WSSTB: So to begin, I'm a huge fan of yours. I've watched a lot of-- Obviously, I haven't watched everything as much as I’d like to.
Tatum: It's hard to do. I've done this for 20 years. I don’t expect you to watch every single one of the 400-something episodes...
WSSTB: No, of course. but if it's shojo and you're in it, then I'm usually like “yeah sure, why not?” (laugh) Shows like Ouran for example.
Tatum: (laugh) Oh yeah. Oh yes! the OG yeah.
WSSTB: Speaking of 20 years, Spice and Wolf, since that got a reboot. When dubbing for that among other things, what would you say is the biggest change you've experienced in the industry as a whole compared to 20 years ago?
Tatum: In the industry as a whole? The biggest one is just how much of a big business it has become since I started. I mean, Brina, who plays Holo as we, we jokingly call each other our “work spouses” because, you know, all of our most iconic stuff seems to be together. Which I'm fine with as long as Brina's there. [When she's there] I know I don't have to work as hard, but yeah, we- she and I, we talk about this a lot now that we're kind of, you know, in, in legacy reprisal mode. And it's fun to think about how, you know, 18 years ago, Spice and Wolf, for example, when we started that, we were just a bunch of old theater kids that were making, you know, dub and anime on the 7th floor of a bank building in North Richland Hills outside of Dallas. And it was a very small time thing. We loved doing it. And because it was so small, we more or less had freedom to not-- "take liberties" is probably the wrong word, the wrong phrase, but we were allowed... There was no one really breathing down our necks because everyone's like, "Yeah, just make a dub and make it good." And as long as it's true to the source material, you know, no one's really going to be worried about how, you know, "accurate it is" quote unquote. In other words, everyone "hated" dubs. So we were allowed to do anything. (laugh)
And it allowed us to make, I think, some really great dubs because we had the freedom to treat the show, what we were working, on like a theatre troupe would. Like, this is an existing text, make it your own. And I think that's part of, I like to believe that the dub for Spice and Wolf is one of the reasons it got rather popular over here, because it was kind of a sleeper hit at the time. I don't think the studio expected it would be big because, you know, you describe it to someone, the high concept of it is like, "Yeah, it's about economics and wolf goddess" and so it's most people would, you think, have a hard time finding their way into that. But the show is so well written. The dub scripts were written by one of my best friends, Jamie Marchi, who is one of the best or was one of the best writers in the business. Now she's moved on to games, and is kicking ass there. But like, she brought such a wonderful, like, poetic sensibility to the dialogue while also staying true to the sort of barbed back and forth that those characters have that it was really fun to play with as an actor. We really got to bring that dialogue to life because it was already, so it already had such a pulse to it.
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| Kraft Lawrence, Spice and Wolf (2024) |
Tatum: And that's so what's interesting is now all these years later, because it's gotten so because the anime has gotten so popular, it's become such a big business. I mean, it's exploded on the scene and become so mainstream, which is awesome, but it's now it's a little hard. I shouldn't say it's harder to make good dubs, but in some sense, it is because now there's there, there's studio schedules. It's more of a kind of, I don't want to say grind house, but you know, sometimes it can certainly feel like there's deadlines [that] are looming and we don't have as much freedom because there's corporate concerns that are making sure we stick to budgets and stick to certain things. There's a lot of cooks in the kitchen now that didn't used to be and that that can make the process sometimes a little harder, but we like rising to the challenge. And you know, sometimes when you've done it for so long, you just kind of know how to navigate those challenges without missing too much.
But it's super validating to come back and realize it's something you loved. Because Brina and I, despite all those things we've done together, Spice and Wolf is probably our favorite that we've done together because we just love those characters. We've been doing the audio books now, the light novels, for about 3 years and we don't really do audio books often. I don't prefer to do them because they're just, that's not my area. It's a big time commitment and I don't usually have that kind of time. But when they reached out to us about doing them, I was like, well, I can't turn that down because I love those characters so much. And I didn't know the show was getting a reboot. So I thought "This may be my only chance to ever revisit that world!" If I'd known then... (laugh)
WSSTB: Haha, oops.
Tatum: But yeah, so the biggest change is just also as actors we've matured. I know Brina has said multiple times she relates to Holo that much more now that she's older. And I can certainly [say] I've found my way into Lawrence different ways than I knew how to do. I just bring a lot more techniques and tools and imagination to the table than I was able to 18 years ago because I have, I've had more life experience, which I think really I get him now in a way that I didn't necessarily get then.
It's why it's so fun to come back and play characters years later because you're like, "Oh, I know this guy, but now let's see what I can do a little different." And I don't know, I love it. I also just freaking love hearing Brina and everyone else again, like they're trying to get all the original cast members back, those that are still with us. And it's just nice to like, slip it into a warm bath. (laugh)
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| Kyoko and Katsuya Honda, Fruits Basket: Prelude |
Tatum: They're mostly, they're mostly there. I think there are one or two who have since passed away. And so, you know, I think like Jerry Russell, the late great Jerry Russell, He was, he was a current character in the first five episodes and they had to obviously recast him. He passed away about 10 years ago, sadly. And there might be one or two others because just about anybody, basically anyone who's been around for 20 years is in the show.
WSSTB: For once, too, I think Japan actually kept most of their cast as well. It was that's so crazy. Normally [in Japan] they'll change it.
Tatum: Oh, yeah, we were worried about that when we when Brina and I found out that there was the reboot was happening. We were like, "Do you think the last ask us now?" Because reboot is the time to do it. If you're going to replace it, reboot is what makes the most sense.
WSSTB: Especially with the new blood and everything.
Tatum: Yeah, exactly. So we didn't really expect to be asked to come back. And when we were, we were like, OK, let's do it. It's been really nice. I love that show. So I can talk about it for hours.
WSSTB: Well, I mean, we can talk about the audio books. I know you said that you don't like it as much, but...
Tatum: I love the books. I just... the audio books are... I'm a much faster reader than I am a talker, believe it or not. So audio books are a little.... I'm not really much in that world.
WSSTB: What's it like doing the voices for the different characters? Since you have to play Holo and then so you have to manifest Brina['s attitude].
Tatum: (laugh) I think Brina is far better at doing an impression of me than I am at doing an impression of Brina. And it's funny because whenever I have to do other characters, I'm like, "Well, I got four voices I could bring to the table for this" and "Let's try that." "So this one's going to be this." It's interesting. It's a whole other skill I don't often have to use where it's like, I mean, I, you know, you try to divvy up your performances, but when they're all together in the same room, so to speak, you're like, "Oh, I don't know if I have those jobs. That's a...that's a special skill that not every actor....(laugh) So yeah, it's, it's very challenging. It's very, very challenging. I don't know how good I'm. I don't know how well it comes off.
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| Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss |
WSSTB: As an avid listener to audio books, you are.... definitely not the worst. (Everyone in the room laughs). Oh God that sounded kind of like an insult. I'm so sorry. You're not...
Tatum: Fair. Fair. I'll take that.
WSSTB: I've heard really, really bad ones. Honestly, I would put you in like the top tier.
Editor's note: I think he does a great job, I'm sorry!!
Tatum: If you have never heard Tim Curry's performance in A Series of Unfortunate Events... He was extraordinarily. That makes me never want to do an audio. Like, what's the point? I'm never going to be better than that.
WSSTB: Once you hear someone that amazing you're just like, "No thanks", I get it.
Tatum: He's great. I forget the actor's name. The actor that did the audio book version of a book called Perfume, which is a very odd, very dark book, but I love it. But his performance as the narrator is absolutely ingenious, too. I forget his name, but yeah, there's the audio books are their own art form. One of my oldest friends has recently gotten into audio books and she's great. And it makes me go like, no, I'm going to stick with dubbing and prelaying because that's my strength. I'm not really not as talented at presenting like a galaxy of characters all on the same page as some of these geniuses are. So more power to a right.
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| Great Red Siberian from Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle |
WSSTB: Are there any characters that you want to or that you auditioned for but didn't get?
Tatum: So I don't I don't like answering that particular question as good as it is, because one, I tend to forget about them. I've been doing this for so long that... I learned in the early days, I would get really, I tell you, it's hard not to take it personally. Get a role you want. And so I learned how to like, let go and not want it so that you know, if I did get, it was always a nice surprise because you really, you shoot yourself in the foot if you really want to role so badly that you auditioned for it and you're so worried that like you just, it really... for me at least, maybe not everyone is this way, but I end up shooting myself in the foot over it because I get so nervous that I, my audition isn't as good because I'm overthinking everything and it makes it really hard to connect with the character.
And so the less I care about whether or not to get the work, the more fun I can have with the audition. And then that's because I just accept it. You can't take it personally. As long as you are an actor and you know what you're doing, you're never going to not be considered for a role because they think you're garbage and you're just not who they had in mind. And there's nothing you can do about that. You know, like, oh, I don't have the vocal quality they're looking for. And that doesn't mean I'm a bad actor. That just means I'm not the one they want for this role. And so once I learned how to stop taking it personally, I stopped really remembering all the roles I didn't get. But let's just say there's... I have not gotten more roles than I have gotten. Every actor who's on this will tell you that. And I don't necessarily there have been some big ones that I really wanted that I didn't get. But then I look at the actors who did and go like, oh, no, that, that I'm not mad like that. I could not do what they're doing. And I love that character, and now that that's that, that's their character. So I have no, I had no business coming anywhere near that. See, I don't really... There's not a lot of those that I hold on to.
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| Tenya Iida from My Hero Academia |
WSSTB: Let me rephrase it a little bit then: Is there any character that you kind of wish you could have?
Tatum: I guess, you know, even that like, I'm always kind of looking for something I haven't done before I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those actors who complains about being typecast. I love being typecast. You kidding me? It's so great to be top of mind when a certain type of character comes down the wire. It's nice knowing that people will be like, "Oh, that's a Tatum character" I love that. What a gift to be thought of. You know, not, not everyone gets to to get to get there, but after 20 years of playing other characters with glasses or guys that lose an arm, you know, kind of corner the market, so it's nice!
But I also, you know, at this age, you know, I'm pushing 50 and after doing this for so long, I'm competing with my own resume at this point, you know, and you haven't lived as an actor until you've gotten specs in an audition that says, "We're looking for a J. Michael Tatum voice" and then an audition and don't get it. So I'm like, apparently there's better J. Michael Tatums out there now. So without even knowing it, I've raised a whole generation of competitions, but it's nice that I'm the one to beat, but apparently I'm not hard to beat anymore??
So yeah, for me, I look forward to the the sort of roles I'll get now because I can't wait to be old. I cannot wait to be old. I cannot. I mean, I'm arguably partly already there, but I mean, I can't wait to be like old, you know, like Gandalf old, because those, I love those. As a kid, those were always the roles I loved. I want to play like the wizard, the mentor. I want to play like the crazy mad scientist old guy. I love those roles and I would love. I can't wait to be appropriate for those.
WSSTB: Are there any Japanese voice actors you like keep track of or really like?
Tatum: Yeah, I mean, yeah, there's several like, you know, obviously Daisuke Ono role because, you know, we've shared two iconic roles. Never met him. I'd love to sometime one day. One day. Oh, I'm blanking on the name....What the hell's the name of of the seiyuu that played Okabe in Steins;Gate?
WSSTB: Mamoru Miyano.
Tatum: Yes, thank you. Thank you. I always blank on that name because I just think of him as Okabe. He is so goddamn good--pardon my French. But there's just no other word for it. I became obsessed with his performance as Okabe and Steins;Gate because that's hands down one of one of my favorite things I've ever worked on. And and least favorite because it was hell on earth to do, but I'm very, very, very proud of all our work on that show. But yeah, there's those. Those are the two big ones. When I found out Daisuke Ono was like also Erwin I was like, oh, shit. OK, yeah, nice to know.
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| Rintaro Okabe from Steins;Gate |
WSSTB: Is there any character you would love to spend the day with?
Tatum: That depends. Like I'd love to spend the day with Erwin, but not on the battlefield. I'd like to spend some time with Sebastian. I think that'd be really fun to just kind of cut loose with him and just like shit talk everyone else. He seems like he'd be really fun to gossip with. I usually play very brooding characters, so I would like to hang out with some of those characters, but see a different side of them. They kind of, you know, maybe they loosened up a little bit about it if they cracked a smile or something.
WSSTB: You got to play
"God" in One Piece.
Tatum: Well, he thought he was God, he wouldn't want to hang out with anyone. You know, it was my first performance as a full-time voice actor. I have been doing it as a side hustle for 2-3 years. And then when I got the chance to go full time and I quit my day job and, and, you know, took the plunge as most of us do at some point because that's usually how it starts. We started as a side hustle and then eventually it's you're lucky you're getting enough work that it's conflicting with your other job and one of them has to go. And I was really nervous. And then Mike McFarland cast me as Enel in One Piece shortly after FUNimation got the license. And I did it. And I was like, "I don't know if I can make this work. I don't know if I can do this life. Am I going to be able to make rent?" And then thank God Enel never shut up.
The month we were working on all this stuff, I was like, oh, OK, ka-ching! I'm doing fine. I made the right move. Yeah, so Enel has a very special place in my heart. I really hope he comes back in the show. I suspect he will. I feel Oda's definitely drop some major hints that one day, maybe 20 years from now, Enel will come back. So I'm looking forward to it.
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| Enel from One Piece |
WSSTB: Including Fruits Basket, you've been in two reboots. If you had a series that you were in that was unfinished and you had the option to be the power to say, "Let's bring it back, which one would you pick?"
Tatum: Oh Ouran. Just so everyone can stop asking. (laugh) Every year they're like "Season 2 is coming!" I'm like, It's. Not. Happening.
WSSTB: [The manga has] been done for like 15 years.
Tatum: This has been going on for 20 years now. And I'm like, stop trying to make it happen. But it's also, you know, it's a great show. I'd love to see it continue, but I doubt it will.
WSSTB: Personally, I like the way that it ended. I thought it ended in a good spot.
Tatum: I love that kind of ending. And it really worked. But that's one I would I would reboot and and maybe carry it a little further because I understand there's some there's some story lines in the module. So but that that's the big one that comes to mind. There's a handful of others, Smaller shows that I love that I wish we could do more of. Spice and Wolf was was long one of them. I'd love for Kamisama Kiss to come back; that's another one. That one is comfort show of mine. I play a sassy demon like character.
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| Kyoya Ootori from Ouran High School Host Club |
WSSTB: Ooh! I think, that was the second anime I watched that you were in. I know I watched Ouran, Kamisama kiss and Spice and Wolf around the same time.
Tatum: That's about that era, yeah That was the era where they were "Like get me Tatum. We have we have a sassy protagonist that's just there to shit talk other people." (laugh)
WSSTB: (laugh) Well, I guess we're out of time.
Tatum: Well, it's really nice to meet you guys. It's been a pleasure!
WSSTB: Yeah, it was nice to meet you too!
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Huge thank you for
Mr. J. Michael Tatum for a wonderful time! |
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