March 3, 2006
1. What do you think of this year's Best Picture nominees?
I think they're all pretty great and I'm pleased to see quieter, thoughtful, well-acted films getting noticed over big old noisy ones.
2. You were really the first of the QAF cast to utilize the internet to reach out to your fans. How do you think that affected your relationship with your fans during the course of working on QAF, and how do you intend to use your website as a promotional and communication tool throughout your career?
Well, hopefully it helped make fans feel a part of the whole QAF experience which was really a whirlwind and surprise for all of us involved. I think I was not quite fully prepared for how widespread my words on my little site would go. As time went on I became a little uncomfortable with sharing personal things with people I had, for the most part, never met and so I cut back quite a bit on the blogs and then they disappeared altogether. I'm hoping the website will continue to be a resource for people who enjoy my work to stay on top of what I'm up to throughout my career and stay in touch with each other as well. Professionally I'll be wanting to use it as a promotional tool as well for directors, casting directors and producers who are not familiar with my work to become familiar with it.
3. Leather or lace?
Satin.
4. Did you watch the Olympics? What's your favorite winter Olympics sport? Favorite athlete?
I've been watching some and I've got to say I was totally into that snowboard cross event. That was great. Other than that I'm no real fan of winter sports. Although, I do enjoy watching those little girls fly around the ice and jump in the air. That's fun. I was sorry to see Michelle Kwan had to drop out. I've enjoyed watching her in the past. Very elegant.
5. What exactly is it about the QAF directors and the cast that makes each episode unique from others in the series?
When it comes down to it TV is really a producer's medium and in the end the producers get the "final cut" of an episode. But our wonderful directors put real stamps on each of their episodes with their own styles and tastes. Some directors were more about performance with simple camera moves. Others were into fancy shots. Still others blended all elements. We got to know what each directors strengths were and collaborated with them to bring the best out of every script we could.
6. What's your favorite blend of tea? Bagged or loose-leaf?
I like a blend of loose-leaf tea from a store out here called "Palais de Ths". The blend is called "Th des Alizs" (green tea with bits of white peach, kiwi and watermelon). I mostly make iced tea out of it. Something makes me think the store is a French chain. Not sure why.
7. Put your iPod on shuffle. What are the first 5 songs that play?
Well, out of the 3,756 songs on there now let's see what actually comes up when I do that. It's different all the time. Here we go:
1.) Wake Up - Arcade Fire
2.) Off The Record - My Morning Jacket
3.) Jesus Don't Cry - Wilco
4.) I Want You - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5.) Waltz For Debbie - Bill Evans Trio
8. I live in Japan, and was wondering where you did the shooting for Trapped Ashes (I'm figuring Tokyo)? I live in Sapporo, up on the north island, and was wondering if you made it up there?
We shot a few days in Tokyo but spent most of our time in Izu, about 3 hours south of Tokyo. It is a beautiful town known for its hot springs.
9. I've been waiting for your "American Dad" episodes to air. What was it like performing in an animated medium, what kinds of challenges did it present to you as an actor, and would you like to do animated voiceover work again in the future?
It was a complete blast but I must admit it was a different process than I thought it would be. You're in the recording booth on your own just doing your lines one at a time (usually repeating your reading three times) so you're never actually reading with whoever you have your scene with. The producer in the control booth will give notes after each line and then you make whatever adjustments they've asked and do it again until everyone is happy. It can be a little laborious and very technical. It's really impressive to think what they must go through in the editing to put all these individual recordings together into dialogue. As I said, despite the vacuum- like process it was a lot of fun to create these characters and we all laughed a lot.
10. How often do you get new headshots taken? How do you choose a photographer? Does the quality of a headshot play into whether you get a part or is it entirely based on how you perform in the audition?
You know what? I'm a terrible person to ask about this because I'm super lazy when it comes to headshots. I hate having my picture taken (unless I get to make a goofy face or point at someone) and have to be threatened to get them done with any regularity. I'm still using the wonderful shots that Kevyn Major Howard took a couple of years ago. The general rule is that they should look like you look now. SO if you've altered your appearance (hair length, piercing, etc.) you need new shots. I tend to change slowly so I feel like I don't need shots quite as often as others. Headshots only help get you IN to an audition; they have no bearing on whether you get the part after you've actually auditioned.