Liam O'Brien - Anime Convention Personality of the Week - August 6, 2006
Newcomers
to anime dubs will know Liam O'Brien best as the voice of the tortured,
strangely powerful, gourd-toting Gaara in the English-language version
of Naruto. Before that, he had roles including Shin Natsume in Tenjo
Tenge, Yoji in Boogie Pop Phantom and Mamiya in Revolutionary Girl
Utena. Since his move from the New York dubbing scene to California,
he's gotten roles such as Tsubasa, the "bad brother" in Kannazuki no
Miko. But his biggest challenges have come in his new role as voice
director, especially in the Gun Sword series. "It's not really a
challenge for me, it's a challenge for the actors," O'Brien replied
when asked about directing dubs, especially the need for multiple
takes. "If you do something four or five times, it's tiring, especially
when it's action and you're clenching your guts. Being a voice actor, I
think my acting has gotten much better since I started directing
- I make better reaction sounds."
Newcomers
to anime dubs will know Liam O'Brien best as the voice of the tortured,
strangely powerful, gourd-toting Gaara in the English-language version
of Naruto. Before that, he had roles including Shin Natsume in Tenjo
Tenge, Yoji in Boogie Pop Phantom and Mamiya in Revolutionary Girl
Utena. Since his move from the New York dubbing scene to California,
he's gotten roles such as Tsubasa, the "bad brother" in Kannazuki no
Miko. But his biggest challenges have come in his new role as voice
director, especially in the Gun Sword series. "It's not really a
challenge for me, it's a challenge for the actors," O'Brien replied
when asked about directing dubs, especially the need for multiple
takes. "If you do something four or five times, it's tiring, especially
when it's action and you're clenching your guts. Being a voice actor, I
think my acting has gotten much better since I started directing
- I make better reaction sounds."