Jennifer Sekiguchi

~ Hey Jennifer, Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. I really appriciate it. Now, for those fans who might not already be aware of you please summerize your life in five sentences.

Jennifer: Life is hard. I try to have fun. I'm lucky and grateful for what I have. Sometimes I fear I am not good enough. And I constantly want to be better, at everything.

~ Let me rephrase that question, please summerize your life story in five sentences.

Jennifer: Jennifer was a nice girl with a nice childhood. But still she wanted to be different people. She got her wish when she started doing voices for anime. Now she wants to do it for other things as well. To be continued...

~ Every actor has a moment in their life when it just dawns on them that acting is the right path for them. What was that epiphany like for you?

Jennifer: I've never been sure that acting is/was the right path for me. It was just the path that I wanted to take. And it was only after a few years of VO work that I felt comfortable telling people that I'm an actor.

~ What has been keeping you busy lately? Any exciting new projects that you'd like to (and can) reveal here?

Jennifer: I'm currently recording Eureka 7 (Eureka), Naruto (Hintata), Gunsword (Wendy), Kamichu (Matsuri). There are a few other things, but I'm afraid to leak info.

~ Did anime fandom come before your jump into voice acting or did it come afterwards?

Jennifer: Acting came first. Anime fandom came second. Voice acting for anime came third.

~ What animes really caught your attention first?

Jennifer: To be technical, I was into things like Robotech and Voltron. They were like my favorite shows when I was a kid. But then again they weren't entirely anime. But the shows that got me back into it were Neon Genesis: Evangelion, Vison of Escaflowne, and Ranma 1/2.

~ Did listening to English dubs inspire you to pursue voice acting or was it something that you had already thought about?

Jennifer: I was already an actor and most of the anime I watched was Japanese. I checked out a few dubs, and I thought most of them were bad. So in an essence yes the dubs did inspire me to pursue voice acting.

~ Living in California, you had a very wide medium of acting opportunities to choose from. What made you decide that voice acting was right for you to pursue?

Jennifer: I didn't decide to pursue voice acting. I never considered myself as someone with a nice sounding voice. I just thought I have an okay voice. I never thought I was that versatile either. I do pursue other forms of acting, however there are obstacles such as 1)I am an ethnic minority 2)I am only 4 foot 9 inches. I also don't have a slammin' body so it makes on-camera gigs more challenging. I don't have to worry about those things with voiceover. I do think through working I've gotten more versatile though.

~ The first anime role that I can find for you was the Synch Point's 2001 release of 'I'm Gonna Be An Angel', what do you remember about your audition for this show?

Jennifer: I was working in Production at Synch-Point at the time. The director said to me that even though I was an actress she preferred that I didn't act in the series. However, during casting she didn't find anybody she was happy with for that role. So she said that I could audition for it, but that she wasn't promising anything. The only role I auditioned for was Silky. I thought to myself "Don't get your hopes up." and "Don't screw this up."

~ How long did it take you to adjust to the voice booth and really relax?

Jennifer: I'd taken a few voiceover classes before so recording in a booth wasn't completely foreign, but you do have to get accustomed to hearing everything. You can hear your every breath, every sniff, every movement. Nowadays, I just automatically tune all that stuff out. But for the first few sessions all those noises sounded soooo loud.

~ So, describe for us what passes as a typical day for Jennifer Sekiguchi.

Jennifer: It really varies depending on if I have a VO session or not. Sometimes I have several sometimes I have none. I wake up. Go to a session if there is one. If there isn't I'm on the internet lots or getting errands done. In the evenings I sometimes try to catch a dance class. Not exactly the exciting luxurious life one pictures.

~ Sticking with the past but changing gears a bit, it certainly didn't take you long to get into the con circuit. Your first credited role was in 2001 and your first con was in 2002. Was there any kind of suprise to get a special guest invite so quickly?

Jennifer: You know, I don't really remember my first con as a guest. I'd been to AX several times as a fan and then a bunch of times as an industry rep. So by the time I went as I guest I was very familiar with going to cons. I may have even emailed a con asking if they needed guests cuz I was gonna be in the area. I think that's what happened. I wasn't even invited!

~ What do you remember most about that con?

Jennifer: The first couple cons I went to as guest, I hadn't done that many roles. The biggest show was FLCL. So I became "that girl from FLCL." Lots of times I felt out of place, thinking, "Nobody knows who I am." I felt bad if someone flew me out cuz they spent money on me.

~ How did it feel the first time someone asked you for an autograph?

Jennifer: I don't remember the exact first moment. But I think there was a lot of that. Gee, okay. Sometimes I thought people were asking me for an autograph out of pity. I wasn't really sure that they knew who I was. Wow, I make it sound so depressing.

~ You've had the chance to meet and hang out with VAs from all over the country, do you find that there is a difference in attitudes between the different regions (not nessacarily more positive or negative, just different) or is the VA community just one big nationwide community?

Jennifer: I have friends from NY and TX. There are definitely differences, but I would be hard pressed to be able to put my finger on what makes them different. I love seeing them though. It's like Summer Camp.

~ You've been in a couple of series that just have some very addicting music (Girls Bravo and Grenadier are great examples), you ever find yourself getting theme songs stuck in your head after you've left the studio?

Jennifer: Alas, I don't have soundtracks to either one of those. However, I do remember while recording Girls Bravo, we'd say things like "that song sounds like MORE THAN WORDS meets FIELDS OF GOLD" and stuff like that. The ADR director Patrick was really into the music.

~ Along with anime, you've done a few video game roles. Is there a different atmosphere when doing VA work for a game as opposed to an anime?

Jennifer: When you do anime, there's pretty much a standard way to do it. Videogames are all across the board. There are so many different ways to record a game. Lots of time it's wild, which means you don't get any picture. And also lots of times you only have your lines in the script so it can be more challenging to bring the character to life.

~ What is your process when getting into character? Can you walk into a booth and just instantly be back in character with maybe a keyphrase that you say?

Jennifer: With certain characters it's very easy to get into character. Certain studios will play you a reference which is REALLY helpful. But the animation really helps a lot too. It's much easier to get into character when it's really distinctive and you've been doing it awhile.

~ If you had to choose a performance (that wasn't yours) from any anime that you just thought was absolutely spot on, which one would you choose?

Jennifer: David Lucas as Spike in Cowboy Bebop.

~ What would be your favorite type of character to play? What is your least favorite type?

Jennifer: I don't have a favorite type to play. I love playing lots of characters. However, if I'm playing a lot of tomboys then I'll want to play an innocent young girl. And if I'm playing lots of little girls, I'll want to play a kick butt villain. You always want what you don't got.

~ What is the one type of character that you haven't gotten to play yet but you're dying to try?

Jennifer: I haven't gotten to play sultry or really baddie villain. The closest is Bella in IGPX, but she doesn't have very many lines.

~ Your career in the voice booth has been going strong, where do you see your career headed within the next year or two? Any interest in getting into ADR writing or directing?

Jennifer: My first love is acting. I want to do more of that and all types of that. I know I will do more writing and directing in the future, but I am in no rush to pursue it. Writing and directing can take up a lot of time, acting time.

~ So now I'd like to choose five of my favorite roles that you've played and I'd like for you to tell me not only what you liked and disliked about the character, but also the high and low points of performing them in the booth...

~ Kirie Kojima in Girls Bravo:

Jennifer: I love Kirie cuz she was such a strong character and so funny too. I never realized that I could really yell until I played that character. However, it could be vocally straining. I had to voice her when I was sick once. That was NOT fun.

~ Koto in Grenadier:

Jennifer: Koto is one of those that I don't remember that much of because she was such a small character. It was nice to be directed by Wendee Lee. I don't get to work with her that much and I think she's super talented.

~ Coco in Melody Of Oblivion:

Jennifer: Coco was fun. Reiko Matsuo set her up so that she kind of had different voices. And plus I had to sorta sing. I liked that she played innocent but was really dark inside. She was also flirty.

~ Ayu Tateishi in Ultramaniac:

Jennifer: I absolutely loved Ayu. Carrie Savage and I have good vocal chemistry I think. We're always getting cast as friends. I always say that we're Peanut Butter and Jelly. I think I'm Peanut Butter cuz I'm nutty. Ayu was who I wanted to be when I was in high school. And she was who I could've been if I wasn't so neurotic and nutty. The sucky thing about that show was it was a night record. I would have sessions from 8pm to midnight. Ezra the director did a good job of making things fun. Sometimes we'd bring snacks.

~ Misuzu Itsukushima in Aquarian Age The Movie:

Jennifer: Ah, another Carrie/Jen combo. We played sisters this time. I loved the way Misuzu sounded in the Japanese. Her voice was so soothing and gentle. And yet she was so strong. I also got to work with Michael Sinterniklaas from NY which was a joy. He's such an actor's director.

~ I'd like to close this interview with a couple of questions that might require you to think a little... If you were any fruit OR vegtable, what would you be and why?

Jennifer: I'm like an avocado. The outer layer is kind of difficult to penetrate, but the bulk of me is all soft with a hard core.

~ If you were stranded on a deserted island with all basic life needs provided (food, water, shelter, heat) what three luxury items would you want to bring with you?

Jennifer: I think you would consider this cheating but I'd bring a laptop, a cell phone, and Sara. I have to have my cell that way I could call someone to get me off the island! Just kidding. But I need to be able to talk to my friends. And I'd use my laptop to listen to music, watch videos online. I have to be able to get online! And Sara's my teddy bear. I've had her since I was
born.

~ And finally, the obligatory question that I must end every interview with... do you have any final words or thoughts for your fans who might be reading this?

Jennifer: Thank you. Thank you for watching, thank you for being critical, thank you for being supportive. Without you I wouldn't be able to do what I love for a living. So, thank you.

Thank you again to Jennifer for taking time out of her schedule to talk with me and answer my questions. If you'd like to learn more about Jennifer to keep up to date with what's going on with her, check out her official website.