Daman Mills Interview @MetroComicCon @DamanMills
With Australia’s new Metro Comic Con about to open in Melbourne (8 – 9 July 2023), we catch-up with one of their guests, voice actor Daman Mills who has starred as Monaka in Dragon Ball Super, Jyugoin in Nanbaka plus Ginshi Shirazuin in Tokyo Ghoul:re to name a few of his performances.
Welcome to Metro Comic-Con Daman! What are you most excited about this new convention in Melbourne Australia?
Thank you so much!!! It’s such an honor to be here. This is actually my first time I’ve been in any part of Australia, so I’m incredibly excited to meet all the wonderful fans on this side of the world —and to explore the beautiful city!
If you could cosplay one character who would it be and why?
Honestly, I would love to properly cosplay Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. I’ve done some other cosplays, including Reno from FFVII, but Sephiroth has such a cool look that it’d be really fun to pull that off properly. I’d say I’d cosplay my character, Weiss, but he’s WAY more muscular than I am.
How did you get involved in voice acting?
Like many others, I grew up with anime and video games as my media fixation. My first anime that I ever watched was Pokémon, then Dragon Ball Z soon after. It is very surreal to be an actor on both franchises decades later (with prominent roles!). I think this affinity led me to becoming interested in the people who were voicing these iconic characters, and that was when I realized that it was something you could do as a career. I was a pretty meek kid, so acting never was what I anticipated doing. I used to quietly practice voice acting on my phone’s recording feature, then on a laptop with a headset mic. Gradually I got more confident, slowly improved my gear, studied, took some classes, made my own demo reel, moved to where the work was at, and the rest is history.
If you could choose three of the characters you’ve played to meet in a bar, who would they be and why?
Hmm… that’s a tough one. Well, Frieza is an immediate pick because that makes the whole situation hilariously unstable. I feel like he could get along with Cherry Blossom because they both are a bit snobbish and could have a civilized conversation over wine or something. And as for a third… I mean, put an Amoonguss from Pokémon in there and watch the madness unfold. There are too many choices!!!
If you could pick one favourite line that you’ve done, which character is it from and what’s the line?
It is honestly so difficult to remember lines from our characters because unless it’s a fan favorite at a convention, it slips out of our minds. But one that sticks out to me is for Cherry Blossom from SK8 the Infinity. It’s during the beach episode and they’re all heading out to their resort, Joe is flexing like an idiot, and Cherry comments, “He’s charring his chesticles for locals in heat… such a thirsty gorilla”.
Best part of voice acting?
I think the best part is getting to play for a living. I can’t tell you how often I look at what I’m doing and geek out because it’s just so freaking cool. I am seriously so lucky and so grateful to have landed any success in this business, because it’s certainly not easy.
Most challenging?
The most challenging part is time management for me. Between auditioning, recording, traveling for conventions, and I also direct, it can be a bit difficult to get everything on the calendar. But that’s a good problem to have! The next most challenging part would be staying vocally healthy and avoiding getting sick because it can throw a wrench in EVERYTHING (see scheduling). Haha!
Favourite video game at the moment?
I’ve been playing a TON of Hoyoverse’s new game “Honkai: Star Rail”. I recently announced I voice Blade in that game, and because I was having so much fun recording, I downloaded it as soon as it launched. Honestly incredible stuff. I just picked up Final Fantasy XVI as well, so I’m hoping to sink some hours into that soon.
Lastly, what does the rest of 2023 hold for you?
Oh, I have so many more fun surprises for 2023. You’ll have to stay tuned!
Check out Daman Mills at https://metrocomiccon.com.au/
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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