Reddit AMA Recap: Brandon Winckler (Eugeo) talks Voice Acting and Sword Art Online

 

Brandon Winckler recently finished work on his first major voice acting role, Eugeo, from the popular “Sword Art Online: Alicization”. Hot off the end of the first half of the season, he took to Reddit for his first ever AMA to talk about how he got the role, what he’s learned from it, and other fun things about himself.

On how he got into voice acting and landed the part of Eugeo:

I was 20 years old and wanted to be a singer! (I’m 25 now,) So I had all this audio equipment, but no idea how to use it. I was going to college in Virginia and learning to sing and learning about breath control, but after some time I just became bored with it. I was watching a TON of anime and cartoons and I decided to give acting a shot. Cuz… why not? I would do little fan projects that would never see the light of day, youtube fandubs that funny enough if you look hard enough I’m sure still exist, and other fun stuff. Then I moved to NY for a job around 4 years ago, and started taking things really seriously, I made a demo and shot it out to studios around town, I was lucky and booked some work too. Finally, around 2 years ago I moved to Los Angeles, and I haven’t looked back.

Booking Eugeo was a fun experience, the audition went out in like, November and I knew the moment I saw him that I’d be playing him. It was almost… well, scary? Safe to say callbacks went out and when I met everyone like Alex Von David and Hiroe, I lost my mind. We dubbed to picture and (REALLY trying to keep this short) when I was done, Alex had just said “Brandon… That’s it.”

I got the casting email that evening.

On meeting a veteran voice actor:
I think I’d have to narrow it down to this one time I got SUPER starstruck. I was working on a show at Studiopolis here in Burbank, and Maile Flanagan the voice of Naruto just walked into the session with her family. They sat there and watched me dub for like… roughly 30 minutes. And when they left I was kinda in a mini-state of omg omg omg omg omg. The director seemed really amused by my reaction. Mainly cuz I was a brand new actor at the time screaming “THAT WAS NARUTOS VOICE ACTRESS WOW!”

On his favorite OP from Alicization & Favorite Eugeo Moment:

I LOVE Resister. I really hope they play the full OP on Toonami at some point so you can see the Alicization Uniting sequence.
And I think overall, one of my favorite moments is when Eugeo breaks the paralysis spell of Administrators and attacks her because well…I hate her.

On friends he’s made as a voice actor:

Which voice actors are you friends with? FUN FACT. Kayli Mills and I used to be roommates! And funny enough now, Michelle Marie (Voice of Fizel Synthesis 28?) is my current roommate. I consider Kayli one of my closest friends out here, I know without her support I probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything out here. I have a ton of friends from work, but I’d lose track listing them.

On first experiences with Anime:

What was the first Anime I ever watched? Pokemon when I was like…5? Then I stumbled upon Full Metal Alchemist during the episode Ed was locked in the freezer with Barry the Chopper. I was like “YO WAIT THIS IS SCARY… Is THIS anime?!?!”

On thoughts on Eugeo:
He deserves better.

“Sword Art Online: Alicization-War of Underworld” premieres this October.