The Transcript From the Vic Mignogna Chat Over At CAA

I forgot to mention this in my other post, but the chat with Vic Mignogna, the VA for Ed Elric in FullMetal Alchemist, got delayed because of some unexpected obligations at his church, so it got rescheduled to this past Tuesday. Anyway, here's the transcript:

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[shooraijin] all right, we'll begin

[shooraijin] first, we'd like to thank Vic very much for agreeing to come by and see our little group

[Ashley] yes, indeed

[fullmetalvic] my pleasure!

[shooraijin] I'm sure we'll have other people coming by and we'll make sure their questions are thrown in the hat

[shooraijin] as before, we'll do this one at a time -- ask your question, and then signal when you're done, and then we'll let Vic answer it

[shooraijin] if you don't have a question or want to pass, just pass and we'll go to the next

[shooraijin] once we're done with everyone, we'll open it up for other questions

[shooraijin] we'll try to wrap this up by 6:45 Pacific/9:45 Eastern

[shooraijin] so we'll start with Steeltemplar

[fullmetalvic] let me just say that I am honored to be able to spend some time with fellow believers and discuss what we all love...

[fullmetalvic] so let's go for it :)

[shooraijin] Steel?

[Steeltemplar] Oh, no question for me, thank you.

[shooraijin] right-o, thank you

[shooraijin] CR, your turn

[ChristianRoni] OK!

[ChristianRoni] umm I was wondering If I could hear your testimony Mr. Vic? How did you come to Christ? If I may ask?

[shooraijin] thank you, CR

[fullmetalvic] Absolutely. Bear with me because I dont type that fast :)

[fullmetalvic] I grew up in a Christian home where my grandfather was pastor of our church. I knew the Bible inside and out and told everyone I had accepted Jesus when I was 5. But as I grew older I felt no change...no Spirit inside me leading me.....so at 13 I heard a message about kids growing up in Christian homes and THINKING they were saved..

[fullmetalvic] but were not truly saved...and what a sad day that would be in heaven when Jesus had to say "I'm sorry... I dont know you"...

[fullmetalvic] so at 13 I truly accepted Jesus to be Savior! That's it!

[shooraijin] excellent :)

[shooraijin] next, Danny

[fullmetalvic] thank you for the question

[Danny] Hey! What's your favorite movie of all time?

[shooraijin] thanks, Danny :)

[fullmetalvic] well... I would have to say Star Wars...although I love so many!!

[fullmetalvic] Lord of the Rings trilogy...

[fullmetalvic] too many to name really!

[fullmetalvic] another question?

[shooraijin] okay

[shooraijin] MSP, you're next

[MrSmartyPants] righteo

[MrSmartyPants] hey im the guy in the dr cosplay at the autograph line

[MrSmartyPants] i was just wondering

[fullmetalvic] hi again!

[MrSmartyPants] are there any other voice actor collegues who are Christian that you work or have worked with?

[shooraijin] good question

[shooraijin] thanks, MSP

[fullmetalvic] yes there are quite a few actually...

[fullmetalvic] Carrie Savage...

[fullmetalvic] Johnny Young Bosh...


[fullmetalvic] Steve Blum...

[fullmetalvic] Michael Coleman...

[fullmetalvic] Michael Dobson...

[shooraijin] do you have phone numbers and their license plates for future CAA chats? ;)

[fullmetalvic] hehe....

[shooraijin] we'll tail their cars

[fullmetalvic] LOL

[fullmetalvic] next question?

[shooraijin] let's see

[shooraijin] SaintKevin, you're up

[SaintKevin] Thanks again for coming Vic. I heard your interview on KSBJ (Thanks to Sam), and got to thinking about some things you had told the daretoshare kids. Maybe you could just offer a little encouragement and advice to us on how to share our faith to other anime fans...

[fullmetalvic] Hi saint! let's see....

[SaintKevin] Thanks again. :)

[shooraijin] thanks, Kev

[fullmetalvic] well.....one thing is for sure...anime kids are a unique type of person...

[fullmetalvic] many of them are outsiders who dont really fit in in their schools, etc

[fullmetalvic] so I would encourage each of you to LOVE them...if Jesus were there he would be gushing over those kids, complimenting them on their costumes, etc...LOVING ON THEM...

[fullmetalvic] at cons I mean...

[fullmetalvic] the message of Christ is simple and powerful...

[fullmetalvic] share it with a pure heart and genuine kindness and the Holy Spirit will do the rest

[fullmetalvic] thanks Saint!

[fullmetalvic] next question?

[shooraijin] okay, Yumie?

[Yumie] First off, it's is wonderful to have the pleasure of talking to you!! Now, on to the question. OK, I've always been interested in doing something like voice acting or just acting in general, but I wondered if it might be hard to find work that didn't "violate my moral convictions". In otherwords, since I'm a child of God, could I play a character who did things that God told ME not to do?. . . So I was wondering, has that been any sort of a problem for you? How do you decide what parts you're ok with playing and have you ever had to draw the line and say "I just can't play this character"? Thanks for taking my question!! ^-^

[shooraijin] thank you, Yumie!

[fullmetalvic] great question....

[fullmetalvic] well, you may be interested to know that I have turned down a number of roles because I knew God would not be pleased with me doing them...

[fullmetalvic] at the same time, acting is ACTING...portraying a role that may not be you at all...

[fullmetalvic] so I guess the test is this...does it GLORIFY a lifestyle or attitude that is not God honoring?

[fullmetalvic] a few Christians have asked me about playing a role like Ed....

[fullmetalvic] who is very anti religion, and anti God...

[fullmetalvic] and my take is this...

[fullmetalvic] Ed is a tortured and tragic character who is carrying a pile of guilt and pain...

[fullmetalvic] he is searching...like so many others...and I believe that there is more to him than meets the eye...

[fullmetalvic] plus....let's not forget...it IS fiction :)

[fullmetalvic] he has alot of admirable qualities and presses on to a goal that includes the selfless restoration of his brother

[fullmetalvic] I LOVE HIM :)

[fullmetalvic] next question?

[shooraijin] okay

[shooraijin] Yokochan, you're next

[Yokochan] Hello! Huge fan! I was wondering, what was it like for you the first time you heard your voice on a show?

[Yokochan] thanks!

[fullmetalvic] hi yokochan!

[shooraijin] ^_^

[shooraijin] thank you, Yoko

[fullmetalvic] WEIRD! I thought "this doesnt sound real at all!!!"

[fullmetalvic] then I became more settled in and now...I am easier on myself about it

[fullmetalvic] but I am very critical of my own work :)

[fullmetalvic] next question?

[shooraijin] dragonnova, your turn

[dragonnova] ^_^ Hi!!! um, just out of curiosity, what’s your favorite Bible text and why? Sorry I know that's actually two questions, but they go hand in hand... or so I think.

[shooraijin] lol, we'll go with it

[shooraijin] thank you, DN

[fullmetalvic] thanks dragonnova....let me think...

[fullmetalvic] ya know what I love? Have you guys heard of or seen the translation of the Bible called the message?

[fullmetalvic] it is such an incredible translation...

[fullmetalvic] and I am particularly fond of I Corinthians 13 in the message....

[fullmetalvic] I am also very fond of Habbakuk 3...the end of the chapter...

[fullmetalvic] because when I was young I pretended to preach a sermon from that text :)

[fullmetalvic] WHY? read them when you get a chance and you will know :)

[fullmetalvic] next question?

[shooraijin] RZion, you're up

[shooraijin] RZion?

[RZion] hmmm...must of still been gagged

[RZion] let's try again

[RZion] Hey Vic, thanks for taking the time and coming out to speak with us! My original question kinda got asked already, so bear with me. ^_^ Anyway, have you ever been approached with a fan of one of the shows you have worked on that is so engrossed or knowledgable about it that that come up to you at Cons and the like and start asking you questions that you have no idea what their talking about? Such as Star Trek fan who might know the length of Spock's left big toe nail and start asking Leonard Nimoy very indepth questions about obscure episodes from eons past, for example. Ever have any times like that and anything you could share with us?

[fullmetalvic] she musttype like me :)

[shooraijin] lol ^^

[shooraijin] thank you, R.

[fullmetalvic] evening, Rzion.... MANY TIMES!!!

[fullmetalvic] what you guys may not know is this...

[fullmetalvic] we dont see the whole episode..only the parts our lines are in. So I have no idea what is going on in the rest of the show unless I watch it once I get the DVD....

[fullmetalvic] and I just have WAY TOO MANY DVDs to do that... I can count on one hand the number of series I have been in that I watched in their entirety...

[fullmetalvic] I have racks of DVDs that still have the wrapping on them!

[fullmetalvic] next question?

[shooraijin] RZ would like to point out for the record that he's a he ;)

[shooraijin] um ...

[fullmetalvic] oops! DOH!

[shooraijin] Osaka-chan, you're on

[Mangafanatic] Yes!

[fullmetalvic] sorry!

[Mangafanatic] Well, Hi Mr. Vic!

[Mangafanatic] Thanks for coming!

[fullmetalvic] hi manga!!!

[fullmetalvic] my honor!

[Mangafanatic] My question is:

[Mangafanatic] I love theater and speech, and I was thinking that I would probably really enjoy voice acting. If I wanted to get into voice acting, what would you suggest I do? So, I gues my question is, really, how does one become a voice actor/actress?

[shooraijin] nice

[shooraijin] arigatoo, Osaka

[fullmetalvic] well that is probably the universally MOST ASKED question we get....

[fullmetalvic] and here is my answer...

[fullmetalvic] first, ACT. Take every opportunity you can to develop your skills as an actor...school, community theater, church....anything...

[fullmetalvic] secondly, you MUST live where the work is done. Sadly, there are only a handful of cities that do this kind of work...LA, NYC, Houston, Ft Worth and Vancouver...

[fullmetalvic] and that is it,....simple huh!

[fullmetalvic] next?

[shooraijin] let's see

[shooraijin] Yeito, you're up

[Yeito] Hi there. ._. Its an honor to talk with you :bows: Anyway... The question. My original question got asked as well ^-^; But to go with what she said, I have also been thinking of doing voice acting one day, and I know that it most likely involves some opposition (I get opposition sometimes just for being a fan of anime let alone working on it in some way -_-; ) but to go on the flip side there should be many pluses to working in this type of area. What do you think is most rewarding against what is most... discouraging (goodword?) ? Thank you very much.

[Yeito] sorry its so long -_-

[shooraijin] ^^

[shooraijin] thank you, Yeito

[fullmetalvic] Hi yeito...well...the most rewarding thing is THIS...getting to do something that great peeps like you enjoy...

[fullmetalvic] we record in a box! And it is always great when the stuff finally gets out and you start getting such wonderful and encouraging feedback...

[fullmetalvic] the down side? If you want to be an effective witness for Christ, there will be things you MUST defend against and watch out for...

[fullmetalvic] but nothing is more important than being a testimony and reflecting the Lord where He has put you

[fullmetalvic] does that answer your question?

[shooraijin] as a corollary to that, Vic, what things did you personally need to defend against and watch out for?

[fullmetalvic] well...there are alot of temptations out there...and satan would love nothing more than to take down one of God's soldiers who are trying to make a difference...

[fullmetalvic] maybe with pride, ego, attitude, sex, partying....

[fullmetalvic] see.....voice actors who dont claim Jesus name dont have to worry about that...

[fullmetalvic] they do whatever they feel like...

[fullmetalvic] but if we are to be true and consistent reps for God...we must always be on the alert...

[fullmetalvic] you guys please pray fro me that I will do that:)

[fullmetalvic] next?

[shooraijin] we're time limited, so we'll take three more from the hat

[shooraijin] digging in hat, hang on ;)

[shooraijin] NightshadeX, go for it

[shooraijin] Nightshade?

[fullmetalvic] nightshade?

[NightshadeX] um... working on it

[fullmetalvic] :)

[shooraijin] lol, okay

[NightshadeX] do you have any particular plan of preparing for a certain voice role?

[shooraijin] any role in particular, NX, or just in general?

[NightshadeX] um...

[NightshadeX] in general

[shooraijin] okie

[shooraijin] thank you :)

[fullmetalvic] well.....each role has a unique quality...and you have to remember what you did the last time you played the character!

[fullmetalvic] but like for Ed....he has a higher voice than I do....so I HAVE to be in clear and healthy voice to do him teh way I want to...

[fullmetalvic] I am VERY committed to making Ed the best he can be...wait til you guys hear the final episodes...

[fullmetalvic] but when starting a role...

[fullmetalvic] you draw alot from the look of a character...that gives you a strong direction for the voice

[shooraijin] for the final question, Vic, this is probably a common one and pulled from the list of people who couldn't make it -- what was your most difficult role? and we'll close with that one

[fullmetalvic] easy...BROLY!!!

[fullmetalvic] but not for any dramatic reason :)

[fullmetalvic] simply because he yelled all the time and powered up and up and up!!!

[fullmetalvic] I was completely FRIED when movie 8 was over...

[fullmetalvic] then there was 10, 11, budakai III, etc...

[fullmetalvic] I would be happy of Broly would go away FOREVER!!!

[shooraijin] lol!

[fullmetalvic] and that is it :)

[shooraijin] thank you very much, Vic

[shooraijin] unfortunately, he has to be getting on, but we'll be scheduling him again in the near future

[Ashley] Once again, we want to extend a huge thank you to Vic for taking time to share with us

[Ashley] we do want to send him off properly and have a word of prayer

[shooraijin] so, we'll close with prayer, and then we'll ungag everyone -- please let us know if you're still gagged after a couple minutes

[shooraijin] yes

[fullmetalvic] I would love to do this again very soon!!!

[shooraijin] oh, I'll pencil you in ;)

[fullmetalvic] thanks so much you guys... let's spend another evening soon, K?

[Ashley] Heavenly Father, Lord we just thank you so much for providing Christians in prominient places in this industry as a light to such a dark world

[Ashley] We ask that you please protect Vic and the others living their lives out for you and bless them richly in their ministry, giving them peace, comfort, strength and encouragement

[Ashley] Lord, may many souls be won for you

[Ashley] in your son's name we pray, Amen

[fullmetalvic] AMEN....thank you CAA!

[shooraijin] all right, folks

[shooraijin] the transcript will be posted, and we'll be taking gags off

[shooraijin] thank you all for coming

[shooraijin] please come next time, and to those who didn't get their questions in, keep them for the next run


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~R. Zion