Chris Ayres, a successful stage actor and artistic director, answered some questions from us about himself and his role as Kei Kurono in ADV Films' Gantz. Read his thoughts about the show and his advice on becoming a voice actor.

ACTIVE ANIME: Hello Chris, and let me thank you first for giving us the opportunity to ask you a few questions about yourself and your role as Kei Kurono in Gantz.. You started as a Fight Director prior to voice acting. How long have you been doing voice acting and can you please tell the fans what a Fight Director is?

Christopher Ayers: That’s a good question. With the exception of one jump into voice acting while in college (long story), I’ve been doing it for almost 2 years now. January will be my two year anniversary with ADV films. I actually started out as an actor; I’ve been working in theatre since I was about 7ish (if memory serves). I was lucky enough to do both the Broadway production and National Tour of Peter Pan (starring Cathy Rigby) and it was when I got home that I kind of fell into choreographing and directing for theatre. Prior to that I had only been an actor and a fight director.
As for what a fight director does…well it’s just like it sounds I guess. Basically when you see a stage production, if there’s any sort of violence on stage, from a fistfight to a swordfight to strangulation and everything in between, that action is staged by a fight director or violence coordinator. My job is to make sure that the fights on stage not only look real, but are as safe as they can possibly be so that no one is hurt in the execution of the fight. I compare it to being a magician in the fact that you’re making the audience see something that isn’t really happening. For instance in a production I did for a high school of Romeo and Juliet, I had one actor throw a dagger across the stage into the chest of an oncoming actor. It was a stunning effect and shocked the audience. I won’t say how we did it, but it scared everyone who saw it because they were convinced that an injury had actually occurred. The really funny thing is that the actor who got the knife in his chest was actually safer than the actor throwing the knife.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Why did you jump into voice acting?
 
Christopher Ayers:  Oooohh, I don’t know that I so much jumped as I was pushed. I always say that. I actually auditioned for ADV years and years and years ago (back when they were doing Blue Seed, and I think getting ready to do Evangelion). I went in auditioned and never heard back from them. I assumed it was like a theatre audition where you go in, give it your best shot and if you don’t get cast that’s the way things go, no hard feelings. That was back when I was running an improvisational comedy company here in Houston that included Amanda Winn (Lee), Allison Keith, and Monica Rial. (It’s funny my first improv company in town included Spike Spencer and Christine Auten.)

Anyway soon Monica and another friend Christopher Patton were working for ADV, and then my brother (Greg Ayres) started working for them. Everyone was telling me that I should go back and audition again, and I kept putting it off. I was incredibly busy at the time directing and choreographing around town. Finally my brother dialed the phone, put it in my hand and told me to book an audition appointment. I did, and a while later, I got a call to come in and audition. That soon led to a small role in Kino’s Journey, and things just kind of took off from there. I honestly say I don’t know if I’d be doing this today if Monica, Chris and especially Greg had not pushed me to do it. So I’m really more grateful to them than they will probably ever know.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Does your past as a director help you with your voice acting?
 
Christopher Ayers:  I think in many ways it does. You know what a director goes through to get a performance out of actors, and having been there you understand where they’re coming from. There’s a joke about me as a director that if I say “Okay lets do this just one more time” that you’re actually gonna be doing it 6 to 8 more times. So if they need me to do something over and over and over to get it right, then I understand that completely. I also know how frustrating it is to be directing and have an actor fight you on everything that you’re trying to do to help them. That’s one of the reasons that even if somewhere inside as an actor I disagree with a choice or a line reading or whatever, I keep it to myself. I understand that the director is responsible for the entire project, and as a performer I am just one small part of the overall picture. I hope that made sense.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Chris, what aspects of voice acting do you find exciting?
 
Christopher Ayers:  Well, I’ve often said that voice acting allows me more range as an actor. There is an old saying that an actor should be able to play any role. I think that is true to a point. As an actor, should I be able to play any role, yes, but as an actor am I right for every role, no. I’m a small guy. I’m 5’4” and right around 135 – 140 lbs. So as you can imagine there’s quite a bit that I’m ruled out of because of size alone. I’ll never play Don Quixote, or Othello, or well quite a few roles that I love. With voice acting, I am only limited by my voice. I’ve played kids and older characters in Bastof Syndrome, teens in Gantz and Maburaho, old men in A Tree of Palme, gangsters in Mezzo, and characters in other shows. In Yugo the Negotiator, I play a seven-and-a-half foot tall Pakistani terrorist leader, and the character I play in Moby Dick is ever bigger. So I’m afforded the ability to really push myself as an actor in ways and in roles that I never could on stage or in film.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Did you have to audition for the role of Kurono, and what was your reaction when you learned that you had landed the role? 
 
Christopher Ayers:  Oh yes, I had to audition and it was tough. I didn’t know anything about the show except that everyone was excited about auditioning for it. I had worked with Matt Greenfield on Megazone 23, and had an incredible experience, but never got called to do anything with him again. My brother was working on Chrono Crusade, and I loved that show. So I was a little stunned to find out that I had an audition not only for Gantz but with Matt.

If you’ve seen the show, the audition scene was the one where Kato is trying to decide if he should shoot the Big Green Onion Alien, while Kurono and Kishimoto are calling out to him, and kind of snipping at each other. It was very confusing because I was cold reading the scene, and all of the character names started with “K”, so I lost my place a couple of times. I read for both Kato and Kurono, and when I was done Matt thanked me, told me he liked my audition and that I was being considered for one of these two roles. I had no idea if they were leads, supporting leads or episode characters. All I really knew was that the show looked amazing, and that I really hoped to get in it.

Later that day, Greg was at the studio, saw Matt, and told him what a great time I had auditioning for the show and Matt told Greg “Well I’m glad he feels that way, I’m casting him in the lead.” Greg called me as soon as he got out of his session to let me know. I was actually in a supermarket shopping when Greg called, and I don’t remember what I was getting or much of the drive home. I only remember that my knees almost buckled when he said that to me. I was stunned; I had been at ADV less than a year, and had gotten the LEAD?!? I did find out much later from Matt, that he had brought me in because he thought I’d make a good Kato, but after the audition he changed his mind because I had that “jerk” quality he was looking for. I’m really glad that I had it.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: What were your initial thoughts about your character when you first learned about it?
 
Christopher Ayers:  Everyone kept telling me that Kurono was a jerk and an ass, which intrigued me. There wasn’t much I could find on the net about the show, and Matt didn’t want me knowing too much. I understood where Matt was coming from, and decided it would be best to take this journey along with Kurono and Matt, and trust what he told me and that I would find the character.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: How long did it take you to familiarize yourself with and feel comfortable about the character you’re playing?
 
Christopher Ayers: Well, it helps that the first two episodes really set Kei up, and by the time we were done with episodes 1-4 I really had a good handle on who he is and what he’s about. I will say that even with that I’ve been surprised from time to time, but it’s been a great ride. I’ve always been drawn to anti-heroes and characters with an edge, and Kei is definitely both. I love the fact that he’s flawed and makes mistakes and isn’t perfect, because after all who is? Perfect people are so much more boring to play as an actor.

Some of the actors really had to get used to the violence in the show, but much like Matt, I’m a horror movie fanatic. And so where others would get grossed out… I’d be going “Rock On!”. Tiffany Grant told me on the phone today that Matt and I are both sick because we really enjoy working on this show way too much. I thought it was pretty funny, and when Matt hung up with her he said “Okay let the sickos get back to work.”
 
ACTIVE ANIME: You mentioned to me once that you didn’t get to hear the other voice actors’ voices when recording Gantz because you were the first one to record for the show. How does the difficulty of the dubbing process compare when you can hear only Japanese voices from the other characters, to sessions when you can hear the English? 
 
Christopher Ayers: I had a really wonderful experience working on Volume 9 in that I did most of my work at the start, but they couldn’t book me for my last 3 hours until almost the end of the recording for that volume. So by the time I came in, everyone but Monica Rial was finished. And so I actually got to hear everyone’s performances. That was very new for me. When you’re one of the leads they try to book you early, according to how much time you have to be in the boot. So the more you’ve got to do, the earlier you do it.

So I’d start and there would be just myself and the Japanese voice actors, then I’d come back the next day and there’d be a few more and so on. I don’t think it makes the process more difficult because again, I trust the director and he knows where every moment is going, so I try to give him what he wants and trust him to have the clear vision of how it will all fit together. Another thing that helps is if I’ve laid down tracks then it’s easier for the other people to respond to what I’ve done, and react in character to that.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Your character is selfish and perverted. Do you think the Kei character represents most teen-age boys out there?
 
Christopher Ayers:  Hmmm I don’t know if those are the words I’d use to describe him. I think he’s self-serving and looks out for himself, sometimes…well often at the expense of others, but he has moments where you see that he does care for people, and he finds his old almost-heroic nature. As for his sexuality… well he certainly has a healthy libido. As for him being like most teen-age boys, he’s like many of them, I won’t say all. I will say that I can certainly relate to him (laughs). I work with several different schools as a guest artist and I see teen-age guys that are Kei’s age, and are much like him. Someone told me one time that teen-age boys don’t talk or act like he does, and I have to wonder what planet they’re from. Like I said before, he’s human which means he’s flawed, like all of us. So being selfish, perverse, foul-mouthed or what have you comes with the territory.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Gantz is one of the most violent anime to date. What are your thoughts on the violence in the series?
 
Christopher Ayers: Well as I’ve said before I’m a huge horror movie fan, in fact the bloodier the better. I’m a fan of Romero, Fulci, Argento, and the list goes on and on and on, so the violence didn’t really bother me. I will say there were two moments in season one that hit me like a punch in the stomach, and in volume 8 alone there were three, one of which almost made me cry it hit so hard.

I do think there’s a reason for the show to be so violent. In season one listen to what the biker says about life and the importance of life while they’re standing on the bridge. Also listen to Nishi early in the show when he talks about how people view violence. I think there is some finger-pointing at society in these regards. So while yes, the violence is prominent, I think there are larger reasons for it to be there. I hope that made sense.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Overall, what do you think of GANTZ?
 
Christopher Ayers: I’m a huge fan of the series, and love everything about it. Someone said “Well that’s because you’ve got the lead.” I’ll tell you right now, even if I wasn’t in the show, I’d be a fan of it. It’s dark and edgy and that’s the kind of material I find myself drawn to. I think it’s got some amazing performances and some incredibly gifted actors and I’m really honored to be among them.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Have you experienced any embarrassing moment during your recording sessions?
 
Christopher Ayers:  I’ve run that gamut on things I’ve experienced in the booth for this show. I think the most awkward for me was the sex scenes. The first one was okay. It was with an actress that I’ve met but don’t know all that well, so I was doing all of the “sex” foley and it didn’t bother me. The second, more graphic, sex scenes were with myself and Sei who is voiced by Kelly Manison. I’ve known Kelly since she was about 13 and I was probably 15 or 16 (maybe we were both younger). Kelly had already done her recording before I came in on that scene. Well, I started and the image of Kelly back when I first met her, with glasses and pigtails and braces kept coming into my head, and I just felt awful. Just so you know Kelly doesn’t look like that skinny little girl with braces anymore, she’s a beautiful young lady now.

Not embarrassing, but different is what’s going on right now. I’m in the middle of the final episode for the show, and have some amazing stuff with the character my brother is playing. While we’ve done work together before, the dynamic and relationship are completely different in this one, so that’s fun. His character doesn’t come in until season two and all I can say is WOW!
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Any upcoming projects that you’re currently working on?
 
Christopher Ayers: Well I’m having a great time on Godanner; I just wish my character would get out of the hospital and get back into the thick of things. That show is a Blast. I’m also working on Yugo the Negotiator, Moby Dick, and am still working on Maburaho, which is another character that I just love. I’ve got quite a bit on my plate right now (in addition to fight directing two shows for local schools and choreographing two others, and have a few conventions that I’ll be doing in the next month or so.) So as I’m fond of saying, “No rest for the wicked.”
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Do you have any advice for fans out there that are thinking about becoming voice actors?
 
Christopher Ayers:  Actually I have quite a bit, but I’m sure most of it you’ve all heard before. First of all, in order to voice act you have to be able to act, which means any experience you can get: classes, plays, what have you… Get it. I hear a lot of people say “Oh I don’t wanna do stage or film, I just wanna voice anime.” I’ll tell you, most of the voice actors working today didn’t set out to be a voice actor for anime; they set out to be an actor first and foremost.

If you’re an actor, you don’t limit yourself - you do what you can to act. If you can get work in anime, that’s great. If you can get work in a stage production professionally, that’s great. If it’s a stage production at school, that’s great. Any chance you get to act, work with other actors, and under a director is important and vital. If you can get into an acting class, do. BUT you have to be an actor first.

Okay, I’ll get off that soapbox and give some practical advice. Since what you do when you’re voice acting is much like a cold reading audition, I’ll give you the same advice I give my students at the schools I work with for cold readings. Take 10 minutes a night to read out loud, get used to reading aloud something that’s right in front of you. Get used to hearing your own voice come out of your mouth. Start with a book or something and then move on to plays and start trying to add character and feeling to what you are reading. It’s a great way to get ready for both stage auditions and for anime work.

Another thing you have to know is that you have to be patient on a number of levels. I came into ADV with a lot of professional acting credits. I had worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours, Regional theatres etc, etc, etc, and my first anime gig was playing the Bartender in Kino’s Journey, and a few bit parts in that show, and I did a lot of small roles, and voila, finally supporting roles. It’s very hard to come in and start landing leads. You have to build your craft and learn what you’re doing.

Another aspect of being patient is that it may take you a long time to get an audition. The waiting list at ADV is quite long. I’ve got a good friend who I’ve cast in show after show after show because she’s an incredible young actress here in Houston, and she put her name on the ADV waiting list, and waited for almost 6 months before getting an audition. Then it was 2-3 months after that before anyone called her in. (Keep in mind she’s already an amazing actress, but it just took time.) I’m happy to say that she’s started doing some work at ADV and hopefully it will pick up for her. I know she’s just done some work on Detective Loki.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Final thoughts, is there anything you want to say to the fans out there?
 
Christopher Ayers: Yes, I want to thank all the anime fans out there. If it were not for you we wouldn’t be able to do what we do, and I enjoy it so much I want to keep doing it. I’ve only recently started doing the convention circuit, and have really been floored by the fans. There are some really amazing, wonderful people out there, and it’s been a joy just getting to meet them and spend some time with them. As I continue to do this I hope that I will get to meet more and more of you, as you really are incredible. You should also all know that I usually sign off my mail, and sign my autograph with the phrase ‘Love and Laughter Always’. This is the reason… I don’t think there is any greater thing you can wish another human being than Love and Laughter forever. So with that I’ll just tell all of you:

Love and Laughter Always
Chris Ayres.
 
ACTIVE ANIME: Once again, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions from us Chris. More power to you and we look forward hearing from you soon. Active Anime loves you Chris!
 
 
About Christopher Ayers: :
Chris Ayres has been working professionally in theatre, film and television since he was 6 years old. He has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, National and Regional Touring companies. He has also served as Artistic Director for three theatres here in Houston, have also been artistic director for four local improvisational comedy companies.
 
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Christopher Ayres
Visit the official GANTZ website at http://www.gantz.tv/