Alicyn
Welcome to Alicyn's Wonderland. I'm your host, Alicyn Pkard. Join us as we journey through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole into the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games.
Hey, do a girl a favor and please subscribe to this podcast and go on iTunes and leave us a good review. If you like the show, please help spread the word it really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much. Hey guys, as a Wushu kung fu specialist with three black belts to his name voice actor Adam McArthur is kicking butt and taking names best known as the voice of Marco Diaz on the hip Disney cartoon star versus the forces of evil Adam is also the voice of Yugi eat Adoree in the anime franchise, Jujitsu cousin find out how Adam went from competing in martial arts tournaments to land down his vocal chops in this week's episode of Alice's Wonderland. I'm your host, Alison Packard, please welcome to the studio. I'm so happy to be here. I am so good to see you. Cheers.
Adam McArthur
Yeah, I want to kick it off with a tea cheers. So sweet little cups.
Alicyn
It has been a while since I've seen you in the flesh. So long.
Adam McArthur
Yeah, like years years, like literally a year literally. Yeah, I mean, not like, oh, it's been a couple of weeks because time in LA is sometimes its own thing.
Alicyn
Yeah. Name it. pandemic. Yes. Yay. And
Adam McArthur
this time more. But you've been doing amazing things you've been doing. You created this whole thing.
Alicyn
It is coming together slowly, slowly with Mike Del Rey is awesome set here at real voice LA and
Adam McArthur
real wood la real wood through a legitimate piece of pieces of wood. Yeah. I'm super excited to
Alicyn
be here. Thanks. Yeah. So how has voice acting in the global pandemic been treating you? I
Adam McArthur
mean, gosh, how lucky are we that in a time when like so much stuff was shut down? I mean, we had a few weeks of like slowness where people were just like, What the heck is going on? But it was a very busy time. Yeah, it was a really busy time. Thankfully, I already had sort of a home setup built and ready to go when things started. So I started getting calls right away. I did like a Disney pilot during that time, because casting was so limited. They just had they just like needed some help. And that's kind of the birth of anime for me. It was during that time and stuff. Yeah,
Alicyn
it was good. Wow. Okay, so So you're relatively new to the world of anime, then? Oh, yeah. Yeah,
Adam McArthur
so my like, for context. My first voiceover job was in 1998. Okay, my first animated voiceover job was in 2020.
Alicyn
Wow, are you an anime fan?
Adam McArthur
I have been so like, Oh gee, like Pokemon Sailor Moon Dragon Ball, like in the 90s. And then I just didn't really okay, I have to always qualify this because people who are fans of anime and stuff like that will be like, What the heck, it's so good. I was competing so heavily in martial arts. From the time I was like, 12 Until I was like, 2223 that I didn't know anything else existed. Yeah, outside of that. I was like, like, when I got to college people were like, Hey, have you heard the new John Mayer Jack Johnson CD? And I'm like, Are they like, I don't know. Like, what is that? I don't know what that is. I didn't know like people care about Yeah, I didn't know people cared about this kind of stuff. So he really liked for me anime like becoming a fan of anime didn't really happen until like 2015 14 Maybe with a show called My Hero Academia. You know, sir,
Alicyn
we had Kalin on the show Awesome. Yeah, Kevin's great
Adam McArthur
that show is just amazing. And actually like speaking of Kalin who voices overhaul key him Rico for harder who voices myRIO and Justin Briner. Who voices Deku those three guys, the combination of season four of that show was when I was like, What the heck, these guys are having so much fun. Yeah, I want to be a part of that. Like, I want to do that. And I don't know for me personally, I'm sure you can speak to this too. Like, I feel like when you watch something that you like, you can tell when people are having fun. Or like when it just feels like the cast's loves each other and is like excited to do this thing together. Yeah. And that's how I felt watching that. And this was post this was like post star so star ended in May of 2019. And sorry, I'm like going all over star ended in May of 2019. And I was just like, kind of taking a few months to just like I don't know, absorb absorb new content and see like what else was out there? Yeah, and then I was watching that episode of my hero. This like combination of their season is either season three or Season Four arc with Catlins character overhaul fighting Deku and myRIO. And I was like, I got to do this. And then I reached out to CSD, which you know, our agency and from there like this whole thing just was born just crazy. So
Alicyn
what was the first anime that you worked on as a voice actor? jujitsu,
Adam McArthur
guys? Yeah, literally, the very first thing I bought was the lead on Jiu Jitsu, guys. And
Alicyn
I mean, amazing what I mean crazy, you know, I mean, certainly there's so much anime content coming out with all the various networks and streaming services and controlling everything but to land on a property that is so wildly successful like jiu jitsu content, what did that feel like?
Adam McArthur
It was, well, I mean, look, I've been doing this longer. have to know that you don't ever like get too excited before you're like, Yeah, cashing checks, right? Not even that before it just like you have an awareness right? Yeah. Of what how it's received and all that stuff. But the kind of beauty of anime is we sort of are the secondary market like we're getting it, we're not getting it first. So you do have like a little test ground of like Japan and seeing like, what's really popular over there. And I think when I first auditioned for jujitsu, guys, and there had already been three episodes out, and I had watched it like before I got my audition and I was like, This is awesome. Like I already really like liked the show. But yeah, we get Japan is sort of this test market. And there were like billboards plastered all over Tokyo in the subways. I have a friend who is a super anime nerd in like the best way she's literally a walking anime encyclopedia. Amazing. I always ask like, whenever I get something that I haven't heard of yet, or whatever, I was like, hey, you know, what do you think of this? What do you think of this? Or do you know about this? And I'll get the rundown and kind of the inside scoop. And she was like, oh, yeah, you definitely need to like, take your time with these auditions. Like, make sure you're sending in really good takes and whatnot, because this is going to be like the big next gen like show. Wow. And it's been crazy. It's been crazy. I mean, yeah, I've been hitting up the convention circuit conventions all over the states. And I mean, it's not getting less popular.
Alicyn
How do fans react when they meet you to convention? Oh, it's
Adam McArthur
awesome. I mean, literally, like the range of reactions is hilarious. And also, like, super sweet and charming and endearing and everything. You know, it'll be like the people who are like, you know, super cool about it, like cool. Sup, man? Yeah, I really enjoyed your performance. There's the people who can't formulate a sentence. There's the people who cry. There's the people who just laugh. There's the people who like hide behind their mom, and their mom has to be like, Oh, they're really shot. I've never this is their first mention.
Alicyn
He's 47
Adam McArthur
You'll get his first but no, it's Yeah, literally, like any kind of reaction you could think of. Except, you know, no one's like mad I'm there which is cool. It's nice to have a job where no one's like mad that you showed up?
Alicyn
Yeah, no, it's nice to be sort of the best part of somebody's week or month or year yeah, it
Adam McArthur
would be a completely different convention dynamic. If people were like angry that I got I was there you know?
Alicyn
Yeah, you're lucky you're not serving the hot dog that they had to wait 35
Adam McArthur
For bless their hearts you know, everybody's job is
Alicyn
everybody's job is important. And some by the way, don't get enough credit. So tip your hot dog guy.
Adam McArthur
Yeah. I love choosing as many times as possible, but I love choosing
Alicyn
as many times as possible with like a totally, you know, beverage like t have you had this T set for a very long time. I got it from Disneyland so cute. Yeah, it's Alice in Wonderland.
Adam McArthur
There she is. There she is. There's the girl. That's my
Alicyn
girl. So now you are and where are you guys at in the process of recording.
Adam McArthur
So Season One ended in May of 2021. We just had a movie come out that was a prequel to the series. So I actually wasn't in it. My character wasn't in it was you know, the movies, TV shows. The movies amazing. The movie has smashed all these records in Japan. It is like in the top 10 of highest grossing movies of all time in Japan came over here totally slayed. Obviously, they're showing the Japanese version and the English version. So it's like, you know, a combo of all of that stuff. But yeah, so Season Two has been announced it's going to be sometime in 2023, which is like the hugest timespan it's like nothing specific. People always ask me at my tables, you know? Yeah, yeah. They're always trying to get the inside scoop at the conventions. Yep. So when in season two come out, and I'm like, is the
Alicyn
j to Japan, you that's what they sent. Me. I'm like, Yeah, you're a Canadian to Vic. And the J is the Japanese Season Two has that launched? Yeah. Because that's the thing I mean, that maybe some people don't realize is that once the Japanese is out, it's pretty quick from dub to it can be pretty quick from the Wu hair.
Adam McArthur
Yeah, it'll be interesting. So lots has changed in this like anime world since 2020. And since jujitsu Kaizen has come out, Crunchyroll and Funimation are now one studio. So it'll be interesting to see what kind of treatment jujitsu Kaizen gets, now that they're combined, because we were we started with Crunchyroll. But Funimation is sort of like known for doing Simon Dubs, which is like My Hero Academia, where the Japanese version and the English version are we just here on the same day, it would be really cool if we could get that and do that. I think, I don't know when you have to wait a couple of weeks. When you watch dubs versus subs. It can like hinder the momentum a little bit or people like you know, people get antsy, so they're like, I just want to know what happens. Just watch. But it's been cool. What jujitsu guys and because we're on HBO, Max, so we're not just on Crunchyroll we've been on HBO, Max was, which I think has gotten a lot of extra eyes on the show. Oh, yeah. And it's like, amazing front page under animated stuff. So
Alicyn
that's great. It's been very cool. Right? The masses can also digest it versus needing a subscription. So Crunchyroll so would you have any conventions coming up that you'd like to shout out?
Adam McArthur
Oh, yeah. I've got a con Comic Con Dallas June 3 through the sixth I think is the dates
Alicyn
great this year before that. This will air before that. Okay,
Adam McArthur
sweet. Yeah. And then what else is coming? Honestly, so check your calendar so many who can always Yeah, I'm doing ma NYC this year. Wow. I go to New York. I'm very excited
Alicyn
about this. Amazing. Wow, what a ride. I mean, to backtrack a little bit now you're no stranger to wild Lee popular cartoons because also star versus the forces of evil had an incredible fan base. Yeah. So can we take it back even now to the time before Star and kind of what your career was like, even predating that cool show?
Adam McArthur
Yeah. So like I said, my very first voiceover job was in 1998. It was a series of Macy's radio commercials. So basically, like I had always begged my parents to get me or to let me do acting classes. And they said no, for a very long time, and then I just kept asking, and so for my it was either my 16th birthday, or I was 16. And it was like Christmas or something. They gifted me a four week class at this place called kids on camera on San Francisco. That's where I grew up.
Alicyn
We'll insert the footage here if we can find it.
Adam McArthur
Oh my gosh, that'd be amazing. Just put a little a little shout out. Just to
Alicyn
get to Chico on and shoot her and I both flashback to some footage of us in like elementary school. That's
Adam McArthur
amazing. Okay, you let me know. I'll ticular yeah, I've just started taking acting classes in this place kind of covered everything. It wasn't just like a voiceover place but they kind of covered all bunch of on camera commercials and whatnot. And the owner of the school used to be a voice on Sesame Street. Wow. And so yeah, the local talent agents knew that she like had you know, people coming in for classes and stuff. So she would they would send her audition so they just needed some teen boy yeah, I ended up like getting that.
Alicyn
That's almost exactly my story was I was taking classes at CP casting in Boston, whichever on camera stuff and they were looking for elearning from Prentice Hall. Yeah, young teen voice just went in and booked it and that's lazy and eight month thing. That's amazing. We have very similar stories. Yeah.
Adam McArthur
Elearning was also very popular in San Francisco one of the like, first big non commercial things I did was this company called Global English. Oh yeah. And they taught kids in other countries how to speak English. Oh, maybe a CD ROMs little CD discs that you put in your computer everybody
Alicyn
for those that don't know here's here's kind of like this. Yeah, hole in the middle. Yep. And you can you put it in your computer? Yeah, yeah, amazing retro.
Adam McArthur
So I wonder I probably have that CD ROM somewhere. Maybe we could flashback to that footage. Yeah, I'd have to go like to the goodwill and get it I can actually play a CD ROM because I don't think any computer I have now takes a CD. Oh, amazing. Yeah, so I basically like I mean, I can I can take you through like through the years but I won't do that will like go a little way fast for a little bit. Just started auditioning and stuff. I did like some independent movies up in San Francisco. I did a lot of on camera stuff of voiceover was kind of always sprinkled in there. But ever since I was a kid like I've loved cartoons, I always wanted to do cartoons. It was definitely like where I wanted to end up I moved to LA in 2003. And for school I wanted to I did junior college in Northern California transferred to a school down here in Southern California finished up my last few years but got an agent like basically right when I got here. I found a lot of success really early on on camera commercials. It was like back when they were still pretty good and like paying really good and stuff. Were you at CST No, I was with Gosh, was my first agent ddo Artists Agency, I think yeah. And we just like crushed the commercials. I think I signed with them. And like a week later, I booked a commercial week for like three weeks in a row. And then like the next month, like one or two commercials. Yeah, it was It was wild. But also as a like a young like early 20s person I was like I always knew that this is gonna happen. Like this is how it's supposed to be I knew once I got to LA like instant success, you know, when I was like making money from these commercials and stuff like that. And I'm actually really glad that I had that experience early on having like a decent amount of success because in like 2007 2008 when that was like an account writer strike there was there was a writer strike economy crashed, everything basically was bad. I wasn't getting anything. There's a booking any work. And it was a it was one of those like, oh, I should have like been saving my money instead of and I wasn't I mean, I don't I didn't spend my money on bad things or anything like that rent. But it was like, I didn't get another job. Right? You know, and I very much like could have gone and like waited tables or whatever. I had a manager at the time who like really looked down on that and I kind of just listened to was like, yeah, if you're not only acting, you're not really giving it your all.
Alicyn
And of course there's something to be said about that. And there's also something to be said about keeping yourself afloat. So you can yes survive. I mean, I think a lot of people don't realize that that's actual, the more realistic story of the picture is your success, even though you're trotting along, hopefully upward. There's so many peaks and valleys in between.
Adam McArthur
Yeah, totally. And for me, it was a really good learning time. I started a business photobooth rental company started a photobooth rental company, like shortly after that, because I was just thinking during that time I'm like this whole idea of like the starving artist and all this stuff. I'm like, I just don't want to subscribe to
Alicyn
that now. Yeah, the thriving artists Yeah, the thriving
Adam McArthur
like there's no reason you can't be an artist and like go out to dinner when you want or like afford groceries. Yeah, rent, you know, and yes,
Alicyn
you know, budgeting maybe isn't something we're always taught in school and is so important. as being able to invest in your career, you know, sometimes you do, you will need a survival job to be able to afford totally acting classes.
Adam McArthur
Yeah, shots. I always tell people, a lot of people at my tables at conventions and stuff. They're like, well, what's your advice? And I'm like, There's no shame in doing what you have to do in order to do what you love to do. Yeah, meaning like, if you have to go get that job. I've always had like this, this one manager traumatize me that I had really early on in my career. He's like, never leave town, don't do anything else. And I listened and I like I like lost myself in that I truly lost myself in that I stopped doing martial arts, which was like, weird during that time. And because I was like, yeah, if I'm doing that I'm not working towards my acting career. But you really have to, like, do the things that make you you so that when you get an opportunity to be an actor, or like, you know, work on a job, you are bringing something to the table, otherwise, you're just this like, shell acting like a human being. Yeah.
Alicyn
100%. Yeah, I feel that that's not something that you get as a young person. Hopefully, you have mentors to guide you in that way. But we are we come into this with such a driver, those of us that are ambitious, are willing to mold ourselves to be an actor, and what they're looking for is you.
Adam McArthur
I never knew what that meant until like, you know, going through that sort of like time when I wasn't working on like reassessing everything that happened and all that stuff. So yeah, so I started my business in like, 2011, it really got going in 2012. And then 2013 is when I booked star. Wow. And so what was the audition for that? Like? It was like any other audition, which is the most boring answer ever. I mean, it literally kind of came through actually. So the interesting thing about it is before, you know I was the voice of Marco Diaz in development, Marco had a different name. His name was Sol Sol like, son. And the auditions originally came through with the same kind of artwork, like the character looked the same, but his name was Sol and then we have my audition. Did that audition, and I remember like, I didn't, I mean, I didn't hear anything back for that. And then I think it was like maybe six, seven months later, an audition came through for Marco Diaz and said Marco Diaz, and I recognize the the character and I was like, I feel like I've auditioned for this before I look back to my archives. I was like, Oh, I have, that's where they change the name. Okay, whatever. Like, you know, that happens. And I just did the audition. I just did the audition. This was during a time like I had just not too long prior had worked on Star Wars, The Clone Wars was on Cartoon Network. And Disney brought me in Disney has now purchased Star Wars when I was auditioning for Star versus the forces of evil. And I had a callback for Marco and I had a callback for Ezra Bridger on Rebels, Star Wars Rebels, which was also Disney at the exact same time. And I would again, try not to count my chickens before they're hatched. But I felt like this could be very wrong. This might not have been what was happening at all. Totally coincidence, but I just felt like they were trying to find something for me there. And so they had called me back for a couple of different things I read for Ezra obviously didn't get that. But I got Marco got Marco, and the Yeah, the callback process was maybe like three, three callbacks or so
Alicyn
that's a good amount for that project. Yeah.
Adam McArthur
My last one was with Eden cheer, who voiced star on the show. And that was just like a surreal experience
Alicyn
with magic. What made it surreal.
Adam McArthur
It was like, well, this actually happened a few times in the recording over the life of star. But like, I mean, I don't want to say like, I'm just a voiceover guy. But like, we're in there with people who are like, leads on network on camera sitcoms, things like that. Yeah. So Eden had been working on the middle on ABC for like, many, many seasons. And I walked in, and that in my mind, I am like, having an expectation of that person, what that person is going to do or what their abilities are, what moreso like their emotions in those moments, and I walked in and even was like us my first time she like grabbed my arm. She's like, that's my first time doing any voiceover. I'm so nervous. And that was just like a moment for me where I was like, Oh, she's nervous. We're all just like, here together like trying our best, you know, and it just I said, you don't have to be nervous. You're gonna be amazing. I said, I'll do whatever I can to help you look amazing. Sounds like an improv thing. Right? Yeah, you make if you make your the people on stage with you look good, then you're gonna look good. And you don't do it because it's gonna make you look good. It's just like, it's for the betterment of the whole project. And we just, I don't know, did our thing and it was a lot of fun. And we laughed a lot and even gets very gassy in the booth that added a whole element of fun. Yeah, it was just like a really cool a really cool experience. And one of the few times we got to record together for the life of the
Alicyn
series. Oh, really? So mostly you were they bring you guys in separately
Adam McArthur
solo. Yeah, yeah. Most of the people that I met, like the famous guest stars on that show were people who were like coming out of their session as I was going in or something. Wow. Or like on panels at Comic Con and stuff like that. Yeah, I can. Hey, I'm Mark. My name's Adam. Yeah. Allen today. I got to meet Alan today who's super nice. Yeah, he was like, I was like, Alan did he like looked at me like what that this was like out and like, not even in context. I was like, I've always smart go and start. He was like, Oh, hey, like gave me a hug and stuff. It was pretty cool.
Alicyn
Oh, yeah. No, I've heard that. Marco Diaz was actually based on the Creator Darren Neff, skis. Husband, had you heard that?
Adam McArthur
I don't know.
Alicyn
I met him
Adam McArthur
before I met Bobby. Bobby is amazing. Bobby's an amazing director. Yeah, he's He's done a lot of like, they're just like a talented power. Basically. Yeah, Bobby's awesome. was Marco based on Bobby. I mean, I don't know how Darren could take qualities that Bobby had and put them into, you know, characters like Marco. I'm gonna say yes. I'm gonna say yes, I've heard that. That is very true.
Alicyn
has now do you feel that after you had met Bobby that did that influence? Had you already been doing Marco
Adam McArthur
or Gotcha? Yeah, I think I think we'd already been in production for a bit by the time that I met Bobby. Yeah, so I wouldn't say that it necessarily, like influenced anything that I was doing. Like I didn't change, like any character traits or like, you know, speaking cadences or anything to like, match. Hilarious.
Alicyn
Dude fit on his clothes, like, wearing his cologne. I just think he does
Adam McArthur
have a he has like a nice little beard to maybe, uh,
Alicyn
maybe did rub off? Yeah, maybe? Maybe. And so did you anticipate? You know, did they have any idea that star would be such a beloved property?
Adam McArthur
I don't think so. I mean, like we were talking about earlier with anime stuff. I mean, with Western animation or stuff that's done here. Like, you just don't know until it's out. They did preview. I think it was maybe the intro to star or like a small clip from star at a panel.
Alicyn
I think it was there that year. Yeah, I was there. And
Adam McArthur
it was like, you know, the most watched Disney like, whatever at that time. You know, maybe it's different now. But yeah, so it had a lot of hype going into it. And then I just think you had this I feel very fortunate to work on projects where the characters aren't like the typical stereotypical characters for that genre. Marco is not your typical like Western animation male character. Like usually they're kind of like loud and bratty. And they don't like girls. And it's like, you know, whatever. Not Marco sensitive, loyal friend. good listener, like all these qualities that you're or like, not toxic. He's just like, really, really good boy. And then star not your typical Disney princess. She was like, I don't want somebody to save me. I just want to do it myself. I want a friend to be there with me. But I don't need somebody to save me, which is not a common you know, you don't see female coming more common. Yeah, becoming more common. Definitely. But in 2013 when the show was starting, yeah. And in 2015 when it came out, it was like yeah, this is it was like totally empowering on all sides. And I think that just resonated with the audience. And I think I mean, it was sort of like you know, there's so many different pieces to these puzzles. I think it's a combination of actors. I think it's the writers I think the fact that I heard this and I don't know that it's I need to ask Darren if it's 100% true but I think she was like the kind of leader that a lot of people that she brought in for season one of star got a titles shift upward for whatever their job was like or if they wanted to do this she just like it was like a family
Alicyn
where she was gave people the opportunity to shine yes so like on all level
Adam McArthur
it was just firing on all cylinders at that time there's a guy named Julian he runs the social media for Disney TVA and XD and channel and I think channel but he was running the Disney XD social media is at that time, which is where star was on. What's his name? Julian. Julian crest pass.
Alicyn
That's really okay.
Adam McArthur
Yeah, he's great dude. And he has said to me before man, I like learned how to do so much on social media because of star and I think that's because of the fan response and how they how engaged they were on social media and stuff like that. I mean, even to this day, you see like the ones who are like diehard holding out that maybe we'll get a movie or another season, or like still commenting like star related things on other posts.
Alicyn
Can you do the voice for us?
Adam McArthur
Yeah, I mean, Marco Diaz is pretty much like right here. He's, uh, you know, a little bit higher than my normal voice, but he likes nachos. He's a safe kid, you know? Oh, be careful. You know, I don't want to hurt your foot. He's just such a he's just such a good boy. I love I love Marco. And my time on Star was amazing. So
Alicyn
hey, guys, this is Alison Packard. Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that if you like the show, please, please, please remember to subscribe to this podcast. And leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much. Now you also have another big bucket list item which is having a Star Wars Show. So let's talk about your character. Lee char. Yeah, princely Charleen but Lee char Yeah, since Lee char in Clone Wars. Yes,
Adam McArthur
that was a wild experience. That audition was completely secret. Like I didn't know what I was auditioning for which you know, can happen with like video games and stuff like that, but it's not super common in animation. And again, this was like really early on in sort of like my newfound opportunities with CSD. So I had just signed pretty recent pretty like close to when I got that audition with CSD. And which by the way, as soon as I signed with them, I feel like it was a total career change. Like I'm very grateful for CSD, but audition for this thing, don't know what it is. And I get a call from Kathy wuzzy over at CESD and she's like, Hey, honey, you booked this thing? You gotta go here on this day and I was like, yeah, like All right, cool. Thank you so much. So I go and I get there and it's again one of my first bigger like things. Could
Alicyn
you tell from the sides know what, you know? Yeah. Oh my gosh, I
Adam McArthur
couldn't tell. It was like very secretive. So I get there and I walk in and there's not really anyone in the lobby. And hello. Yeah, it was like, signed into the receptionist like, oh, just take a seat someone will be out with you. So someone from production comes out and they're like walking they're carrying the paper, you know, which in those days you didn't sign contracts electronically, you sign actual pieces of paper, which is crazy. Yeah, yes. With like a, you know, feather
Alicyn
your own blood on horseback,
Adam McArthur
or like, please to session. Exactly. So this person from production comes out and she hands me a piece of paper. She's like, just hang tight. We'll be back in a few minutes. So I'm like, okay, so cool. So I like look at this piece of paper. It says Dear Mr. MacArthur on behalf of George Lucas, we'd like to welcome you to the Star Wars family. I was like, I set this down right here and I like got up and walked outside. I was like, I can't tell you what I'm working on. I Love You by like went back inside. So I walked in, I walked in they like had me come back to the booth like Dee Bradley Baker was back there. Matt Atlanta was back there. James Arnold Taylor was back there. Eckstein like, just like everybody, you know, Corey Burton was back there. And it was so cool. It was just so cool. Dave Filoni was the director, which you know, if you're a fan of any of the Star Wars stuff these days, like he's directing episodes of Mandalorian and like doing all this cool, cool stuff. So I did my episode, and I walked out and I was like, thank you guys so much take care of I'll see you again. They're like, You got two more episodes. And I was like, I had three episodes sweet. And so it was just like another surprise on my way
Alicyn
out. So and what is Brinsley charts on my
Adam McArthur
man's is not impressive. Lee char sounds pretty much just like me, like Li char sounds like the prince of Mon Cala like a little bit higher. Maybe he's 16. So he kind of resonates right here. But uh, yeah, I mean, it's pretty much up to if you ask me later on to do you just voice you sounds just like me.
Alicyn
That's great. Yeah. You know, because it's, you know, I think the misconception sometimes is that you need to have a huge stable of characters or be a very unique character actor like a Fred Tavish or Dee Bradley Baker to have a career but plenty of people, you know, sit in or book mostly in one range and area. That yeah, it's really is about the acting.
Adam McArthur
Yeah. 100% is about the act. Yeah, I agree.
Alicyn
So what was it like when you saw your first episodes for clone wars start to err,
Adam McArthur
pretty wild? I mean, people are like, Oh, do you watch? Are you able to watch your own stuff? I think I always get asked this, like, do you watch the stuff that you're on? And I think that's because a lot of people don't
Alicyn
think on camera actors. Some of them you know, there's always like that one guy that will never watch his work.
Adam McArthur
I'm like, No, I want to walk. Yeah, I definitely want to watch so yeah, I like to like I don't know, check in make sure that I think I'm sounding good or that I think I'm like doing a good job or what I can improve on. I always kind of watch it with that with that sort of perspective. But it's also just like fun. For clo more specifically, the first time I saw it was at the season four premiere party. Oh, wow. And the first three so my episodes were the first three episodes of season four, and they all take place underwater. So they had the premiere party at an aquarium in Long Beach and amazing in all the like giant fish tanks. They had like these cutouts of all the Star Wars characters underwater and like they're cool, scuba, scuba gear and stuff. Like that was really, really cool. And then we watched episode one and two, I think in their 40 theater. So like anytime like a boat was like splashing go underwater. They were like spraying water at us. And it was really cool. Wow, that's
Alicyn
amazing.
Adam McArthur
They like handed out lightsabers. Oh my god. Like did stuff in person, you know? Yeah. Yeah.
Alicyn
I vaguely vaguely recall those to think back to that.
Adam McArthur
I'm like, that was really a unique Yeah, I just keep getting into these like super unique things. I just keep making sure people are aware, I am so thankful. Like I it's not lost on me the fact that like, I got to go to you know, the Long Beach aquarium for a Star Wars premiere for a voice that I you know, I'm in get handed lightsabers and like Chewbacca is walking around. Like, how cool is that? You
Alicyn
know what the LATAM it's great that you are such a wonderful person with such a generous personality and you share so much good energy out there. So it's always a sweet thing. I want to talk a little bit about your martial arts experience because you know, three time black belts that I don't even really know what that means, to be honest, but it seems like a big deal.
Adam McArthur
Well, I mean, I have so besides acting, I've just always had a love for martial arts. Like I've always wanted to do martial arts. So I again, I begged my parents for a really long time to put me in some kind of martial arts and I finally got beat up in sixth grade. And again started just like timing wise. My dad used to be a police officer and he had trained with this like legendary martial arts teacher in Northern California. Wow, who opened up a school right down the street from my house like right when I was getting bullied and like beat up in school. So I got beat up pretty bad in sixth grade and Some other like life stuff had happened. We had like a death in the family and things like that. Let's like not great stuff was happening. And my parents were finding that like, Well, I mean, it's right here and they knew the teacher that was the big thing is like my dad knew the teacher and like bulk really highly of him. So they enrolled me in class and that school taught kung fu in judo. My teacher Johnny was from China had come over here in the early 60s and had been teaching for a really long time. I think I started in 1994 martial arts and he taught Kung Fu and when he came over here from China, he started doing judo, which is a Japanese martial art. Okay, but that was sort of during this time when like the Japanese martial arts and the Chinese martial arts there was like, you know, they didn't really like each other. There's lots of rivalries so he was very forward
Alicyn
the thing kappa chi did
Adam McArthur
these stories come from something and this time of like martial arts history, I'm a total nerd for this stuff like martial arts history is like so interesting to me. But he kind of was forward thinking and didn't want to have this. So he started learning judo. So the school that I grew up in taught Kung Fu, judo, and then Tai Chi, which is like, you know, so I started with Kung Fu, he told my parents I was too little, and I was too weak. So he wanted me to do judo. Also play put me in judo. And then yeah, from there, I just like did it all the time? Well, I mean, I was at the Kung Fu school, probably like six days a week, wow. Or four hours a night sometimes. I mean, I did theater in high school, and I played baseball and soccer until high school. So like, I was like, I would go to school, I would go to soccer practice and I'd go right to come through I'd stay or I'd go right to judo, then I'd stay for Kung Fu and then I go home and do my homework and go to sleep and do it all again the next day and like, just continue to do that. Wow. So yeah, I competed really heavily. I got my you know, in Kung Fu their sashes, so it's like a belt, but it's their turn their grading system. So I read a black sash and traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Wow. And my black belt in judo. And then I have a black belt in wushu. Wushu was the my third. So when I came to the latest Oh, and it's a Wushu was like, Have you heard of it? It's like picture gymnastics, Florida. Oh, but martial arts. I think I want to do whoosh. It's really cool. Yeah, it's like it's basically like what you see in the movies also kind of like more like a static over application. Uh huh. You're not like learning wushu to go fight somebody or protect yourself. You're learning it to like look at Florin
Alicyn
like, yeah, for Wow. Do you feel that learning so much martial arts helped influence the way you work as an actor?
Adam McArthur
Yeah, totally. I mean, I am a very goal oriented person. And I think a lot of that comes from martial arts, because it's like, next year, next year, next year, which I think can be really beneficial as an actor. But I also think it can be detrimental, because there's not really
Alicyn
like a linear and so much is out of our control. Totally,
Adam McArthur
totally. But what it's what it has helped me with is self belief, confidence. And something that I always say is like, being comfortable in the uncomfortable, which I think is like invaluable for an actor, like speaking back to when we were talking about, like, you know, the peaks and valleys. Like when you're in those valleys, sometimes it's really uncomfortable. And if you can be okay, and just know that it's not your forever and that you're going to come out of that, then you know, you're gonna be okay. And you'll be you'll be able to keep going, you know, and so yeah, so I think martial arts really, like instilled that in me and made it so that I was able I'm able to like persevere, even when it's tough, or you know,
Alicyn
you can't see what's next. Yeah, amazing. My teacher
Adam McArthur
always said to me, and he said in relation to martial arts, but when I left home, he had a talk with me. And he said something to me. He said, someone has to go get those parts, those rules those jobs, it might as well be you. And I was like, what, like, simple thing like a simple thought. Right? But I don't know. Yeah, like it might as well be me not saying that at any kind of Carmi. Yeah. Everything you audition for it might as well be you the whole point of like, someone has to get it. Yeah. So and you're reading as long as you're, you know, working your way up so that you can get yourself opportunities, then there's no reason it can't be you. So you just have to go in there and know that at some point, it will be okay. Like, cheers.
Alicyn
Adam, it has been such a pleasure to have you on the show and get to chat with you and hear about everything that you have going on. Thank you so much for sharing your time with us of course. Thanks really appreciate it. Thanks for watching you guys. I hope that you subscribe or share this with a friend if you would like to hear more. And if there are other guests you would like to see. Go ahead and drop them in the comments. See you next week. Thanks for tuning in to Alison's Wonderland, where we explore the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games. Please remember to subscribe and leave us a review. For more episodes of Alison's Wonderland. Please visit us at www dot Alison packard.com See you next week.