The Anime Crisis Center > Extras > Interviews
Christine Auten Interview (29 March 2005)
Interviewed by Lynk Former
Christine is best known for playing Priss Asagiri in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, but she has also played a number of roles including Sakaki in Azumanga Daioh, Elvy Hadiyat in RahXephon, Karen Jordan in AD Police TV and Limelda Jorg in Madlax. She is also the voice of Lady Death in the American animation of the same name.
Lynk Former: Hi, thanks for taking part in this interview! Please introduce yourself to our less informed visitors.
Christine Auten: Well, my name is Christine Auten and I am an actor based in Houston, Texas. For the past eight years or so I have had the incredible fortune to work as a voice actor for ADV Films.
Lynk: How and why did you get into voice acting?
Christine: I started working for ADV Films in 1998. They were a much smaller company back then, with usually only one, maybe two, shows in production at any one time. There were only a few actors working there at that time, and I happened to be in a theater group with two of them, Brett Weaver and Amanda Winn. I had already been acting professionally for the better part of a decade; I had done theater, commercials and films, but I had not done much voice over work. I made a voice tape and sent it in with my resume and head shot. Eventually Matt Greenfield called me in to do a small part in... I think it was Nadesico. Then I did another small part, White Compiler, in Compiler. I guess he was just trying me out in small parts before he had me audition for Priss in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. I've been working there ever since.
Lynk: What is it like to hear your voice coming out of an animated character's mouth?
Christine: Oh, it's weird at first, but you get used to it. Sometimes when I'm watching a show that I've done, I forget that it's my voice at all.
Lynk: Have you done any acting in addition to anime voice acting?
Christine: Absolutely, that's what I do. I was acting professionally for many years before I started doing anime. The market here in Houston is pretty small. So, as an actor, you find yourself doing all sorts of things to make a living. I do commercials, industrials (internal corporate), trade shows, theater, film... pretty much whatever I can to make a living. You can't be too picky.
Lynk: Are you a serious anime fan, or do you like anime more generally?
Christine: I'd have to say that I am more of a general fan. Like anyone else I suppose, there are certain shows I like more than others. I'm rather fond of Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, but I also really like RahXephon and Azumanga Daioh.
Lynk: It's an obvious question, but what are your thoughts on Priss Asagiri?
Christine: I love Priss. I didn't create the character, but I will always feel that she is a part of me. I have definitely identified with her more than with any other character I've done. That could be because she was my first large character in an anime series, but I also think it's because she's a lot like me. Not the vigilante rock star part, but in her personality.
Lynk: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 is part of a larger set of series, have you taken a look at the other series of Bubblegum Crisis? If so what do you think of them?
Christine: I've only seen the AD Police TV series, and I didn't like it as much. I've heard that Parasite Dolls is really cool, but I haven't seen any of it yet.
Lynk: Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh, I have to ask what you think of her because we all love Sakaki.
Christine: Oh, I do so love Sakaki, too. Like with Priss, I feel very connected to her. You probably already know this, but the same Japanese Voice Actor that did Priss also did Sakaki. And like Sakaki, I have a real soft spot for cats. I just can't seem to get enough of them. Every time I see a cat, I just melt and have to touch it. Not always a wise thing, but I can't help it.
Lynk: One of the most recent voice work you have done is not from any anime but in an American animation. What was it like to work on Lady Death? Was it just another day of voice acting or was it different?
Christine: Working on Lady Death was actually a bit different from dubbing anime. When I get into a sound booth to record the English voice for an anime series the animation is done, the initial voices already recorded, the translated script written. At that point, my job is one of interpretation: interpretation of the visual, the Japanese performance, what the director tells me. While there is a creative process in that interpretation, the parameters are already set.
With Lady Death, I had the unique experience of first recording the scratch track. The scratch track is the initial recording of the script by a group of actors, which serves as a base line for the creation of the animation. Armed only with the character drawings, we created a verbal life from the script, creating the characters with voices that will live in the animators' minds as they bring the film to life visually. Now that's creative! It's exciting and a little bit humbling.
When the animation was at the stage where the final voices could be recorded, and I went in for the audition, I already had a very strong feel for the character. I was fortunate enough to be able to carry that initial creative process further.
Lynk: When you are recording in one of those booths, is there time for fun or is it all work, work, work? Tell us about any fun moments you've had while recording, we're all dying to know what goes on there.
Christine: While there is room for fun, studio time is booked pretty tight, and getting the project done well in the time scheduled is the most important thing. But recording can be a pretty intense process, and if you don't lighten it up here and there you can get a little stir crazy in that tiny booth for hours and hours at a time. Some directors like to do alternate vocal tracks for extras on the DVD, and that's a lot of fun. Kyle Jones (Madlax, Saint Seiya) has done some pretty funny alternate tracks for his live action projects, like a Red Neck Gamera.
Lynk: You've played all the characters mentioned above, are there any other characters and animes we really need to take notice of?
Christine: RahXephon is really amazing. I had a lot of fun with Elvy. I'm also pretty proud of Genie in Rune Soldier.
Lynk: When it comes to a role, are you afraid of being type cast or is it more of a sense that these are the roles you really SHOULD be playing because something of you is in that character where it allows you to play that role more naturally?
Christine: There are definitely parts my voice is more suited to than others. I don't look at this as necessarily a bad thing, but it can limit the amount of work I get. I have a deep voice that is not so suited for many of the young girl characters that populate most anime. Also, directors get a certain idea of where they think an actor's range is, and they tend to have them audition only for those roles. When I get the chance, I sometimes campaign to audition for parts I might not immediately fit into, using a voice that is very different from my own, like Mami in Sister Princess or Edel in Princess Tutu, but that doesn't happen too often. The microphones they use are so sensitive that any vocal strain sounds strange, so directors tend to want to keep actors more in their natural range. So, for better or worse, I'll always be everyone's mother or the mysterious tough woman. That's cool. I like those parts.
Lynk: What is one role that someone else got, but you wish that you could have taken a crack at?
Christine: I really wanted to do Noir.
Lynk: Are there animes coming out that you're part of which we should be checking out?
Christine: I think Madlax is going to be really cool.
