Over the past ten years thanks to the efforts of Anime Production companies like Studio Ghibli and streaming services like Netflix Voice Acting have seen a celebrity boom that’s even evident in anime.
In the past, the important work of voice actors for animated films and television series largely took a backseat to a feature film’s artwork or music, and voice acting jobs were given to those who had exceptional vocal ability or radio experience. Voice acting was not seen as a route to success for people who wanted to be seen, especially for voice acting jobs. Eventually, however, the success of a few animated features with celebrity voices led to a surge of interest. Now, celebrity voice actors are the rule rather than the exception for big-budget content. In addition, as anime becomes more popular, more and more celebrities agree to dub anime to stand out. Below is a list of celebrities, many of whom may not be aware, who have lent their voices to bring an anime character to life.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
10 Dakota Fanning – Satsuki Kusakabe (My Neighbor Totoro)
Since making her debut at the age of seven in the film I Am Sam – a role for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award – Dakota Fanning has wowed film and television audiences with her acting skills. But what few fans know is that her speaking skills appear to be just as golden as her more traditional thespian skills. Fanning is the English voice actress behind Satsuki Kusakabe in Hayao Miyazaki’s masterful 1993 anime My Neighbor Totoro, which focuses on the story of Satsuki and her sister Mei as they adjust to life in a new house the family bought to be close to her sick mother ‘s hospital . Fittingly, Dakota Fanning’s actual sister Elle was the voice actress behind Satsuki’s sister Mei for the Disney dub of the popular classic.
9 Liam Neeson – Fujimoto (Ponyo)
From the legendary Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jin in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace to his equally legendary portrayal of Oskar Schindler in the Academy Award-winning Schindler’s List, Liam Neeson has demonstrated tremendous acting talent . It should come as no surprise, then, that he also found success in dubbing anime. In 2008, Neesom provided the dub voice for Fujimoto, the father of the title character Brunhilde, in another Hayao Miyazaki classic, Ponyo. Much like Neeson’s portrayal of Bryan Mills in the Taken franchise, Fujimoto is a concerned father worried about his daughter and her love for someone he doesn’t trust to take care of her.
8th Kirsten Dunst – Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
Whether it’s for commercials, television series or blockbuster films, Kirsten Dunst has been in front of the camera for over three decades and as such has become one of the most recognizable celebrities in the nation, if not the world. But what fans may not know is that Dunst has also found success as a voice actress off-screen. Dunst won the role of voice actor Kiki in the 1989 Studio Ghibli anime Kiki’s Delivery Service. The film follows the story of 13-year-old Kiki, a witch trying to make a living for herself and her cat Jiji by starting a broom delivery service. However, life as a first-time entrepreneur proves to be more challenging than Kiki originally thought.
7 Tony Hale – The Joker (Batman Ninja)
Humor is Tony Hales’ secret weapon, and he’s taken it from key roles in popular comedy series like Arrested Development and VEEP — in which he won an Emmy Award — to smaller but no less humorous roles like Andy Barker, PI Accordingly it seems almost perfect that Hale would play the role of the Joker in the 2018 anime Batman Ninja. Hale’s wry humor fits perfectly with the story, which transports Batman to a feudal era of Japan where the Joker, who arrived years before Batman, has already taken control of the nation along with other Gotham City crime bosses.
6 Minnie Driver – Lady Eboshi (Princess Mononoke)
Like her peers on this list, Minnie Driver has worked in television and film most of her life, winning the hearts of the entertainment world with memorable performances such as Benny Hogan in Circle of Friends and Skylar in Good Will Hunting. Driver also acted as a voice actress for the well-known anime Princess Mononoke, in which she plays Lady Eboshi, the film’s main antagonist. The film is considered a classic, superbly blending Studio Ghibli’s otherworldly artistic expertise with an intriguing take on the hero’s journey, in which Driver’s character represents the main obstacle the hero must overcome to complete his quest.
5 James Marster – Zamasu (Dragon Ball Super)
With key roles in the critically acclaimed cult classic supernatural series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel, James Marster is one of the most recognizable faces on television. Martser also lent his voice to another fan-favorite series, Dragon Ball Super, where he voices the character Zamasu. Zamasu is an incredibly gifted warrior and tactician who, despite his destructive habits, begins to hate the gods and humans they are so focused on protecting. Zamasu was not only a rival of Goku and Vegeta but also of Future Trunks. As befits his position, Zamasu proved to be one of the toughest opponents Goku has ever faced in combat.
4 Evan Rachel Wood – Yi Lin (Flavors of Youth)
While she is popularly known for her award-winning portrayal of revolutionary android Dolores Abernathy on HBO’s Westworld, Evan Rachel Wood had given a critically acclaimed performance for years prior to the role. Wood provided the dubbed voice for Yi Lin in Flavors of Youth, a 2018 anime collaboration between Japan’s CoMix Films, which produced the 2020 blockbuster Suzume, and China’s Haoliner Animation League, a subsidiary of Chinese anime giant Bilibili. In a “slice-of-life” segment, Woods’ character endures the difficulties of being a top-level model, almost forcing her to go out of business before she finds true success.
3 John Cho – The Father (Mirai)
With his portrayal of Spike Spiegel in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the groundbreaking anime Cowboy Bebop, fans are already aware of John Cho’s interest in and from anime, but few could have guessed that he provided the dub voice for the father in Mamoru has Hosada’s 2018 film Mirai. Cho’s character must cope with the anger his son feels toward him and his wife after they have a second child, a daughter they name Mirai, and is upset that his parents pay more attention to her than to him. Unfortunately, the father is not up to the task and consistently fails to be the “good enough” parent when the mother lacks the energy to do so.
2 Alison Brie – Am (Star Wars: Visions)
Best known for her roles as Trudy Campbell on Mad Men and Annie Edison on the hit sitcom Community, Alison Brie is truly one of the most versatile actresses on television. Her versatility is also evident in her role as the voice actor for Am in The Twins, the third installment in the anime anthology series Star Wars: Visions. Am is a dark force bent on ruling the galaxy with a planet-destroying crystal if only her twin brother and equally powerful Force-user Karre would stop interfering in her plans.
1 Samuel L. Jackson – Afro-Samurai (Afro-Samurai)
Known for his love of anime, multi-award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson was given not one but two chances to star in the anime adaptation, both as the voice of the title character Afro and his deuteragonist Ninja Ninja by Takashi Okazaki’s Afro Samurai. Fusing a vintage samurai manga story with modern technology and hip-hop vibes, the anime did so well that it spawned a follow-up series, Afro Samurai: Resurrection, which won an Emmy Award.
While these celebrities are more known and loved by fans for their acting skills and on-screen presence, their voices have proven to be just as in demand with anime producers like Studio Ghibli and Netflix, and appealing to fans of their “live” characteristics. Furthermore, with the growth and success of anime around the world, dubbing anime is becoming not only a lucrative celebrity side hustle for those “downtimes” between blockbusters, but also a means to spread the word Anime Zeitgeist.
Comments are closed.