Vic
Mignogna has spent nearly a year and a half in thrall to Edward Elric,
his star role in the dub of Fullmetal Alchemist. The actor and
musician's "young hero voice" set him up for the basic role, but the
part has been an experience that has redefined Mignogna's career.
Alchemist is what Mignogna calls a perfect blend of comedy and drama,
and Edward Elric is in the middle of all of it. The character swings
from angrily shouted lines such as "I'm not dying before you, you
morally corrupt colonel with a god complex" and "Who are you calling a
pipsqueak" to softer, gentler lines where Edward expresses his feelings
and regrets over his adventures. "I love how Ed cares for Al," Mignogna
told a packed meeting room on the convention's Saturday. "I love the
scenes where Ed is tender and quiet with Al - I just tear up." Anyone
who doubts Mignogna's sincerity about this character should consider
that he brought his mother to the convention, the person who helped
turn him into a successful musician by making him practice the
accordion when he was a child. "I don't have a brother or a sister. His
(Edward's) dad took off when he was little. I know there are some
people who are bitter about that - I was. His mom died when he was nine
and all he had left was his brother, and when he tried to bring his mom
back, he almost killed his own brother. There has to be a lot of guilt
about that. I love him."
All
51 episodes of Alchemist have been dubbed, and Mignogna had to make
some artistic choices on how to approach the final episodes. Major
changes occur in those episodes, and Edward's actor has to react
convincingly to those changes. Mignogna had to decide how much he
wanted to know about those changes in advance: did he want to have the
entire story revealed to him well in advance, or did he want to be
surprised by the outcome? After studying the role in advance for most
of the series, Mignogna chose to have the final episodes' plot given to
him at the last moment, at the recording session. "I wanted to go into
the booth and record the lines with compete spontaneity," he said.
"There couldn't be anything more honest than recording the last episode
without knowing what's going to happen - Ed doesn't know." The results
left Mignogna in tears during those final sessions, and he predicts
that fans will be blown away by the plot changes and the reaction to
those changes. "I just can't wait - there's so much I want to tell
you." One thing Mignogna also can't tell fans is the U.S. fate of the
Alchemist movie, which is still up in the air.
Vic
Mignogna has spent nearly a year and a half in thrall to Edward Elric,
his star role in the dub of Fullmetal Alchemist. The actor and
musician's "young hero voice" set him up for the basic role, but the
part has been an experience that has redefined Mignogna's career.
Alchemist is what Mignogna calls a perfect blend of comedy and drama,
and Edward Elric is in the middle of all of it. The character swings
from angrily shouted lines such as "I'm not dying before you, you
morally corrupt colonel with a god complex" and "Who are you calling a
pipsqueak" to softer, gentler lines where Edward expresses his feelings
and regrets over his adventures. "I love how Ed cares for Al," Mignogna
told a packed meeting room on the convention's Saturday. "I love the
scenes where Ed is tender and quiet with Al - I just tear up." Anyone
who doubts Mignogna's sincerity about this character should consider
that he brought his mother to the convention, the person who helped
turn him into a successful musician by making him practice the
accordion when he was a child. "I don't have a brother or a sister. His
(Edward's) dad took off when he was little. I know there are some
people who are bitter about that - I was. His mom died when he was nine
and all he had left was his brother, and when he tried to bring his mom
back, he almost killed his own brother. There has to be a lot of guilt
about that. I love him."
All
51 episodes of Alchemist have been dubbed, and Mignogna had to make
some artistic choices on how to approach the final episodes. Major
changes occur in those episodes, and Edward's actor has to react
convincingly to those changes. Mignogna had to decide how much he
wanted to know about those changes in advance: did he want to have the
entire story revealed to him well in advance, or did he want to be
surprised by the outcome? After studying the role in advance for most
of the series, Mignogna chose to have the final episodes' plot given to
him at the last moment, at the recording session. "I wanted to go into
the booth and record the lines with compete spontaneity," he said.
"There couldn't be anything more honest than recording the last episode
without knowing what's going to happen - Ed doesn't know." The results
left Mignogna in tears during those final sessions, and he predicts
that fans will be blown away by the plot changes and the reaction to
those changes. "I just can't wait - there's so much I want to tell
you." One thing Mignogna also can't tell fans is the U.S. fate of the
Alchemist movie, which is still up in the air.
