1. What are your favorite Kappa Mikey episodes? What are your favorite Gonard moments?
Well, there is a special Kappa Mikey episode that is coming up that I can't talk about that is my favorite. But up until now I think it's the one where they go to acting camp. I also got to play the role of Von Fabio.
2. Gonard is wild about sandwiches, what is your favorite?
When I go to Subway sandwich shops, I have a special sandwich that I have been ordering for years. Here is the recipe: 6 inch honey oat chicken breast sandwich (tell them to put the chicken in the toaster oven by itself, NOT in the microwave), lettuce, tomato, pickles, extra onions, raw spinach, jalapenos, and ranch dressing. I usually get doritos and diet coke and three chocolate chip cookies that usually taste like play dough.
3. Who are your favorite Kappa Mikey (regular cast and cameos) characters besides Gonard?
I love Ozu and Yes man. The rest of the cast sucks. Just kidding. Actually they're some of the finest voice talents in the biz. It's been an honor to work with them. I also loved playing Von Fabio (as i've mentioned) Oh and I really loved Brozu.
4. Do you feel you can relate to Gonard? Do you see any similarities between you and him?
If you took my inner child id, and removed from my brain and made
a person out of it, that would be Gonard. Actually the raw state
I get into personally before I begin to perform is very Gonard
like and then I start playing in the sand box and see what comes
out. The Gonard state is my raw canvas for most of the voice
work I do. It's important to be in a creative playful mode when
voice acting, I think. 
5. Do you think that Lilly has a crush on Gonard (or vice versa)? Could you see the two of them becoming romantically involved? If not Lily who?
I don't think Lilly loves anybody but herself, and any romantic orientations she has are directed at a mirror. Gonard's romantic aspirations are food oriented.
6. Is Gonard’s name a parody after Goku on Dragon Ball Z?
Not as far as I know. At the table read of the pilot I remember several of us asking Larry Schwartz "Hey Larry what does Gonard mean?" and he said something like "You know, Go- nard" as if to tell someone off or something. We shrugged and shook our heads.
7. How do you feel about Gonard, being similar to Goku? Does it bring back memories of voicing for Dragon Ball Z?
I don't think my voicing Gonard and Goku is intentional. I know
Kappa Mikey parodies DBZ in some ways and parodies Anime in most all ways, but the direction
I got when creating the voice was "He's a teenager, and he's Mikey's
best friend, and he's dumb and lovable." so the Goku similarities
came out in season one after that. I don't even think I got cast
because I had played Goku. It doesn't really bring back memories
playing Goku unless I'm doing on-show Gonard, which is very loosely
based on Chris Sabat's Vegeta (it's not supposed to be an impression,
just a hint). If I hadn't moved to New York, I don't think
Larry would have called me in to be Gonard. I guess what I'm
trying to say is that the Gonard/Goku thing is largely coincidence
and serendipity.
8. Who or what is your inspiration when voicing characters? Do you listen to other alternatives and get a feeling of the character you are playing?
I'm not sure I understand this question. I don't know what you mean by "listen to other alternatives". I can say that when I'm doing a pre-lay show and not a dub, (i.e., i'm not influenced by a Japanese voice actor) I'm influenced by several things, the direction I'm getting from the director. The design of the character, (everything including his head size, chest and oral cavity) the underlying emotional state or attitude of the character, and the writing really makes a difference. From there, there is a certain "spirit" or "life force" or psychological state I try to get to, to make the character completely believable and likable. I would use metaphysical terms here but I don't want to dork out, and I don't thing anyone would get what I'm talking about.
9. Are you interested in voicing your characters for redubs?
I don't understand this question either. I'm always interested in voicing my characters, if they're in english. What I'm really interested in is meeting the actors who have to dub my work, because I've been dubbing everyone else's work for years now. Did you see the German version of that song Mitsuki and Guano sing on youtube? Awesome!
10. What do you think about voice actors being stereotyped as certain characters they voice? Have you ever found this true for some of the characters you’ve voiced?
I don't think this is a common problem amongst my colleagues. I get stereotyped personally as Gonard and Goku quite a bit, because of my goofy sense of humor. But I do have an very deep serious side that is actually more of who I am when I'm by myself. I read philosophy and am interested in personal human growth as a whole. However, every character I've played lives inside my head, but they're things that I've absorbed in the world and am regurgitating with my own interpretation. I.E., Gonard is somewhat like Goku, which is based on my inner child. Onsokumaru in Ninja Nonsense is based loosely on Anchorman, (will ferrel), Tom Jones, Benny Hill, and my own sense of humor when it comes to adult humor. Tetsugyu in Giant Robo is based on an inner sort of warrior spirit of a bull. To me I think voice acting is sort of like being some sort of Native American Shaman, and you're channeling the spirits of the rich characters and archetypes that are repeated over and over thoughout history. 'Nuff said.
11. What are some of your fondest experiences working with Funimation and Animation Collective?
Well those are two disparate work environments. My experience in the early years at Funimation was miserable, because we were still using video tape and we had long breaks between takes, so I got cold between takes. Also, Funimation at the time (I think they have since changed) wasn't really interested in being terribly creative, as much as they were interested in getting it done. Cheap. Also, they didn't have a lot of room to be creative because the show had already been made in Japan so they had strict guidelines to follow. So I guess to answer the question, my fondest experience of working at Funimation was that it was the first place I really got to let out a lot of angst and work on the basic chops of voice acting technique, and Chris Sabat in particular put up with a lot from me to get what I needed to voice Goku. So for that I'm grateful. Goku will always be dearest to my heart. Animation Collective is a completely different ball of wax. Goku, was my start, but AC is where I really got to play. Sean Lahey (Voice Director) not only lets my imagination go wild, he encourages it. And one time I remember thanking Larry Schwartz for letting me do so many different characters for Animation Collective and he said "Are you kidding me? I write this stuff for you!" I was honored flattered and appreciated on a deep level. In fact, of all the companies I've worked for AC is the only company that expects me to come in and be creative, and supports it and they seem to value it. That's why I love working with them.
12. Do you have any favorite characters from One Piece? Is one of them a character you voiced?
I like Zolo quite a bit and Luffy of course. I did not voice either of them. I voiced, Hatchi, Helmeppo, Kuroobi, Carne and others.
13. Do you know if the English version of Magical DoReMi? Is still in production? Is Mew Mew Power still in production?
I don't know about in Japan, but as far as I know, there won't be any more dubbing of Mew Mew or Magical DoReMi for the forseeable future.
14. Do you think KM will be picked up for a season 3?
Man I hope so, there are so many more adventures for Mikey and the gang! Not to mention recording with the entire cast is awesome! And Larry always buys us sandwiches!
15. Any new projects you can share with us at this time?
I'm currently working on Thumb Wrestling Federation for Animation Collective, and Yugi Oh GX, and Dinosaur King (4Kids) which airs very soon, and I'm also working on Chaotic and Viva! Pinata. Thanks for the interview, these were some of the best questions i've been asked in any interview.
We want to thank Sean Schemmel for granting us this interview.
Go to: Back to top | Larry Schwarz Interview | Steve Moverley Interview | Evelyn Lanto Interview