Interviews

Published on March 19th, 2022 | by Andrew Bistak

Eric Stuart Interview: Supanova 2022

Welcome back Eric! So tell us what you’re most looking forward to with Supanova in the Gold Coast?

I am so glad to be a guest at Supanova again. Honestly I didn’t know how long it would be before I would be able to travel internationally and see all of my Australian friends and fans. Hopefully this trip is the first of many. I love Australia and miss it greatly.

As a performer, how did the pandemic affect you and what self-care strategies did you use to overcome the craziness in the last few years?

Oh my, where to begin? Almost all of my life, both professionally and personally revolves around live events. Whether it was playing gigs with my band, being a guest at conventions, or supporting my fellow musicians and actors by seeing their shows. The pandemic took all of that away. The loss of work, the loss of seeing family and friends, and the emotional strain of people getting sick and dying was overwhelming. I seriously considered giving up music. I didn’t have any motivation to do anything. Thankfully I have a home studio where I can do my voice over work which was the only thing keeping me sane. I know I am not alone in being so devastated by the situation. It did teach me a few valuable lessons; don’t take things for granted, spend time with the people you love, and live for each day. Coming out of this I feel like I now know what is important and what are things not worth stressing over. It isn’t all back to normal at all but the progress is giving me hope.

You’ve done some amazing voice work over the years, especially in the realm of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! What would be your top career highlights and why?

Thank you for the kind words. When I started in the voice over business, I never thought my career would give me the opportunity to voice characters that are part of the crazy pop culture world. That is a bonus. I enjoy acting and the challenges of the different characters. The notoriety is truly a lucky situation and one I find very humbling. Highlights for me would be seeing the first Pokémon movie in the theatre for a red-carpet event. That was nuts! I never ever thought I would see and hear my characters up on the big screen. Another highlight is more of a recurring one. The amount of fans who come up and tell me “You were the voice of my childhood” and also share the connection with the characters I voiced who might have helped them through tough times is incredible. Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, as strange as it may sound, were great examples of friendship. There were morals to the stories even if they were wrapped up in battling and dueling creatures. I value that interaction probably more than anything else in my professional career. If art can make you feel, it is working.

When you meet fans, what are some of the main questions they ask?

Most ask me how I got started in voice acting (worked at a recording studio at age 18 because I wanted to work in the music industry, little did I know they produced radio and TV voice overs). They want to know if I make up some of my lines (sometimes, not usually). They also want to know if I remember playing some random character and I have to remind them I have been doing this for 35 years and as an old man, I forget a ton ;)

Funniest con story?

Running up to an officer Jenny and nurse Joy cosplayer and telling them I am Brock…they thought I was crazy since most people don’t recognize a voice actor from his face.

So what does the rest of 2022 hold for you?

I am excited to be making more in person convention appearances this year. Traveling again. Hopefully booking some live music gigs again soon too. Little by little, step by step, trying to find some normal again.

Eric Stuart will be at Supanova Gold Coast www.supanova.com.au (April 9-10) and make sure you check-out his Twitter https://twitter.com/eric_stuart

 


About the Author

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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