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Ground Zero
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| Dub Review: How did you get involved with ADV Films?
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Nancy Novotny: I heard about ADV’s open call auditions through a friend who works in ADV’s art department. I had been interested in voice acting since the late 90s when I first fell in love with Ranma 1/2 and started watching anime. Coming from a theater background (and accustomed to being in front of a microphone through my work as a non-commercial radio DJ), I thought it might be fun to give voice acting a try myself.
I actually went through ADV’s open call audition process twice before I was called in to audition for a specific show. Having a good reading partner to play off of really helped me my second time around, which was in November of 2003. The following week Don Rush called me in to audition for Azumanga Daioh. Yomi was my first role ever!
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On the Nature of Whoopin's
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| DR: Just how badass is your character, Madlax?
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NN: Whoa! She kicks so much ass, it’s scary. Definitely the coolest character I’ve ever played. And she’s so beautiful, I think even I have a little bit of a crush on her-- eek! I recently found a French site (Anime Kaos) that includes some particularly elegant descriptions of her. I love these descriptions, so I hope it’s not too weird if I use a couple of them here. During the gunfight scenes:
"...on a l'impression que Madlax danse au milieux des balles."
("...one gets the impression that Madlax dances amidst the bullets.")
And also:
"La tueuse Madlax n'est pas très expressive mais dégage un charisme et une sensualité incroyable. Elle a ce très léger sourire qui lui va si bien. Un personnage mystérieux et fascinant."
("The female assassin Madlax isn’t very expressive but [she] oozes charisma and an incredible sensuality. She has a very light smile that suits her so well. A mysterious and entrancing character.")
Indeed.
(Nancy notes that the French-to-English translations are her own and may not be entirely accurate.)
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Climbing Up The Walls
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| DR: This (Madlax) is your first headlining role. How nervous are you?
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NN: Ack! Incredibly nervous, of course!!! My poor nerves have been somewhat calmed by finally seeing Volume 1, though, as I’m really pleased with way the dub turned out. I think [ADR Director] Kyle Jones is doing an excellent job. And although I can definitely be my own harshest critic, I’m actually pretty proud of my performance so far.
Oddly enough, I have felt very drawn to--and connected with--the character of Madlax from the moment I started researching the show for the audition. I think I refused to admit it to myself, though, as I didn’t want to assume I’d even be considered for the title role. But when I started to read for Madlax in the audition, I kind of felt a bit of a buzz-- a bit of a "click", I guess. But even though I read three of Madlax’s scenes, I still wasn’t at all sure I was being seriously considered for the role. But the next day I was at the grocery store and, on a whim, I bought a bunch of yellow flowers (which figure symbolically into one of the early episodes of the show) for good luck. A couple of days later I got the call. I was blown away.
I’m extremely flattered to be sharing lead credits with Luci Christian (who plays Margaret) and to be working with such a kickass director, cast, and ADR scriptwriter (Monica Rial). Pinch me, somebody?
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There's A Song In My Heart
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| DR: When you look at Madlax, what song comes to mind?
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| NN: Um, "Killer Queen" by Queen? Yeah, that seems about right. Guaranteed to blow your mind! (Anytime!)
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Who Would Win?
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| DR: If Madlax was Yomi from Azumanga Daioh, how do you think that would go over?
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NN: Hmm. Not very well, I suppose. Madlax is a rather "airy" character, while Yomi is much more "earthy", I think.
But the two aren’t entirely dissimilar. Like Yomi, Madlax can have her moments of sarcasm. I distinctly remember Kyle directing me to play Madlax just a wee bit snarky once or twice when we were recording Volume 2. And while Yomi seems to think of herself as smarter than most everybody else (except Chiyo, of course), Madlax does have a bit of habit of calling people "stupid" (albeit in an guileless, dare I say almost charming way). I suspect they both like to eat carbs, too. Madlax’s penchant for pasta is, of course, well known, while Yomi can certainly knock back a taiyaki pastry or three.
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Uhhh... "Madlax"?
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| DR: Describe the show Madlax with one word.
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| NN: Wow, that’s kind of impossible for me because I can’t find one word to adequately capture the different aspects of the show. On one hand I want to say something like "atmospheric" or "dreamlike" to describe one of the show’s dominant moods, but I think that’s a little misleading since Madlax is punctuated with lots of wild plot twists and exciting action as well. So I’ll just cop out and say "fabulous"!
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A Bit Direct
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| DR: Why do you like Kaleido Star?
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| NN: Kaleido Star is a very special show. The animation is simply gorgeous and the plot really draws you in, but moreover it’s got an amazing amount of heart. It really has the power to INSPIRE people of all ages with its characters and its story. It’s inspired me. Seriously.
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Great Moments in Kaleiderity
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| DR: What is your favorite moment from Kaleido Star?
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NN: Now you do realize that my answer could potentially contain spoilers, right? (But hey-- if you haven’t seen Kaleido Star yet, what are you waiting for? ;-) )
Okay, it’s a bit of a Hallmark-y moment, but my personal favorite is in Episode 17, when my character, Mia, is trying to write the script for a show that will help save the ailing Kaleido Stage. When the process doesn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped and new obstacles keep presenting themselves and making her job harder, Mia begins to doubt herself and almost decides to stop trying. But with the support of her friends she grows stronger and realizes she-- and all of the remaining members of Kaleido Stage in general-- can never just give up. And this never-give-up-against-all-odds attitude becomes the basis of Mia’s new, improved script and, ultimately, one of Kaleido Stage’s greatest productions.
But more objectively speaking, it’s really hard to pick just one moment-- Sora, Mia & Anna perfecting the Triple Illusion, Layla finally letting her guard down, or any and all of the Fool’s antics. But it’s tough to top the breathtaking beauty that is the Legendary Mystical Act.
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The Elements of Success
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| DR: What makes Azumanga Daioh work?
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| NN: Its comic timing and its absolutely surreal sense of humor, not to mention a brilliantly conceived ensemble of idiosyncratic characters. That show is genius.
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Stop, Hey, What's That Sound
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| DR: What noise do you dislike?
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| NN: Mouth clicks! (Well mine, anyway.) You know, those little popping noises that one’s mouth makes when it’s too dry? You generally have to be really close to someone to hear mouth clicks in person, but the microphone always seems to pick them up. They’re the bane of the voice actor’s existence!
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Not That Kind of Interview
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| DR: What other jobs have you held?
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| NN: I’ve been a non-commercial (college and community) radio DJ for several years, though I wouldn’t really call that a "job", since I’ve never actually been paid to do it. Music-- all kinds of strange and wonderful stuff, from every genre under the sun-- is a true passion of mine. I have my Master’s in Library Science, and I’ve worked as a librarian/archivist at a couple of different places (including an art museum), though at the moment I’m just doing some freelance work.
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The Imperative Interrogatory
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| DR: Finish the sentence: If I, Nancy Novotny, could visit any place in the world for a few days, I’d go to...
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| NN: ...Shibuya and pretend to be a Super GAL!
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Final Thoughts
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| DR: Do you have any closing words for your fans?
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| NN: Very simply, thank you SO MUCH for watching. It really means so much to us.
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