This interview took place on Feb 14/05. In order to meet both our busy schedules we e-mailed the questions to Tiffany Grant and she gave us her responses back! We caught up with her for the second time to see how everything was going and what’s this about a Live Action Neon Genesis Project? She answers her thoughts on some of these questions.
USERS:
Anime Station:
Tiffany Grant:
Anime Station: You have done so much in your career as an actor, writer, what keeps you motivated and what’s next?
Tiffany Grant: I just celebrated my eleventh anniversary in the industry, and I think what really keeps me motivated is the incredible diversity of projects and character challenges. There's always something new and different to do, plus I really, really love this business!
Anime Station: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world who was alive, dead, or an anime character, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Tiffany Grant: Well, your younger readers may not appreciate this, but my personal idol was Bob Hope. He passed away in 2003, but I still find a lot of inspiration in his accomplishments. I never did get the chance to meet him, but that would have to be my first choice for sure. I can't pick one narrow topic I'd want to discuss, but I used to have recurring dreams years ago that I would be introduced to him and immediately pass out. I would want that NOT to happen!
Anime Station: What’s the scoop behind ADV films, anything you can tell us that happens behind scenes that the fans don’t know about? Is it a professional atmosphere or is it more relaxed? Are there any people that have pulled a prank in the office?
Tiffany Grant: Well, I think ADV is pretty different from a regular office in many ways, although there are similarities as well. First of all, I only work at the production location. The business offices are in a different place, and I don't really go there.
There are anime posters and wall scrolls up all over the place, and pretty much everyone has toys on their desks and around their offices. It's a generally light-hearted atmosphere, but at the end of the day, it IS a business, and each person has a job to do. I'd say all the folks who work there are real pros at their jobs, but things are somewhat relaxed.
Yes, people DO play pranks, and a lot of this involves putting various silly pictures on other people's doors and things like that. On April Fool's Day last year, Matt Greenfield (my husband) convinced a voice actress she needed to bring a bathrobe with her to a recording session, and she actually did it!
I'd say the main misconception about how we work is that the actors somehow work "together." We each record individually and often record a whole show without meeting some of the other cast members.
Anime Station: Live Action Anime is becoming more popular in Japan and it’s starting to catch on in North America but with comic book movies such as Spiderman, Batman and many others which have been produced so far do you expect the live action anime to become the new “thing” to either replace the demand or do you see them competing with the comic book movies? The first news of a production in North American for a Live Action Anime was with Neon Genesis Evangelion (aka the Eva series).
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Tiffany Grant: Well, I don't know if live-action versions of anime are the "next big thing" so to speak. I saw the first episode of the live action Sailor Moon, and it was pretty cheesy! In Japan of course, there have been many live action adaptations of several shows, but (as you pointed out) Eva is different.
The live action Eva film will be done as a big budget international film produced using the incomparable Weta Workshop of Lord of the Rings fame. For that reason, I think Eva is sort of a different being on its own.
In the states, we have had adaptations of American cartoons as live action such as Scooby Doo and the Flintstones, so we already know it can be done well... or not. Personally, I have very high hopes for the live action Eva, so I will wait patiently to see how it all plays out!
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Anime Station: Have you ever seen or played the extra storyline to NGE? That is the “Girlfriend of Steel” video game that came out on the Play Station 1 and if so what did you think of the story between the characters. There seems to be a softer side of Asuka shown.
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Tiffany Grant: I am very familiar with the game insofar as I have seen many images from it and have actually purchased items such as pencil boards promoting the game. However, I have never played any Play Station, X-Box or Nintendo, etc. games so the answer to that part is no! :-)
Anime Station: Is there any one thing you would like to do in the world that you haven’t done yet? (Try a different job? Do something crazy like sky diving?)
Tiffany Grant: Oh, gosh! Sure there are lots of things I'd like to see and do (sky diving is NOT one of them!) such as places I would like to visit. I love to travel, and there are many, many areas I'd like to see. I would like to try SCUBA diving sometime!
Anime Station: Wie ist das Wetter heute? Ist es kalt? (random German question)
Tiffany Grant: Nein! Es ist hier ganz warm (76F)! Heute ist 14 Februar.
Anime Station: Some people work towards dreams and goals and they use goals to improve themselves. Do you have any goals or dreams you are working towards and if so what is one of them?
Tiffany Grant: WOW. That is one BIG question. There are some personal goals as far as building a house and things of that nature. I've made no secret of the fact that I am very much hoping to do a cameo in the live action Eva film when that comes to pass, so that would be a big dream of mine. I also hope that The Anime Network will take off in a big way to help spread the love of anime across the country! That would be awesome :-)
Anime Station: Final Question: To leave this interview on a hanging cliff note. Lets talk about the Neon Genesis Live Action Movie a little bit. Not to go into detail or anything about the movie it's self but lets talk about one of the greatest characters of all time. Asuka. You voiced Asuka in the English Version that was released a few years back now, was that tough to get her full character out? and now thinking that a young actor may have to play the role of her in this up coming Live Action Movie which people are already expecting a Blockbuster hit [and it hasn't even hit production yet]. Do you think Asuka's character can truly be shown in a live action movie and do you think that this could be an actor's toughest role? Asuka is quite a complex character even though many of the characters of the Anime Neon Genesis Evangelion are complex. Asuka still seems to stand out in my mind.
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Tiffany Grant: As I said before, I have very high hopes for the film, and I feel very confident that there is a little budding Asuka out there waiting to be discovered. I do believe it will be a challenging role, but I have no doubt that the right person can be found for the part. Although I have nothing at all to do with the production or casting of the film, I believe the plan is to find relative unknowns for the children who are the right ages for the parts. I believe this will work well. I have come to love Asuka over the years like a little sister, so I am quite protective.
A small confession - every time now that I see a film with a young girl who is 10-12 years old, I study her very carefully, and I think "Is that her? Is that Asuka?"
In fact, I say that to my husband a lot (he's one of the producers) - "Hey! There's your Asuka!" - I kid him about that a LOT!!
Thanks for your interest - and I appreciate everyone's support over the years!
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