| AD: | First of all, how did you get
into voice acting? |
| PB: | I've been a stage actor since I was a child, and have
continued voice training,
as most actors do. I had been working in commercial voice-overs when Matt K.
Miller told me about the "Tenchi" auditions, so I sent in a demo tape. |
| AD: | What attracts you to the voice
acting? Do you think it's easier to act in front of a mic than in front of a camera? |
| PB: | I wouldn't say it's easier,just different. In front of
a camera you have much
more to consider: the character's movements, facial expressions, even clothing.
PLUS, you have to memorize all your lines and movements. But in front of the
mike you don't have to worry about those things. You can put all your emotional
work into your voice. |
| AD: | You haven't been featured in
newer anime series. Will you be doing any anime
voice work in the near future? |
| PB: | I haven't auditioned for any other anime in a long time.
I wouldn't say no to
it, though! |
| AD: | What do you like and dislike
about Ryoko's personality? |
| PB: | I like the fact that she's sarcastic and funny and
emotional. And what's not
to like? Well, I suppose the fact that she's immature and bratty....oh,and
she's a wanted criminal. I guess that's not so good. |
| AD: | Do you miss playing Ryoko? Is
there some of Petrea Burchard in Ryoko and vice
versa? |
| PB: | I think every good actor puts something of themselves
into a role,
so yes, Ryoko and I share some traits. I wouldn't say I miss playing the part.
I'd love to play Ryoko again, but there are so many other parts to play that
once you're finished with a job there's always something new to catch your
imagination. I'm also a writer, so I never get bored. |
| AD: | Do you stay in contact with
other Tenchi cast? |
| PB: | Yes, occasionally I see the others at auditions or
social functions, and we stay
in touch. |
| AD: | What kind of characters would
you like to play in the future? |
| PB: | All of them! |
| AD: | Have you been recognized in
public places by the fans just by hearing your
voice? |
| PB: | Not often. There was a time when I was working in
radio, and I did hear from
fans who listened to the station and thought I sounded like Ryoko. |
| AD: | And how often are you reminded
you are Ryoko (from a fan)? |
| PB: | Almost every day. I get a lot of fan e-mail, and I
enjoy it. It's always good
to hear from someone who enjoys my work as Ryoko. |
| AD: | If you had your way, which
character from Tenchi would you want to kill the
most? |
| PB: | I can't think of anyone I'd want to kill! Ryoko might
want to
get rid of Aeka, but I'm not Ryoko. And anyway, without a rival I don't think
Ryoko would enjoy life as much. |
| AD: | Since Ryoko is such a prankster,
has anyone ever played a prank on you while you
were in the recording booth? Or have you played a prank on a director or
another VA? |
| PB: | I haven't encountered any recording studio pranks. It's
fun work, but it's
definitely work, and studio time is expensive so you don't want to waste it
fooling around. |
| AD: | When recording lines, how much
is verbatim and how much is improvised? |
| PB: | When dubbing, you've got to be verbatim. You have to
match the timing of the
mouth movements of the characters on screen, so very little improvisation
happens. |
| AD: | Have you experienced making
mistakes because the scene or line was too funny? |
| PB: | I've experienced making mistakes for all sorts of
reasons.... But
usually I've seen the script ahead of time and I know what's coming, so I
already know where the jokes are. |
| AD: | Has there ever been a time when
you read a line and questioned how the line or
situation was even believable? |
| PB: | Sure. But we were fortunate in the "Tenchi" recordings
to almost always have
people working with us who spoke perfect Japanese as well as perfect English, so
if and when script questions came up we were able to resolve them. |
| AD: | Would you like to try something
different from Ryoko? |
| PB: | Always. That's what keeps life interesting. |
| AD: | There's been talk of a 3rd
Tenchi TV series and a new OAV series. Would you
reprise the role of Ryoko, if asked? |
| PB: | I'd love to do it. We've all been hearing a lot from
fans about the new series,
but we haven't heard anything about an English dub. I hope they choose to do
it, and I hope they ask back the original cast. |
| AD: | What is your opinion of
anime in general? |
| PB: | To be honest, I haven't seen enough to give an educated
assessment. My business
is acting and writing, and I see a lot of different kinds of animation, as well
as television, film and theater. There's a lot to keep up with! But I do think
that the "Tenchi" animation is absolutely beautiful at times, and I love the
style. |
We'd like to thank Petrea Burchard for taking the
time to respond to our questions. |
