involves literally breathing down into the lowest part of my belly) and I used every exclamation mark in the script as permission to yell. I discovered in her a big bully/blowhard. She’s not a conniving/cunning kind of villain but a less self-aware, more blinded-by-her-pursuit kind of villain.
My next question is how is video game dubbing different from other types of dubbing, if there is a difference.
MH: Yes, it’s very different. For one thing, the scripts in a game are usually sorted so that I only get to see my character’s lines. The director will give me an idea of what’s going on in the story and then I’ll give two or three different reads. I may then get feedback or we may just move onto the next line. There are usually much more lines in a game and it moves much faster than a cartoon. There are also a lot of dying screams. This can be a real problem as an actor can easily blow out his/her voice for a few days after working on a single game.
I want to shy away from the video game/anime side of your resume and look at your theater work, which is quite extensive. What do you enjoy about acting on stage in particular? How do you get yourself ready for a show?
MH: It’s been awhile since I’ve done any theatre work but I do love it. It’s terrifying and invigorating to perform live in front of an audience. There are so many things to remember and to do all at the same time and when it actually comes together — woo hoo! It’s a high. There are a million things that have to be done to get ready: figure out who the character is; for every emotional beat in the show, figure out a parallel in my own life so I can get to the emotion; figure out what every other character in the show means to me and again, find parallels in my life. None of these are different from voice-acting. But then add costumes, tracking movement on stage, memorizing lines, and finding the pace of the show along with the audience. It seems to me each new show is like learning to play a new musical instrument.
Lastly, what do you think you would miss most when you finish in the acting world?
MH: If I do ever stop acting, I think I would miss the cameraderie. I love the collaboration, sharing myself with others and working together to create something together.
