Interview with Tiffany Grant
Paul •
Thanks to the hardworking staff of the Tomo-Dachi convention (July 7th and July 9th 2006), we were able to conduct an interview with long time American anime voice actor Tiffany Grant. Many anime fans will have heard her voice before; from her famous role as the bilingual Asuka Langley from Neon Genesis Evangelion to Altena in the sober girls-with-guns actioner Noir, it would be fair to say that she is a well respected English dub actor (and director!) and when you also stop to consider that Mrs. Grant is married to none other than ADV co-founder Matt Greenfield, it is obvious that she lives and breathes Japanese animation.
We have quizzed Mrs. Grant on a range of subjects, not only speaking to her about her experiences as a voice actor but also asking for her opinions on a range of more general issues that often cause debate within the anime community.
Were you an anime fan or an actor first?
Tiffany Grant: Hm… Very hard to say. I feel that being an actor is a “congenital condition,” so I really think I was BORN this way. However, I have very early memories of watching “Speed Racer” at age three, so I’d have to say it’s pretty darn close!
Here’s a cliché question for you, what has been your favourite role?
Tiffany Grant: Well, I have been asked that question thousands of times and, as time passes, I have a much harder time answering it. Many voice actors like to compare it to trying to pick your favorite child. Pretty accurate. Also, imagine that I have HUNDREDS of children to choose from! O_O Makes it even harder.
Of course, I always have a special place in my heart for Asuka (from Evangelion), but there are SO many others I also adored – like the characters I voiced in Hello Kitty. I’m also terribly fond of Dr. Tsukumo from Wandaba Style and Altena from Noir.
Are there any anime series that you wish you could have worked on?
Tiffany Grant: Oh, sure! However, not only do I not get to pick what roles I get to do, I don’t even get to pick the ones I audition for. Bummer, huh?
How attached do you get to a character you’re voicing – any moments when you wished you could rewrite the script on their behalf?
Tiffany Grant: Any actor performing a role becomes attached to that role. It’s impossible not to. Just because I only provide the voice and not the body doesn’t make it any less of an acting role I would perform live on stage or in front of a camera.
Certainly there are times I wish things could turn out differently for a character or impart my wisdom in the choices they make. Unfortunately though, the creator of the story has already laid out that plan. Hey, every time I see Romeo and Juliet, I want to yell out, “Don’t drink the poison!” It wouldn’t help though.
Thinking back to your first ever role as an anime VA, what do you remember and how did you feel at the time? Did you see this job as a “life work” or simply a stepping-stone on to better things?
Tiffany Grant: Well, I was VERY excited to be getting paid for an acting job – it was my first time being paid as an actor. I am not totally sure I get the gist of your question, but I definitely saw this as a “stepping stone” of sorts. When we dubbed ADV’s first show, the director told me that he envisioned dubbing a new show every month! I sure wanted to be a part of THAT!
Now, almost twelve years later, I am married to that director (Matt Greenfield), and ADV dubs WAY more than one or two episodes a month. I had no idea at the time how big a part of my life animé would become, but I knew that I loved it and would do it for as long as I could.
There are many anime fans who dream of having a job like yours, is it easy to get into VA work?
Tiffany Grant: Another question I get a lot – “Is it ‘easy’?” Well, first you would have to qualify what you meant by that. Easier than say, getting into the manned space program? Definitely. Harder than finding work as a garbage collector. Sure.
The thing about doing voice acting for animé is that it is done in very few places. All shows dubbed in North America are recorded in the following places: New York city, Los Angeles, Houston (where I live), Dallas/Fort Worth, Vancouver, Toronto and two small towns in North Carolina (can’t recall the names). So that’s it. In order to work on dubbing animé into English, you MUST live in one of those cities. Location may well be the biggest obstacle.
As far as auditions go, all studios operate differently. The main key though is being an ACTOR. ADV Films and FUNimation both have open call opportunities for newcomers to audition – no experience necessary. Many times, actors find out about auditions (of ALL types, not just voice acting) through other actors. Therefore, by being an actor you are likely to meet other actors and find out about different job opportunities.
You were in ADV’s first ever dub; how has dubbing (and indeed, being a dub VA) changed from when ADV were a fledgling company?
Tiffany Grant: Pretty much EVERYTHING has changed!
For those first sessions, Matt (Greenfield – the director) had a bunch of us in a booth to record together. It was a DISASTER! One person would screw up, and we’d have to start all over again. Also, we recorded in the middle of the night in a rented studio for sessions of eight to ten hours at once!
Nowadays, we record individually (for lip sync) in ADV’s own studio – during regular hours for sessions no more than three or four hours at once.
Also, there are now many actors, directors, engineers and writers who’ve been doing this for years, so the process is MUCH easier than it once was. The technology has also improved greatly, so we sound even better than before.
To top all of that off, animé is now much more in the mainstream than it was back then. Now when I say I work in animé, lots of people actually KNOW what I’m talking about!
We now move onto a few general (and some would say controversial) subjects.
The anime community is often split down the middle between “dubbies” and “subbies”. What is your opinion on this long standing difference of opinion?
Tiffany Grant: First of all, it’s NOT split down “the middle” as some would have you believe. Not even close. About five years ago, right before DVDs hit the scene, when buyers had to choose between a subtitled or an English dubbed VHS tape, the English dubs were out-selling the subtitled videos ten to one. Quite a difference, isn’t it?
Now that we do have DVDs, the point is pretty much moot since people get them both in one package and don’t have to choose.
In non-English speaking countries, it is the norm for TV shows and movies to be dubbed into that local language. The Japanese creators who make animé cannot fathom why English speakers would want to watch their shows in Japanese instead of English. After all, they watch The Simpsons in Japanese.
I prefer watching animé in my native language because I get a lot more of the humor and other nuances. Whatever language other people want to watch shows in is all right with me.
When you see hundreds of fans cosplaying characters from Naruto at conventions, how does this make you feel about fansubs?
Tiffany Grant: I’m not so sure it has much of an impact on my feeling about fansubs. Obviously, many fans have those headbands, but I don’t have any idea how that will translate into a profit for the Viz (the English distributor).
What are you working on at the moment? Enjoying life I hope?
Tiffany Grant: Right now, I am working on scripts for a comedy-action giant robot show called “Godannar.” It’s being directed by my husband, Matt Greenfield. I also play the role of Shizuru in that.
Additionally, I have supporting roles in KaleidoStar, The Misaki Chronicles and another show that I can’t announce at this time.
Looking forward to seeing all of you in 2006! (At Tomo-Dachi!!)
That’s it folks! We want to thank Tomo-Dachi (July 7th and July 9th 2006) for going to all the trouble of organising this interview for us and Tiffany Grant herself for taking the time to answer our inane questions!
