Introducing interview Richard Epcar, the man of 500 voices and counting. We asked him about his favorite characters, his start in the industry, and his side career as a video producer.
How does it feel to be known as
the man of 500 voices?
It feels great! it
would feel better to be the man of a 1000 voices. But the way things
are going, that should be soon!
Of all the characters you’ve
voiced for, which one is your favorite?
Well as you said, I’ve done over
500 characters and they all have a place in my heart. But if I had to
pick just a few, I’d say Batou in Ghost in the Shell, The Joker, Raiden in
Mortal Kombat, Amsem in Kingdom Hearts, Jigen in Lupin the Third and Ziggy in
Xenosaga!
You’re the only Voice Actor to
have played the same character in both the original Japanese language and
English dub version (Xenosaga Series). As well as voiced Inspector Koichi
Zenigata and Daisuke Jigen in Lupin The 3rd, we’re all dying to know – what’s
your secret?
I smell really good! No,
I’ve been very fortunate and I’m a very hard worker. And I love what I
do!
How did you get started in the
Industry? What was your big break?
My wife Ellyn Stern brought me
into a voice audition about 30 years ago. I booked it and never stopped
working. From that I was cast in Robotech, and the rest is history.
Alongside your career as a Voice
Actor-Director, you also own a voice production company. Can you tell us more
about that?
Ellyn and I owe Epcar
Entertainment. We’ve been incorporated for 12 years and we direct, write,
and produce a bunch of voice projects for all the big studios. We do
games, animation and foreign film dubbing. And we’ve worked on a bunch of
Academy Award winners!
So many people in this new
generation want to be where you are now. What advice could you give them to
reach such aspirations?
Go to medical school. No,
seriously if this is something you really want to do, you can do it. But
you have to become the best actor you can be. Train like an athlete
training for the Olympics.It’s a super competitive business, you want
to be sure you’re competitive when you go into audition. You also need to
find your own voice. It’s what makes you unique that will make you stand
out from the crowd! Be professional, show up on time, be easy to work
with and if you have talent, you will get work! Good Luck!
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