Very recently, the lovely Cassandra Lee Morris, experienced voice actor from classics to modern juggernauts in both the video game and animation VA scenes, allowed me to a telephone interview in preparation for her appearance at Megacon Tampa Bay this past Halloween weekend! She has a dang-hearty resume in anime alone, including Calaveras from Sailor Moon R, Taiga from Toradora, and of course everyone’s favorite amoral Faustian feline Kyubey from Madoka Magica. I decided it might be a good idea to ask someone with such a variety of experiences a bit of what the industry is like from the perspective of a veteran who’s also worn many hats in her career so far. So below is my quick chat with her about her career.
TheOASG: Ok. First question. How do you like voice acting in comparison to your other creative endeavors?
Cassandra Lee Morris: Well, I’ve always loved acting. It’s always just something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl staring at the TV. It wound up being a really good match for me and my personality in general. So, really, it kind of intertwines!
And I guess that only intensified with cartoons?
Oh yeah, especially with cartoons.
You’ve been in the game for a while. Would you say your approach to voice acting in general has changed from the early years?
I’ve definitely become a more discerning actor. I’d say that additional life experience has definitely helped me add more to my characters.
How would you say the “acting experience” differs between video game and animation VA work?
Working in video games is definitely a lot more physically and vocally intense. There are just so many more scenes between certain characters and in-battle moments where you have to record dozens of different reactions. Anime itself is much more story focused and less dialogue-intense. It also gets pretty exhausting having to literally kill yourself off a bunch of different ways.
What makes a show really fun (or not) to work on?
Well, it almost seems unreal every time I walk into a booth. It really is like a dream come true. But the energy that a certain director or coworker brings to the plate can make all the difference.
Yeah, I hear that the VA scene in general is super tight-knit.
Definitely. We may get competitive, but at the end of the day we really are one big family trying to help each other get through roles and auditions.
How much longer can you realistically see yourself doing this?