Erika Ishii Q&A

Dearest Rasputin

What to say to you?

You’re my Warmind, you have a Russian name

When you came online you launched warsats

And it warmed my heart

I was very fortunate that there was already this wealth of lore. The game has been out for a while. I played Destiny 1, but I hadn't had a chance to play [Destiny 2] yet. The Bungie guys were so sweet and they sent me codes to pop in [and] play some Destiny. Also I watched some "Let's Plays" to catch up on lore and any background information I might need.

I make playlists for almost every character I play, and there's definitely an Ana playlist. 

When I make a character playlist, it's songs that define who they are, how they feel about events or others. Of course there's stuff from the Destiny 2 soundtrack. And then a lot of songs about her isolation; there's a couple of songs from my favorite artists Vian Izak and Juniper Vale -- "The Astronaut" and "The Expanse." It has a lonely and hopeful feeling to it.

I would listen to it before I went to sessions or in between session weeks to keep fresh. Music is a huge touchstone of how I get into character or formulate and focus character.

Most voice actors I know are musical. There's something about the rhythm and the musicality of phrasing and performance and breath control that I think music prepares you for. People who are drawn to music are also drawn to voice acting. It's very common. 

It was just so much fun. It was criminal amount of fun. It's really just getting to play; I feel so lucky to get to do this. 

Voice acting presents a unique challenge as far as acting goes, because you have to imagine everything yourself. What are the weather conditions like? Are you speaking to someone who is far away from you, or close? Then you have to layer all of the physical conditions on top. [Things like] how are you feeling? What is your character trying to get across? Is your character an expert on this topic? There's so many elements you need to keep in mind while you're performing. It's a wonderful, exciting challenge.

I think every character that you play you find something of them in yourself, or put a bit of yourself into them. Ana is inquisitive and I think she really wants to help in the way that she best knows how. Exploring your past and your history -- whether it's in an undiscovered “sci-fi” sense, or just you as a person -- is difficult. That was something that was interesting to explore.

I still can't believe that I got to join this cast. That cast is stacked. Some of the greats of voiceover and on-camera. Such incredible actors that I get to say I'm in an ensemble with. A lot of people that I looked up to, or were idols of mine. I've joined the ranks and it's unbelievable to me.

I love seeing the diverse and really rich characters of the world of Destiny. The fact that [Ana is a] queer Asian woman was kind of huge for me. I identify as pansexual. It's really amazing because that's not something you get to see a lot in media; queer women of color. That felt very significant to me. 

Not yet! I want to jump back in, especially since I was power leveling my Warlock before the season dropped. Now that [my performance is] in, I'm a little nervous. It's odd hearing myself; most artists are very self-critical but I haven't jumped in yet.

I was in the Gundam movie [Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative] and I got to take my mom to the screening premier of it. And the first time a character speaks, [it was] just an out-of-body experience. I was like "Oh, that's me!" That happened in the trailer where Ana has those lines. It didn't feel real seeing her mouth move and my voice come out of it. It was so wild. I have friends who play Destiny. They would send me clips and say, "I heard you in my living room!"

I feel like no VO actor has the same story. Everybody comes from different backgrounds. I did on-camera acting for a long time. I always wanted to do voice over. I grew up with cartoons and videogames. One day I made the decision that I wanted to do VO specifically for videogames because it's this new exciting medium that we have growing up in our lifetimes. Imagine being at the advent of cinema and getting a chance to make films. I wanted to be part of performing for this exciting new narrative medium. 

I grew up with videogames. There have been so many incredible performances by legends and pioneers. I think it was playing The Last of Us that I decided, "Oh for sure, this is what I'm going to do." 

I was always so scared to do it because it's a different skill than on-camera acting. Other than the different techniques you need to learn, there's a financial investment involved with it; paying for a demo, paying for classes, workshops and everything you need to be ready and have a calling card and show that you're serious in the industry.

But it was playing The Last of Us that I said, "Yeah it's worth it to me. I want to make art like this. I want to be a part of this medium that I really love."

I was very fortunate to have a lot of good mentors, friends, and colleagues that gave me opportunities. I was lucky to have a lot of background that prepared me for a lot of those opportunities when they arose. On-camera acting, improv, [and] music helped so much. 

It's really truly wild to me that I get to do my dream job.