At the end of 2023, word on the street was that a certain Godzilla movie from Japan’s Toho Studios began gaining traction in the United States. From just word of mouth, its limited week only theatrical run got extended for another week… and then another… and then another… culminating in the film staying in theatres past January. By the start of 2024, history was made when its success was tallied – its praise from both critics and audiences was almost universal – culminating in becoming the first film in Godzilla’s 70 year franchise history to be nominated (and win) an American Academy Award.
Just last month, Netflix streamed the film both in subtitles and its first ever English dub. I recently sat down with voice actor Ell, who portrayed Noriko in this dub, to discuss their work dubbing the English language version of the film. Ell is accomplished in voice work, lending her voice to games such as Starfield and Fallout 76.
They are on the stage in productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From the stage, screen, voiceover, and singing, Ell has demonstrated great skill and built a great resume in the performing arts. During our talk, the energy was very friendly with a lot of chuckles in between our questions and answers in a chat that humorously went past our allotted time.
CG – Christopher Gomez
E – Ell
CG: Ell, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It’s an honor, because Godzilla Minus One is one of my favorite Godzilla movies. In fact, it’s currently my favorite movie in general this year. I cry every time I watch it! I’m sure many of us share that same feeling.
E: Oh that’s great! Thank you so much for having me!
CG: Did you know from an early age that you wanted to be in the performing arts?
E: Yeah. I loved the original Star Wars trilogy from as far back as I can remember, however, I don’t remember not having seeing Star Wars. I remember being a little kid and just wanting to do THAT! At a certain point I decided that it wasn’t realistic. So I thought, “Well, I’m going to be a professional musician!” I don’t know why I thought that was of course any “more” realistic (laughs). But that’s what I intended for a while. And then sometime in high school I thought,” Well, I don’t want to be old and having regrets”, and be stuck wondering what would have happened IF I tried. That’s when I decided to be an actor.
CG: Was there a particular musical instrument that you played?
E: Yes! So, I started out with piano when I was 6 and then I started on violin in 4th grade, around 9 or ten years old. As I grew up, I started taking voice lessons in middle school, more consistently in high school.
CG: With all of this interest in different avenues of the arts, were your family and friends supportive of you going in that route?
E: Growing up, my parents were definitely very supportive of us trying whatever we wanted to try. It’s really great that they let us do that and that we had the resources to do so. Because, you know, music lessons aren’t always cheap. I know I took some dance lessons here and there, as well as martial arts training. My parents just let us explore what we were interested in. I know that when I moved out, I don’t know if my parents were like, “Oh yeah! This is gonna be great!” (laughs) But they were supportive and I’m so lucky about that. I’d imagine it’s so much harder when you don’t have that support. So, I’m very lucky in that way.
CG: That’s super cool that your family was super supportive. You mentioned that you had moved out here to the Los Angeles area. If you don’t mind me asking, where exactly do you hail from?
E: I don’t mind at all! I’m originally from the Chicago area but I moved around a bit as a kid. I lived in Kansas for a few years and was based in Milwaukee for a while before ultimately finding myself in Los Angeles.
CG: Oh cool! You mentioned that you were from Chicago. Are you aware that there is a Godzilla convention IN Chicago?
E: YES! I was asked if I was going. I didn’t even realize that it was in Chicago. No, I did not go this year. But maybe I’ll go sometime in the future – it looks fun! (laughs).
CG: What was it that inspired you to really be proactive and go into the arts as a career?
E: There was this modeling school thing, and they tried to recruit me or something. And I didn’t end up doing it. In hindsight, that’s probably good because modeling school isn’t really something that you need to do to get into the industry. Honestly, a lot of modeling and acting kind of can feed into each other and even though I didn’t do it [school], it got me thinking, “Why wouldn’t this be a viable career path?” I then decided to go to college for theatre and music for whatever that’s worth. I don’t regret my college experience at all.
CG: You also mentioned that you studied music. Is there a particular genre of music that you prefer singing or performing?
E: I’m definitely best at classical styles, such as Opera. I mean, it’s probably my favorite to sing because I’m good at it (laughs). It’s also just very… I feel like… it almost feels like flying. Opera singing in particular is …it’s very athletic, If that’s the right way to put it. And I have been working on learning to sing in more modern styles. I’m not putting down any other style, there are amazing singers in every genre, but there is something specific about Opera for me. The greatest opera singers are so virtuosic, and it’s really amazing how complex it is, and how much control you need while also being very relaxed. Honestly, a lot of singing is just learning how to be relaxed (laughs).
CG: When you first moved out to California, what were some of your earliest acting roles?
E: Hmmm…. Let me think. My first short film, which I still love, is called LUC-E. I played one of a few different androids. I really liked that one. The film was a lot of fun to work on. It was a passion project on the director’s part, and he put a lot of care into it. Besides the love for Star Wars that I mentioned, I’m also a huge fan of Star Trek. I grew up watching The Next Generation, and of course, they have the android Data on there. I kind of related to him in some way! (laughs). The short film was just something that felt tied to my childhood in a way. I mean, I love sci-fi in general, so it was just a really cool project for me.
CG: In regard to voice acting, how did you start that path?
E: I was extremely lucky and kind of did everything backwards. I have a friend who, around the beginning of the pandemic, was getting this animation show produced. He was like, “Send me a demo, so I can send it to producers and maybe get you on it.” That didn’t end up working out, but I had this demo. Then, someone created what is now called the PGM List, PGM being People of the Global Minority, for those who don’t know. At the time it was called I think the BIPOC V.O. List. It was this database of voice actors, and I hadn’t done much of voice acting at all. I think I did a few videos for Crypt TV but that was just on my phone, and it wasn’t paid. I had almost no experience in voice over, but I thought, “Oh, well, I guess I’ll put myself on there?”, Not really expecting anything of it. As you know, nothing was really happening because of the pandemic so, I thought, there’s no harm in trying.
And then a year later Atlas, one of the top voice over agencies, emailed me out of nowhere and said, “Hey! We’d love to work with you! And I was like, “WHOAH! Okay! Awesome!” And I’ve been with them ever since. Later that year, SHANG-CHI was my first voice over job. And then at the beginning of the next year I got my first dubbing job, which has totally snowballed, and that’s become my main source of income now.
I’ve done some video games, too. I’ve just been extremely lucky in that regard. I’d of course had a lot of acting experience, but not specifically voice acting. I guess it’s just one of those examples of, I guess, being in the right place and the right time, so to speak?
CG: Are you more comfortable with voice acting or on camera?
E: That is a very good question. I’ve been doing on-camera far longer, but I’ve had far more success with voice-over. I think on-camera will always be my first love so to speak, but I’ve realized recently that I’m more comfortable these days voice acting simply because I do it so much more. Even just auditioning—I audition for voice over almost every day, but on-camera auditions for me are few and far between. Which is funny, since in another sense, I feel like I “know what I’m doing” more as an on-camera actor. I sort of feel like with voice acting I’ve in a way kind of just-winged-it my way to success.
CG: Have you done stage work? If so, what were some of your favorite shows to do on stage in theatre?
E: I have done stage work! I started out doing theatre in the Midwest. Some of my favorites are actually from when I was still a teenager. I don’t know if it’s embarrassing, but my favorite theatre role I think is still Guenevere in Camelot, which I did in high school. I also loved doing And Then There Were None, which was right before I left for college. In LA I spent a summer doing A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Titus Andronicus in the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare festival with Independent Shakespeare Company and that was much fun.
CG: I wanted to allow you this platform, I know that there is a strike going on. What are you at liberty to say about this current Videogame SAG Strike to give people there awareness. What’s going on with that?
For sure! First of all, actors in general love working. We don’t want to be not working; a strike is really a last resort measure. The contract expired in November 2022, and the negotiating committee has been negotiating this contract for over 18 months. So, I mean… it’s time. The two main things that are holding up the contract are A.I. Protections and Motion Capture. So the A.I. protections as they are now on the table, are not even as strong as the TV/Theatrical agreement which, some would argue, wasn’t even strong enough. That’s up for debate. I won’t get into that. And also, the Animation Contract that we got earlier this year also had pretty solid A.I. Protections So, we would like to at least match that. Especially since voice over is so now impacted heavily.
Secondly, these companies don’t want to recognize Motion Capture performers as performers. They think that if you’re not speaking, you’re not a performer and that motion capture is just data. To which I would challenge them to give it a try themselves and see how that goes. And of course, that is also very vulnerable to being exploited by A.I. Those are the main things. From what I understand, the last time there was a strike for the video games, which I think was 2016 or 2017, it was a long strike. I think I had just joined SAG, or I hadn’t quite yet, so I don’t super remember all of the details, but I know a lot of the motion capture performers felt like they were left behind and we really want to make sure that doesn’t happen this time, especially since it’s such an existential threat.
CG: As an actor myself, a lot of people tend to forget that so much of what we consume is entertainment, in all different facets. It’s consumed by the world over. These strikes do have an effect on what we consume.
E: They do! I mean, think about Covid. What were people doing all the time? I think it’s also important to note that this strike does have more repercussions than SAG. This contract will set the bar for a lot of other agreements. Set the standard for what non-union actors might be able to expect. This problem that we’re seeing is not limited to entertainment as far as A.I. goes ..well, as far as exploitation goes in general. It’s not just the entertainment companies—a lot of corporations WILL replace you with a robot if they can. So, in a certain sense, this is everyone’s fight.
CG: Yeah. And going back to the motion capture aspect, yes. I can attest that motion capture performance is pretty much one of the purest forms of acting. You’re using your entire body to emote everything. You’re using facial, voice, physicality… everything. For context, you and I both share an instructor in TJ Storm.
E: Ohhhh! Okay! Have you taken TJ’s classes?
KU: I did! I did! Although, I think you were luckier! You received the Haruo Nakajima Scholarship!
E: (laughs) Yes, I got extremely lucky.
CG: Before we dive into Minus One, I have one more question. I discovered recently that you actually sung ON the Jimmy Kimmel Show…tell us about that, PLEASE!
E: Yeah! So… there’s a Facebook group, I forget what it’s called, something along the lines of LA Singers Group. I saw a post that…. I think they were looking for Asian female singers or something – I don’t remember the specifics. But it was like, “send your demo.” …Of course they meant your singing demo! But I was like, “ok here’s my demo reel.” Later, the vocal contractor told me, “You have such a great look. I didn’t really care how you sang.” (laughs) It was so funny! …as you know I AM a singer. It wasn’t too difficult. We were just backup singers for the duo ‘Rodrigo y Grabriela’. Yeah, so, really easy job. Half day. We had some rehearsal, then we shot it. I can’t remember if I interacted with Jimmy Kimmel or not, as this was several years ago now, but I remember having a good time and it was a really easy job.
CG: Is there a way that we can find this video?
E: Yeah. You can find it on YouTube if you search – “RODRIGO y GABRIELA and JIMMY KIMMEL” – It should come up. I have long hair in it! But that is me. I have a close up, too!
CG: Do you prefer voicing video games or dubbing film and television?
E: In general, I would say video games. I’m a big gamer. I love, love, LOVE gaming so much. I could talk to you forever about how much I love video games. And not just for that reason do I love voicing video games. You do get a bit more creative control, in a way. When I’m dubbing, I’m doing my best to match what is happening with what another actor already did, which is quite fun, and I love doing it. But it is another level of fun, in my opinion, to be able to be more a part of the creation process of the character.
CG: Let’s talk about Godzilla Minus One. How did you land that gig?
E: It was a studio I’ve worked with before and it was with a director I’ve worked with before, so I’m sure that helps. I was very lucky. I know a lot of care went into the casting and I’ve very honored that I was chosen for Minus One.
CG: What were some of the methods that you tried to use in order to capture the character of Noriko?
E: Well first of all, unlike most dubs I’ve done, or frankly, all dubs I’ve done, I did see the movie ahead of time. That helped tremendously. Normally when you’re dubbing, you only see the scenes in which you speak, in that moment. You don’t get to see it ahead of time. In the room they show you the scene and then you just do it! I had very little to do with the translation or its adapting process. That’s not my job. So, I don’t have to worry about that most of the time. Sometimes if there’s a re-write, an actor might help out a little bit, but it’s not our job and we’re not required to.
I don’t know if there’s a specific thing I did for Noriko in particular that I don’t do for any of the other dubs. Like I said, I’m doing my best to match what I’m seeing and feeling from the character. Sometimes, taking their body posture can help. It’s kind of hard to explain because I work fairly intuitively. For dubbing, I don’t have a particular method. I haven’t spoken to other voice actors much, so I don’t know if other voice actors do or not.
Also, you’re paying attention to A LOT of different things when you’re previewing the scene, such as how the mouth is moving. As you’re paying attention, you’ll catch breaths or stuff that hasn’t been notated very well, the tone of voice, or their vocal quality. I’m trying to pay attention to all of these things, absorbing it as I’m watching. I have to take in the emotions that are happening, and in the short time I have, try to put myself there as much as possible.
CG: I know that for some dubbing sessions it always kind of varies. Usually it’s just you, alone in the booth, recording to whatever is on the screen. Other times, depending on what kind of scene it is, you might have a small group of people. For MINUS ONE, was it just you, or did you get to interact with anyone else?
E: Yeah, it was just me. And then over in the other part of the booth was the director and the engineer. I believe the producer was there for at least part of it if not the whole thing; and the adapter. Usually, the producer and adapter are not there, but this was a very important project. They put extra care into this one, I will say. I work with that group a lot, and they’re fantastic.
CG: What did you think of the film?
E: I was blown away, man! You know, I’ve seen Godzilla movies. I enjoy Godzilla movies. I went into the theatre with some friends expecting a monster movie, you know? And Godzilla Minus One, as you know, is SO much more than that. Like you say, you cry every time. It’s such a powerful human drama. I can’t say enough good things about it. I love it!
CG: I do have a confession to make.
E: Mmmhm?
CG: In MINUS ONE’S original theatrical run, I saw the movie 15 times.
E: That’s amazing!
CG: Yeah, and there were a multitude of reasons. This was the kind of Godzilla movie I’ve always wanted to make or see. And the release of that film coincided with a lot of milestones that were going on in my personal life that were reflected in the film. I had just become an uncle to twin girls.
E: Oh wow! Congrats!
CG: One of my newborn nieces was having complications, and then I see the movie – there was such a strong emphasis on this makeshift family having to take care of this little girl. It was the first time anyone in the family had kids, so it was a big deal. That really touched me about the film.
E: Aww.
CG: Continuing on, without knowing that you were eventually going to dub this character, what did you think about Noriko in general?
E: I thought she was really fun! It’s cool that she wasn’t just some kind of damsel or something like that. I thought she had an interesting arc: starting out kind of like a street urchin, and then as the film progresses, turns into this mother figure & partner to Koichi. She’s very sweet and she’s very strong. Yeah. I like her.
CG: Were you able to see the entire film completely dubbed? What did you think of your performance?
E: Yes, I watched it. I had a watch party with Greg Chun, who did the dub for Tachibana. That was the first time I saw the dub in its entirety… sort of? …When you’re doing a watch party, you’re just kind of paying attention to a couple of different things. After that, I sat and watched it normally as an audience member. In general, I thought it was a really good dub. The actors they got is so impressive. I was looking at the cast list and I was like, “Whoa! These are actors that actually do things!” I think besides the baby (Akiko) I may be the greenest actor in the main cast! It’s funny because I actually know one of the baby’s relatives.. I think it’s her aunt… you know, L.A. can be a weirdly small world.
About me in particular, I think overall, I was pretty happy with it. I think there’s always something where you’re like, “Oh, I think maybe I could’ve done that better.” Even if it’s like the best that it possibly could be it’s like (defeated) “Aw…” (laughs). But I think we did a good job, and I’m very proud of this one.
CG: Have you ever seen the original GODZILLA or any of the other films?
E: Yes! So, growing up I saw many Godzilla films, though I am not sure I can tell you which ones they were. I forgot what channel it was on, but now and then there would be marathons, and I’d just sit down and watch Godzilla movies. After I found out that I got the role, in the couple weeks leading up to recording it, I watched the original film, Gojira, and I watched Shin Godzilla. I’ve seen a few of the Monsterverse ones as well.
CG: Many individuals are discussing the pros and cons of a Minus One sequel. If they DID do a sequel, would you be on board for that? How would you see Noriko if they brought her back?
E: First of all, I totally understand how they feel. Like, how do you do a sequel to a movie at the level of Minus One? It’s rare, but every once in a while, a sequel is as good or better. So, I think we just have tohope for that. I mean, it’s in very good hands, I would say, but the thought remains… how do you top the best thing ever?
Regarding returning to dub the voice of Noriko – of course I’d be on board! That’s assuming they want me back; I’d imagine they would. As for what happens to the character? I have seen some theories or speculations or “we think this would be coolif this happened” online. So, it’s been confirmed that she has the G-Cells, right?
CG: That’s right.
E: There’s a Godzilla creature, or Kaiju, called Biollante?
CG: Yes, Biollante!
E: Yeah people are like, “oh what if she turned into Biollante?”, and in response to that, I’m like, “oh that could be very tragic.” That could be an interesting avenue. Very sad! You get this family together and then it’s… destroyed. I would be interested in seeing that happen. Like I said, that could be very tragic but, possibly more for poor Koichi to be traumatized by (laughs) and grow through, I suppose.
CG: Do you have a favorite Godzilla film or creature in particular?
E: A favorite Godzilla film specifically, I’m not sure about, just because I don’t know which films I have seen. They all kind of mesh together in my childhood. But I really like… okay, there’s two of them! So I have this GameCube game called Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, and I really like playing as Rodan in that game. But the Monsterverse in particular has made me fall in love with Mothra. She. Is. Gorgeous.
CG: Are there any video game or film franchises that you would like to work on in the future?
E: Absolutely! I’m gonna lump TV in there as well. As far as games go, I’d love to work on Zelda and Elder Scrolls— but be sure to continue to SUPPORT THE STRIKE until it is over. For film and television, I love Sci-Fi & Fantasy, and think it’s what I’m best at. I would love to be in Star Trek. I’d love to do some kind of high fantasy thing like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power or if I could somehow get an audition for The Hunt for Gollum I would lose my mind. Can I be in the Zelda movie, please? (laughs) Also I really want to be in the new Duffer Brothers/Netflix Death Note. That would be great!
CG: Thanks for taking the time to chat with KU. We wish you continued success in all your endeavors.
E: Thanks for having me! I’m glad we finally got to do this!
Ell continues to be very active in non-gaming roles, lending their voice to many prestigious projects. Their current and upcoming work on English dubs includes providing the voices for: Ms. Minegishi in Chastity High on Netflix, Kyunghee in Season 2 of Pachinko on AppleTV, and Adult Carol in the third and final season of Back to 15 on Netflix. You can follow Ell on their social media @iamelllee for more updates on their work.
