Laura
Bailey has demonstrated some exceptional versatility during her anime
dub roles in recent years. She was the sweet Tohru Honda in Fruits
Basket, the tortured Henrietta in Gunslinger Girl, the wildly
uninhibited Sana in Kodocha, and the sultry Lust in Fullmetal
Alchemist. None of those roles sound remotely similar, and each
required a different performing approach. Tohru was close to Bailey's
regular speaking voice, made "...a little more airy...I fell in love
with Tohru. She's the most wonderful character," she said. Beyond the
performance, Bailey liked the love triangle between Tohru and the two
Somas, hoping that the series would eventually show which one got
Tohru. Henrietta has a complicated relationship with her handler in
Gunslinger, but the most important relationship in that series is the
audience's ability to feel sorry for the girls-turned-assassins.
Bailey, who also directed the dub episodes, said she didn't have to
guide the performances to increase that sympathy, because the script
already handled that job. "You feel so bad for these girls. They've
been through so much, and then they have to go through more at the
`agency' - it's so sad."
Bailey's
Lust performance has its roots in two other shows. She had handled a
similar character in Blood's Rain, and her previous dub role was as
GOTT agent Alv in Kiddy Grade. "Justin (Cook, Funimation dub director)
said `take Alv's voice and make it more breathy.' But Justin didn't
want the voice to be sexy. She just embodies it, and it didn't have to
be forced. It's very close to the microphone." If Lust was underplayed,
Sana, the wacky Kodocha child, could be overplayed. "She's so zany that
I can do pretty much anything I want to and it'll work. I'd say Sana is
closest to my personality. She's crazier, but it's chock full of my
humor." Bailey noted that a surprising amount of Kodocha's lines were
improvised, and some of them included inside humor from the cast
members. Next up for Bailey is a role in the Moon Phase dub, which
"...looks like a typical series at first. But when you get into the
show, you realize it's very dark and there are some very deep emotional
issues."
Laura
Bailey has demonstrated some exceptional versatility during her anime
dub roles in recent years. She was the sweet Tohru Honda in Fruits
Basket, the tortured Henrietta in Gunslinger Girl, the wildly
uninhibited Sana in Kodocha, and the sultry Lust in Fullmetal
Alchemist. None of those roles sound remotely similar, and each
required a different performing approach. Tohru was close to Bailey's
regular speaking voice, made "...a little more airy...I fell in love
with Tohru. She's the most wonderful character," she said. Beyond the
performance, Bailey liked the love triangle between Tohru and the two
Somas, hoping that the series would eventually show which one got
Tohru. Henrietta has a complicated relationship with her handler in
Gunslinger, but the most important relationship in that series is the
audience's ability to feel sorry for the girls-turned-assassins.
Bailey, who also directed the dub episodes, said she didn't have to
guide the performances to increase that sympathy, because the script
already handled that job. "You feel so bad for these girls. They've
been through so much, and then they have to go through more at the
`agency' - it's so sad."
Bailey's
Lust performance has its roots in two other shows. She had handled a
similar character in Blood's Rain, and her previous dub role was as
GOTT agent Alv in Kiddy Grade. "Justin (Cook, Funimation dub director)
said `take Alv's voice and make it more breathy.' But Justin didn't
want the voice to be sexy. She just embodies it, and it didn't have to
be forced. It's very close to the microphone." If Lust was underplayed,
Sana, the wacky Kodocha child, could be overplayed. "She's so zany that
I can do pretty much anything I want to and it'll work. I'd say Sana is
closest to my personality. She's crazier, but it's chock full of my
humor." Bailey noted that a surprising amount of Kodocha's lines were
improvised, and some of them included inside humor from the cast
members. Next up for Bailey is a role in the Moon Phase dub, which
"...looks like a typical series at first. But when you get into the
show, you realize it's very dark and there are some very deep emotional
issues."
